Electric Byrd

Just a few months after Miles Davis released Bitches Brew, Donald Byrd made an equally strong statement with Electric Byrd, a meditative four-track exploration that laid a six-piece horn section (his own trumpet, four saxes, and trombone) over guitar, electric piano, and bass and drums from Ron Carter and Mickey Roker. This is fusion that still leans more toward the jazz than the rock side; everything swings in one way or another, and even when Byrd’s horn is treated with echo and reverb, his innate virtuosity, rich tone and impeccable control are impossible to ignore.