Description
As one of the most versatile jazz improvisers of our time, Jaki Byard was less known for his compositional prowess than his exuberant and slightly off-kilter piano stylings. But thanks to his years of teaching and mentoring at institutions such as the New England Conservatory of Music and The Manhattan School of Music, we now have a constellation of Byard ‘torch-bearers’ who have made it their business to shed light on what was previously a dim memory.
Yard Byard: The Jaki Byard Project has been an idea waiting to happen. When long-time friends Jamie Baum and George Schuller teamed up with fellow New England Conservatory alumni Jerome Harris and Adam Kolker in 2010, they decided it was time to pool several of Jaki’s old charts, dust them off, and bring them back to life. Adding bassist extraordinaire Ugonna Okegwo to the mix, it was about time an exploration of this interesting, timeless music was given its due.
Inch By Inch is a collaborative effort between mgrs. Baum, Kolker, Harris, Okegwo and Schuller…their first recording featuring such Byard favorites as Strolling Along, Aluminum Baby, and Ode To Charlie Parker along with three of his family tributes: Toni, Gaeta and Garr; and a bevy of other more obscure Byard originals such as Flight of the Fly, Twelve, Fadism, St. Marks Place Among The Sewers, Dolphy, and Inch By Inch, Yard Byard (first time recorded!).
”“This Jaki Byard repertory outfit was impressive in the way they gave props to both the wily pianist's serious and silly sides. Whimsy was part of the maestro's swinging approach, and flautist Jamie Baum and saxophonist Adam Kolker capture that vibe while dropping some very hip solos.”
— Jim Macnie, Village Voice
”"The music was all Byard’s, played lovingly and a bit loosely...Most of the songs in the first set were fine examples of standard form gone just slightly haywire. The absence of a pianist in the group is good strategy...”
— Nate Chinen, New York Times
”“Yard Byard is a cooperative ensemble wonderfully based on a quirky body of work which in their capable hands proves extremely viable, the compositions of the late master musician and teacher Jaki Byard. What an inspiration, why didn’t someone think of this before?... This has to go down as one of my favorite new band sightings of the year.”
— Willard Jenkins, Open Sky & The Independent Ear
PERFORMERS
Jamie Baum, flutes; Adam Kolker, reeds; Jerome Harris, guitar; Ugonna Okegwo, bass; George Schuller, drums
PROGRAM
1. Flight of the Fly (arr. Harris) 4:48
2. Toni (arr. Baum) 5:41
3. Twelve (arr. Harris/Baum) 4:56
4. Aluminum Baby (arr. Kolker) 4:45
5. Fadism 5:33
6. Gaeta 5:52
7. Inch By Inch, Yard Byard 2:46
8. St. Mark’s Place Among The Sewers (arr. Baum) 5:19
9. Strolling Along (arr. Kolker) 6:00
10. Garr 3:38
11. Ode To Charlie Parker (arr. Baum/Harris) 7:42
12. Dolphy 3:23
Recorded at Tedesco Studios, Paramus, NJ on Aug. 25-26, 2011
All compositions by Jaki Byard
All arrangements by Yard Byard except where noted.
Executive Producer: Gunther Schuller
ALSO AVAILABLE
Also available for downloads on Amazon as well as other digital sites.
