Recorded at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on January 27-29, 1970, and then released to the public by CTI in May. This was Freddie's first album produced by Creed Taylor, thus announcing a new style and sound that would become Freddie's signature over the next decade (despite only working with Creed and Rudy for the next five years).

A1. "Red Clay" (12:05) Lenny White's muscular, more-rock-inspired drums are noticeable from the get-go as are Herbie Hancock's electric piano and Ron Carter's hyper-active electric bass. I love how Freddie and Joe both seem to feed off of the energy coming from Lenny and Ron, while Herbie tempers everybody with his smoothed out electric piano sound and play. I can see why everybody loves this song: great enthusiasm captured here! High marks for Ron's play alone (though when given a solo he's rather subdued and toned down)! And then there is the wonderfully-synchronized whole band staccato play in the last 90 seconds to finish. I would definitely call this a Jazz-Rock Fusion song. (23/25)

A2. "Delphia" (7:25) opening with that long-held discordant chord on the organ is genius--especially in light of the gorgeous, gospel-bluesy song that comes out of it. Freddie's trumpet play is so smooth--this despite the raw and raunchy organ play from Herbie. The bass and drums seem much more aligned with Freddie's mood and melody, but it is Herbie's dirty organ play that takes the song's simple "purity" out of the realms of guileless innocence and makes it rather suggestive and risqué--even winning over the horn players to the side of sin and temptation over the course of the song's seven minutes. Wow! What an honest though disturbing scene to have to witness! Like watching an innocent, unassuming young girl be seduced into giving up her virginity! The suggestive storytelling power of music! (Despite the fusion of innocence with lechery, this is not very fusion music.) (13.5/15)

B1. "Suite Sioux" (8:40) more relaxed and upbeat than the previous song, the song opens with a light conversation between Herbie's organ and Fender Rhodes and the two horn players until 1:10 when Freddie takes off into the first of two alternating bop motifs, the rhythm section beneath him seeming to be alternating between two (or three) very different lanes on the free way (or air currents over the Badlands). Whatever their instructions or motivations, the seemingly-random switches between the three motifs are quite radical: requiring quite a little skill and focus from the bass and drummer (deftly manifested by both Ron and Lenny). The soloists flying on the air currents above seem hardly to take notice, even when Ron and Lenny fly into unexpected wind gusts. At the six-minute mark we get the launch into a drum solo that is rather unusual for its loud and pronounced bass drum and then oddly subtle dénouement. The horns and Herbie come back to the motif of the opening "conversation" while Ron and Lenny hit an even more strangely different pattern beneath. Wow! What did I just hear?! Some intrepid (and extended) étude? Some kind of alchemical magic? Listening to Lenny White alone makes for a fascinating and mind-boggling experience. (18.25/20)

B2. "The Intrepid Fox" (10:40) sounds like music rooted very firmly in the hard bop jazz of the 1960s despite the free reign given to Herbie Hancock and his electric piano. Even Lenny sounds quite disciplined to constrain himself within the rigors of standard jazz practices here. (17.375/20)

Total time 38:50

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly diversified music that spans a spectrum from be-bop, hard bop and the new Jazz-Rock Fusion. In terms of adding to the J-R F lexicon, the opening title song is definitely the most fitting, but even "Delphia" and "Suite Sioux" express experimental elements that will go far to influence other artists dabbling in the medium. Definitely a landmark album for both Freddie and the rapid maturation of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

Enlisting the support of a band of jazz's new guard: the younger up-and-comers who'd paid their dues in their 20s throughout the 1960s and were now ready to break out--to prove themselves as leaders and adventurists. Here Freddie and crew test the waters of the Latin-infused fusion of jazz with some rock and pop sounds à la Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and John McLaughlin. While the boys never get too far out of their hard bop and post-bop comfort zones, they do stretch themselves from time to time with unusually aggressive dynamics (for them) and the use of some electronic instruments and effects (particularly on Herbie Hancock's electric piano and George Benson's electric guitar). To my ears, their "busting out" is more akin to the musical explorations of the past five years done by the Don Ellis Orchestra--more like wearing black sunglasses with their standard, nondescript black suits and thin black ties.

The album was recorded in November 16 of 1970, released in January of the new year by CTI Records.

A. "Straight Life" (17:30) fast and dynamic with lots of energy being expressed, even in the individual solos, each taken in its proper turn, of course. Great virtuosity on display but played so tightly! (30.75/35)

B1. "Mr. Clean" (13:30) has a mod, late-Sixties party feel to it, played loose and lax--like they're really letting their hair down. Everybody is playing loose and kind of in their own melody lines, all at the same time, which is/was really unusual for this time. So weird to hear Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette playing as if they couldn't care less about holding down the rhythm section, hearing George Benson and Freddie (and, to a lesser degree, Herbie) playing so loosely over, beside, and within each other's tracks. (Herbie gets on board with the fierce independent thing somewhere around the fourth or fifth minute.) This is awesome stuff! At the end of the seventh minute everybody dials it down a bit so that Herbie's electric piano solo can be heard. Respect! It does not, however, stop Richie Landrum, Ron Carter, or Jack DeJohnette from throwing Herbie a little shade. Could this solo been one of Eumir Deodato's big inspirations for his career in Jazz-Rock Fusion? George B. gets the next solo respect--for the eleventh minute. (Do I hear a little funk coming from the rhythm section?) Great song--especially for being so early in the J-R Fuse thing. (23/25)

B2. "Here's That Rainy Day" (5:10) solo plaintive trumpet--as Freddie does so well--opens this one before George Benson's chord support joins in and then, in the second minute, Ron Carter's bass. Despite the occasional sound of Jack's snare coils vibrating, the trio are the only ones represented on this one. (8.75/10)

Total Time: 36:24

B+/4.5 stars; though registering as a near-masterpiece to me, the critic looking for Jazz-Rock Fusion, I can see how this album could be appreciated by true jazz aficionado.

Recorded by Creed Taylor and Rudy Van Gelder in September of 1971 and released on October 12.

A1. "First Light" (11:00) nice two-chord vamp that take a minute or two to get into full gear. Once it does it becomes a very nice dance tune with some great trumpet play from Freddie. The second soloist to get a turn isn't up until the seventh minute: George Benson. If these two solos are any indication, the musicians on this album seem much more focused and driven to produce amazing music than on Freddie's last album, Straight Life. Both Freddie and George are much more dynamic, aggressive, and "show-offy" than they were on anything on Straight Life while the musicians playing in support seem to have their working orders very clearly charted out for them as they are all working very hard in support with very little flash or flourish shining through the soloists work. (Maybe a little from Jack DeJohnette, Airto, Phil Kraus, and one of the flutists.) Beautiful song! (18.75/20)

A2. "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" (8:12) Paul McCartney's song is taken down to the bare bones and bluesified melodically, Freddie only gives the first verse its due before taking it on his own flight. There is a significant contribution from some uncredited orchestral strings here. The two minute mark results in a significant shift into a blues/R&B-jazzed-up "Admiral Halsey" section. Jack and Ron are even caught trying to funk things up (Jack's more military than you'd probably want) but Ron, George, and electric piano player Richard Wyandis are excellent at funking things up--George even stepping up to play a very aggressive jazz-structured blues solo. At 5:40 everybody cuts out for Ron to show off his groove thang before flutes, Fender, and drums join in to take us to the final minute's return to the stripped down, bare bones opening motif (again, with strings/orchestra). Interesting! And, admittedly, adventurous. (13.5/15)

B1. "Moment To Moment" (5:40) late night bareness on this Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer composition with vibes, bass, and Fender Rhodes supporting Freddie's plaintive trumpet play. Orchestral support from flutes/winds, harp, horns, and, later, strings. The two-motif sides to the song do not work so well for me. (8.75/10)

B2. "Yesterday's Dreams" (3:55) like a cover of a classic 1960s movie theme, Freddie dons his muter for his trumpet play. Composer Don Sebesky's strings and orchestral enrichment are very heavy on this one, it sounds a lot like the lush music Bob James will soon be making, only still founded in the rich textures and seriousness of the 1960s. Beautiful. (9/10)

B3. "Lonely Town" (6:55) another late night majestic tune that sounds like something from Frank Sinatra's best Ava Gardner Period music (except for the dulcet sounds of the Fender Rhodes). Great support from some masterfully arranged and recorded orchestra instruments. At 2:52 there is a sudden and pronounced shift into a more James Bond soundtrack theme and style, with bass, drums, Fender, and trumpet all stepping up to their microphones and the orchestra being pushed back into the background. Cool! though I do love the lush opening better. (13.375/15) Total time

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of creative and adventurous jazz-rock fusion that is often on the smooth cinematic side (due, perhaps, to the lush orchestral arrangements).

Klaus' fourth album with his Passport lineup: the same dudes who'll stick with him through the end of the decade! How's that for unusual!

1. "Eternal Spiral" (3:59) complex and cruisin' (8.875/10)

2. "Looking Thru" (7:58) smooth yet intricate with an AWESOME funky second motif in the middle. Go Wolfgang Schmid! (14.5/15)

3. "Zwischenspiel" (1:31) a wonderful acoustic guitar solo with piano accompaniment. (5/5)

4. "Rockport" (3:31) clavinet and unusual synth sounds with pulsing near-Disco beat coming from the rhythm section over which Klaus' multi-saxes belt it out. Very poppy but infectious. (8.875/10)

5. "Tarantula" (3:48) prolonged effected-saxophone squirts panning across the sonic field with minimal support from the rest of the band eventually results in a quite wonderfully bombastic sax opening which signals the release of the funky bass, drums, and clavinet beneath. A little too cheesy-radio friendly with its many hooks there are some seriously innovative ideas here. I'm so glad Klaus chooses a tenor sax for most of his work--including background playing. (9.25/10)

6. "Ready for Take Off" (4:47) opens like something from an RTF album--that hasn't come out yet--before dialing in on a bluesy-teasy jazz-lite tune. Klaus once again shows his wonderfully flamboyant mastery of so many tricks one can play on a saxophone. The "flute" synth melody line in the "chorus" is definitely an earworm; the keyboard work overall is amazing. Mega kudos Kristian Schulze! (9/10)

7. "Eloquence" (5:12) more experimental play with odd synth sounds before drummer Curt Cress joins in. The two actually make for a great duet--but then the bass and other keys join in--as does Klaus on his soprano sax--gathering momentum in a cool jazz motif with great keyboard and bass playing among the sophisticated key and chord changes. An excellent jazz-rock fusion tune that definitely falls more to the jazz side than some of the other stuff on the album. (9.33333/10)

8. "Things to Come" (2:45) more weird synth-generated sound explorations before the full band, in a very muted-top end form, enters in a driving rock-like motif to support a frenetic and very loose jam from multiple saxophones. Kind of cool! (8.875/10)

Total Time 33:31

Does Klaus and his Passport crew get enough credit? I don't think so. There is a lot of pandering to the listener going on yet the music never fails to be sophisticated and dextrous--and definitely jazzy or funky most of the time.

A/five stars; though a little schlocky and syrupy at times, this is definitely a collection of highly-skilled performances of some very clever and ingenious compositions and ideas. I cannot diminish the masterful music here.

Donald's first album giving the reigns of both production and composition to NASA aerospace engineer Larry Mizell. (Larry has writing credit on all seven of the album's songs. Donald has none.) Larry and his 11-month-younger brother, Fonce, were both D.C. born graduates of Howard University: Larry in engineering, Fonce in music. The brothers had only moved out to California early in 1972, with the aim of starting their own record production company (Sky High Productions). Black Byrd was recorded on April 3rd and 4th at The Sound Factory in Hollywood, California though one other date was required (Nov. 24) before the album could be mastered (perhaps for the re-recording or overdubs to he album's title song: to give it that "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" sound and feel). It was released by the Blue Note label in February of 1973.

A1. "Flight Time" (8:30) a remnant from the previous album's recording sessions?--or perhaps something generated by the momentum established by those sessions. The music is more sedate, engineered more for the exposition of singular musicians, one at a time, at the front, with the rest of the band serving more in support roles, not garnering much attention. Even the solos from the lead instruments (trumpet and flute) are more linear and focused, less conversant, than the music on the rest of the album (and on successive albums)--until, that is, the fifth minute when everybody seems to have been given the green light to go, explore, show off (at least for a minute). It's nice but it also helps me to be appreciative of the busy and nuanced weaves of the band's future songs. The busy free for all has some of the same joi de vivre of Hugh Masakela's "Grazin' in the Grass." (17.5/20)

A2. "Black Byrd" (8:00) ominous funk from bass and synth with percussion and Fender Rhodes accents open this one before flutes and wah-wah-ed "Shaft"-like rhythm guitar joins in. Small male choir joins in near the beginning of the second minute talking about "walking along playing our song" while a muted horn and horn-like rhythm guitar squawk and converse between and behind the vocal passages. Truly revolutionary (as far as my experience goes--though there are reminisces here of the instrumental music rendered by The Temptations for their version of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone"--which was released in September! (13.75/15)

A3. "Love's So Far Away" (6:00) high quality, smooth-yet-rollicking and grooving funk-jazz with an awesome bass line (and style) that will be emulated by Les Nemes on one of my all-time favorite albums, HAIRCUT 100's Pelican West. (9.125/10)

B1. "Mr. Thomas" (5:15) nice full, complex, but not-too-busy, example of melodic jazz-funk. (8.875/10)

B2. "Sky High" (5:59) a song titled after Larry & Fonce's new music production company! Smooth melody lines over straightforward jazz-pop with some pretty adventurous bass walking from Chuck Rainey. This is definitely upbeat and happy music--and everybody contributing seems on board with this. Male choir enters in the second half with its background delivery of the usual hokey lyrics. Besides Chuck's awesome bass play, there are great performances here from all of the trumpeters and flutists as well as the rhythm guitarist, drummer, and keyboard players. (8.875/10)

B3. "Slop Jar Blues" (6:00) a nice, easy-going, Cosby Kids-like groove over which the winds and lead trumpeter and flutist have a great dialogue. I wonder if the solo voce "Slop Jar" lead vocalist is Donald, Fonce, or Freddie Perren. Another great engineered and mixed weave of instruments with Chuck Rainey's bass, the lead flute and trumpet, and the percussionists getting especially prominent treatment. (8.75/10)

B4. "Where Are We Going?" (4:40) the two-chord piano opening that proves to be the foundation for the rest of the song inspires (and supports) another great bass performance from Chuck Rainey while flutes, trumpets, and pianos play around within the mix. At 1:37 another singular male vocal performance starts that makes me wonder who it is. Motown-style b vox soon follow. Curiously, that's when Donald's trumpet really starts to fly around: in and between the vocals and recitations of the main melody from the flutes. There is a Classics IV/Atlanta Rhythm Section "Stormy" feel to the chords and melodies of the foundational progression. All in all it's a nice Smooth jazzed-up Soul/R&B song, despite its obvious references to other Motown classics (including Marvin Gaye's What's Going On?) (9.125/10)

Total Time: 43:17

By far the most melodic and pop-oriented music and album that Donald Byrd had released up to this time, I find it odd that an album so overwhelmingly dominated by one man and his production company's hired guns gets credited to the non-composing band leader instead of the principal generator of the finished product but such was the way of the music industry back in 1972/3. The shifts in both style and sound quality from Donald's previous release are so pronounced that one almost wants to ask if this is perhaps a different artist altogether--especially with respect to the list of musicians contributing to this album as compared to those on Ethiopian Knights: Wilton Felder, Joe Sample, and David T. Walker are present on Black Byrd, but, to what capacity as there are a whole host of other musicians present here filling in the same roles that the Jazz Crusaders were filling?

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of wonderfully-rendered blend of Smooth Jazz and Funk-Jazz.