DONALD BYRD — Free Form (review)

DONALD BYRD — Free Form album cover Album · 1966 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3/5 ·
Sean Trane
In Don Byrd’s early career (all things relative since he’s been at it for over 40 years), there are a few albums that seems to get the general public’s favour, and Free form and In Flight seem to be two of them. If In Flight featured what is considered Byrd’s usual suspect quintet, the present Free Form features a quite different line-up, including the young Herbie Hancock, the no-less-young Wayne Shorter, and bassist Warren and drummer Higgins who would often cross flight with that Byrd.

Well, I always saw Byrd as usually at least a few steps back from progressive stalwarts like Miles, Brubeck, Trane, Sun Ra and Lateef, and indeed this so-called Free Form album’s title might be a bit misleading, because it’s all standard early-50’s type of jazz. Despite Shorter and Hancock’s presence, this is the kind of album that puts an overly kinetic/active kid to sleep within a few minutes. Don’t get me wrong, if you’re into that kind of soft jazz, this album is flawless in its genre, but it will be more a lullaby than a swing-dance album. Even all-out scorcher like Haï Haï (my third fave on the present) might seem a bit sleep inducing compared to what sun Ra was doing at the same time. OK, I am overdoing it a little because the following flipside opener French Spice (my favest) bears its name rather well, at least in its spiced-up first half, with Herbie’s piano taking a prominent role. The 11-mins delicious title track closes the album features some haunting rhythms and ambiances, in no small part due to Byrd’s moody and solemn trumpet, Herbie’s fingers on the keys and Shorter gives a convincing reply to Byrd‘s meanderings as well.

The first Blue Note label reissue (late 80’s) added a bonus track and strangely enough it’s the only non-Byrd composition: Hancock Three Wishes doesn’t stick out much stylistically-speaking, despite what seems a different recording session (still Van Gelder), but it gives a neat sixth chapter to Free Form. Well with a near-soporific A-side, the album catches very well its second breath and gives an excellent flipside, certainly not as great as what some of his peers were doing back then, but he’s not far behind with the second half of this schizophrenic album, thanks to the two future big names present of this slice of wax.

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