DONALD BYRD — Slow Drag (review)

DONALD BYRD — Slow Drag album cover Album · 1968 · Hard Bop Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
I’m not really all that aware of DB’s previous works, but I know that his pre-67 stuff is much less interesting to this writer, so I’ll start out with the present Slow Drag, an album that seems to oscillate between Miles and Trane’s respective realms two or three years before. Apparently Byrd had found a stable line-up with which he was happy. Musically the shrouds and reeds are Miles & Shorter-ian, but the piano is more in the Tyner territory than Hancock’s, and weirdly enough drummer Higgins love to screw around with a microphone, on a few tracks not always successfully, though.

Six tracks (three aside) developing a mid-tempo rather early-60’s standard jazz, although you can hear that Donald’s future ideas are starting to germinate, but albums like Ethiopian Nights are still far away. Clearly the highlight of the A-side is Book’s Bossa (a Nova piece, as you’ll easily guess), but if it wasn’t for Higgins’ intrusive vocal interventions, the title track would give it a run for its money. The flipside is still very standard, but if one listens attentively, he’ll feel that the revolution will hit the fan fairly soon as Jelly Roll oozes unusual energy and power. Ditto for the following Loner track, where the tension reaches a peak, through the restrained piano lines of Cedar Walton. Gooood stuff, man!! The closing My Ideal closes the album on a soft and slow note, which personally I find a miss, but in its own genre, the track is unfortunately quite average.

If all “standard jazz” albums had this kind of power, I’d probably pay attention to the genre as much as I do with the early 70’s JR/F era. So if you’re into JR/F, I suggest that you go no further back than Slow Drag and proceed forward and chronologically. But if you’re into what I call standard jazz, no doubt this will be right up your alley as well.
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