Name: Ethiopian Knights
Brand: Donald Byrd

Tax rate EU

Default:19

Supplier EU

Universal Music GmbH

Total Cap

Format detail

Colour details

Discogs ID

Limited edition

Colour

Format Music EU

Extended format

Extended format: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Download code

Download code: No

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Release date

2019-08-09

Format multiplier

Catalogue number

7759664

UPC / Barcode

602577596643

Artist

Donald Byrd

Label EU

Blue Note

Genre EU

Jazz

Donald Byrd was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, bandleader, and educator. Born on December 9, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan, he had a prolific career that spanned several decades. Byrd's musical journey began at Cass Tech where he studied classical music under the mentorship of Dr. Harry Begian. He honed his skills playing trumpet in military bands during his time in the Air Force and later graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in music.

Byrd's unique style blended Clifford Brown's warm sound and fluent technique with his own rhythmically loose phrasing. He recorded extensively as both a sideman and leader for labels such as Savoy Records, Prestige, Riverside Records, and Blue Note. Byrd also played alongside baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and gave pianist Herbie Hancock his first major exposure.

As a composer, Byrd showcased his versatility through church-inspired shouts, blues forms, and structurally interesting originals. His influential album "A New Perspective" merged his small group with a gospel choir. Despite his success in the music industry, Byrd never stopped pursuing education; he earned multiple degrees including a master's degree in music education from Manhattan School of Music and a law degree from Howard University.

In addition to his musical achievements, Byrd taught at various universities including Rutgers, Howard University,and North Carolina Central University. In the early 1970s, he

Blue Note is a record label that has made a significant impact in the jazz genre. Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, Blue Note focused on traditional jazz and swing recordings, producing timeless classics. In the 1950s, it became one of the first labels to feature bop musicians. After being acquired by *Universal Music Group* in 1965, Blue Note expanded its repertoire to include more commercially-oriented music like jazz-fusion. Throughout the years, Blue Note underwent various changes in ownership and reissue programs but continued to release new recordings and previously unreleased material.

In 1982, Blue Note catalog reissues began appearing on *United Artists Records*, which was owned by Michael Cuscuna who oversaw the UA-era reissue program. The label was later relaunched as part of *Capitol-EMI's* subsidiary *Manhattan Records* in 1985. It was during this time that Blue Note released key albums from its history and introduced previously unissued material.

In 1989, Blue Note became the division under which all of Capitol-EMI's jazz activities were organized. However, two years later, *Manhattan Records* was revived for smooth jazz and pop-jazz releases while Blue Note continued to thrive as a prominent label within Capitol-EMI's roster.

Newest Listed Items

Classic 1972 album. If there’s one word to summarize Donald Byrd’s career, it’s undoubtedly “eclectic.” The trumpet player recorded his share of straight-ahead hard-bop, but he branched out pretty far from that central sound, adding vocal choir experiments on the groundbreaking A New Perspective, dabbling in soul jazz in the late ’60s, zoning out with space-age fusion sounds in the mid ’70s, and carving out a seriously funky groove on Ethiopian Knights. The name, admittedly, is a little misleading — there’s scarcely any trace of the Ethio-jazz sounds of musicians like Mulatu Astatke. Instead, it’s a dense fusion record a la Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, but funkier, catchier, and just fun to listen to all around. It contains only three compositions: 15-minute-plus bookends The Emperor and The Little Rasti, and the shorter Jamie sandwiched in between. While Miles was off on another, nearly untouchable plane, Byrd took influence from the likes of Sly Stone and James Brown and made something infectiously funky. The album’s just under 40 minutes, but the groove never stops.

Ethiopian Knights

Music EU