The Blackbyrds (album)
1974 studio album by the Blackbyrds
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The Blackbyrds is the debut album by the American rhythm and blues and jazz-funk fusion group the Blackbyrds. It was produced by Larry Mizell and Donald Byrd with production supervision by Orrin Keepnews.
Released1974
RecordedOctober 1973 to March 1974
StudioFantasy Studios (Berkeley, California)
GenresJazz funk, jazz fusion[1]
| The Blackbyrds | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | October 1973 to March 1974 | |||
| Studio | Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, California) | |||
| Genres | Jazz funk, jazz fusion[1] | |||
| Label | Fantasy | |||
| Producers | Larry Mizell, Donald Byrd | |||
| The Blackbyrds chronology | ||||
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The album artwork is a section of the Vincent Van Gogh painting Wheatfield with Crows.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Record Guide |  [1] |
Robert Gabriel of AllMusic declared, "This amazing album is the product of six full-time Howard University students taking the direction of department head and jazz great Donald Byrd into the Fantasy Studios along with the aid of production wizard Larry Mizell. The result is some of the finest groove-oriented jazz music ever recorded."[2]
Track listing
- "Do It, Fluid" (Donald Byrd) 5:27
- "Gut Level" (Lincoln Ross) 4:08
- "Reggins" (Larry Mizell) 4:05
- "The Runaway" (Donald Byrd, Kevin Toney) 4:13
- "Funky Junkie" (Donald Byrd) 7:01
- "Summer Love" (Allan Barnes) 5:08
- "Life Styles" (Larry Mizell) 3:13
- "A Hot Day Today" (Donald Byrd, Barney Perry) 3:16
Personnel
- Donald Byrd - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Vocals
- The Blackbyrds - Vocals
- Kevin Toney - Keyboards, Melodica, Synthesizer
- Joe Hall - Electric Bass
- Keith Killgo - Drums
- Allan Barnes - Soprano & Tenor Saxophone
- David Williams - Bass
- Oscar Brashear - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
- Perk Jacobs - Percussion
- Ray Armando - Percussion
Charts
Album
| Chart (1974) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[3] | 96 |
| US Billboard Top Soul LPs[3] | 14 |
| US Billboard Top Jazz LPs[3] | 6 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | "Do It, Fluid" | US Billboard Hot 100 | 69 |
| US Hot Soul Singles | 23 | ||
| 1974 | "Gut Level" | US Disco Action | 9 |