Jaki Byard: Out Front -1973 Prestige Second Pressing Reissue 12" Stereo Record

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1973 Lime Green Label Second Pressing Stereo Reissue of Classic 1965 Prestige Release of Bandleader/Composer/Master Pianist/Alto Saxophonist Jaki Byard Entitled Out Front!, Produced by Don Schlitten, Supervision by Ozzie Cadena and Esmond Edwards, Recording by Rudy Van Gelder, Liner Notes by David A Himmelstein - "The late Jaki Byard was, arguably, the most versatile pianist in jazz, though he also played trombone and was an excellent tenor saxophonist. Born in 1922, he grew up during the golden era, and while younger than Duke Ellington, he embraced, as had his predecessor, all of the changes the music went through, from its origins in New Orleans through the free improvisation era. Byard would, in a single solo concert, reveal his truly awesome mastery of the aforementioned styles, as well as R&B, stride, swing, funk, blues, honky tonk, and the extreme arpeggios of Art Tatum. But Byard's style was completely his own, developed from his early days playing with Earl Bostic in the late '40s and early '50s. After leaving Bostic, he played with Herb Pomeroy and Maynard Ferguson until he won a spot in the legendary Charles Mingus band of 1962-1964 along with Eric Dolphy. He also recorded with Dolphy and Booker Ervin, as well as Charlie Mariano and Rahsaan Roland Kirk. One of his notable achievements was as the pianist in the Mingus band that tore apart concert halls all over Europe in 1964. Between 1961 and 1972, he issued a string of his own dates for Prestige (Hi-Fly, Here's Jaki, and Out Front! among them) and other labels; they embody his finest work, with a rhythm section that included Richard Davis and Alan Dawson, though he never made a bad record. Byard became an educator in the early '70s (after another collaboration with Mingus in 1970), teaching at Harvard, the Hart School of Music, and the New England Conservatory, and he recorded and performed intermittently the world over until his death from a gunshot wound in 1999." - "Although Jaki Byard was a very eclectic pianist, this is a surprisingly conventional set. On most selections he is joined by bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Walter Perkins (in 1964) for fairly straight-ahead renditions of standards and obscurities. A few of the numbers add Booker Ervin on tenor and trumpeter Richard Williams, and of these by far the most original performance is the episodic "European Episode." Rounding off the set is a 1961 performance (with Byard on both alto and piano) of "When Sunny Gets Blue." It's fine music but one has to lower expectations a bit." - Sensational Personnel for the Two Lineups Include Legendary Composer Jaki Byard on Piano & Alto Saxophone, the Talented Booker Ervin on Tenor Saxophone, Richard Williams on Trumpet, the Great Bob Cranshaw or Ron Carter on Bass and Walter Perkins or the Brilliant Roy Haynes on Drums! - Selections on Side A Are the Jaki Byard Penned Title Track, the Al Frisch Bernie Wayne Standard Two Different Worlds & Original Jaki Byard Composition Searchlight at Seven Minutes Even - Songs for Side B Consist of Original Jaki Byard Composition European Episode at 12 Minutes 5 Seconds, the Billy Strayhorn Classic Lush Life and the Marvin Fisher/Jack Segal Standard When Sunny Gets Blue - Used Copy, Cover Has a Light Surface Ring, Record Very Good++ - Stereo Recording, Product Code PR 7397 - California Residents Add 9.75% Sales Tax - International S & H Extra -