On the cover Byrd is surrounded by a kind of aureola to
distinguish him from the dark, flattened background. It's
hard to get a nice picture from this cover let me tell
you.
It is not hard to enjoy this album, given you are in for
some adventure. Two long funky jams who serve as magic
carpet ride for soloing escapades and 'Jamie': a short,
more melodic oriented piece. The album marks a point in
time where jazz was searching for ways to define itself in
a new era. An era where soul, funk and rock were at the
forefront of music business. Thoughts go out to fellow
trumpetist Miles Davis, equally exploring
new possibilities along the way during those late
sixties/early seventies.
Considered to be not that outstanding as previous albums
of Byrd this remains a great album. Remarkably to me is
the presence of Joe Sample and
Wilton Felder from the popular group
The Jazz Crusaders aka
The Crusaders. Byrd's output has been
extensively sampled by the acid-jazz and hip-hop
generation. This one will probably be no exception to
that.
Blue Note BST-84380
Recorded at A&M Studios
August 25th & 26th, 1971
A side:
- The Emperor
- Jamie
B side:
- The Little Rasti
