Donald Byrd - Byrd's Eye View

Recorded in 1955 for producer Tom Wilson's short-lived Boston-based label Transition Records, Byrd's Eye View was trumpeter Donald Byrd's first issued recording as a leader. The date presented Byrd at the helm of what was then the current lineup of The Jazz Messengers with tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley, pianist Horace Silver, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Blakey. Local Boston-area trumpeter Joe Gordon joins the band for some friendly brass sparring with Byrd on several numbers, further adding to the album's jovial air of a blowing session. Everyone is in fine form on this five-song set with Side A consisting of an extended stroll through Watkins' laid-back original "Doug's Blues" followed by some inspired trading between Byrd and Gordon on "El Sino." A beautiful rendition of the ballad "Everything Happens to Me" and two swinging Mobley pieces comprise Side B, bringing this highly enjoyable date to a close.