While Donald Byrd is beloved of the hip-hop and neo-soul generation for his exquisite string of 1970s jazz-funk albums featuring immaculate production from the Mizell Brothers, the albums he released leading up to these hits gets neglected. Byrd’s 1972 album Ethiopian Knights is a serious funk workout worth diving into. It features two immensely long hypnotic tracks that go deep into the funk. Much likes Miles, Byrd was busy checking out Sly and the Family Stone and the Isley Brothers and gets his bassist to stay in one place while everything builds up around him. Featuring a band boasting the likes of Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, Harold Land on sax, three guitarists, and three members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band roots down while Byrd and Land soar.

– Andy Beta