[Review] Donald Byrd: Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill (1957)
Byrd and Berklee’s Ray Santisi are full of beans in Boston.
Kronomyth 4.0: Tea and trumpets
Donald Byrd and Ray Santisi star in this swinging set produced by Tom Wilson for his Transition label. This one won’t set your world on fire, but if you’re in the mood for something cool, Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill fits the bill. The record opens with Little Rock Getaway by Joe Sullivan, a lively number that benefits from smart solos by Byrd and Santisi. Things slow down for Polka Dots & Moonbeams as the band steps back to let Byrd shine. The pace picks up again for People Will Say We’re in Love, with Santisi and Byrd again trading fine solos.
The second side more or less mimics the first by putting a ballad in between two faster numbers. If I Love Again features Byrd on a muted trumpet, which is a sound you either like or you don’t. I think it sounds like a duck being strangled (which is conjecture, not a confession). The evergreen What’s New reverses the approach of their earlier ballad, with Byrd receding into the background this time and Doug Watkins taking the spotlight. Stella By Starlight closes the set on a high note with Byrd’s gleeful soloing seeing you out the door. (What’s the cringe factor for “gleeful” anyway?)
I listen to Donald Byrd records because I really enjoyed Herbie Hancock’s early records and I know he learned a lot from being in Byrd’s band. I haven’t heard a Byrd disc that knocked my socks off yet, but socks tapping is another story. They’ve been solid, enjoyable sets that don’t contain too many surprises, bad or good. Of course, if we’re going to talk about teachers and students, Ray Santisi is the real story here. This is the first disc I’ve heard him on and he just commands attention at every turn. His presence is what might incline me to recommend this over some of Byrd’s other early works.
Original elpee version
A1. Little Rock Getaway (Joe Sullivan) (6:57)
A2. Polka Dots & Moonbeams (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) (7:26)
A3. People Will Say We’re in Love (Oscar Hammerstein II/Richard Rodgers) (3:56)
B1. If I Love Again (Jack Murray/Ben Oakland) (5:39)
B2. What’s New (Johnny Burke/Bob Haggart) (4:57)
B3. Stella By Starlight (Ned Washington/Victor Young) (2:38)
The Players
Donald Byrd (trumpet), Ray Santisi (piano), Doug Watkins (bass), Jim Zitano (drums). Produced by Tom Wilson; engineered by Steve Fassett.
The Pictures
Cover art by Tom Wilson, Nick Dean.
The Plastic
Released on elpee in 1957 in the US (Transition, TRLP 17) and Japan (Transition/King, GXF-3124).
- Re-released on elpee in 2012 in Japan (Transition, TRLP 17).
- Re-issued on 180g vinyl elpee in 2024 in the US (Blue Note).
