Shopping Cart

Everything Jazz

Donald Byrd: Ethiopian Knights LP (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition)

Donald Byrd

Blue Note, 1972

Over two days in August 1971, Donald Byrd brought a powerful band into A&M Studios in Los Angeles to record the jazz-funk exploration Ethiopian Knights, continuing his evolution from top-flight hard bop trumpeter to pioneer of R&B/funk fusion. Consisting of just three tracks - the extended funk workouts "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti" with the cleanser "Jamie" in between - the album preceded his Mizell Bros produced fusion masterpiece Black Byrd, and featured stand-out contributions from tenor saxophonist Harold Land and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, along with keyboardists Joe Sample and Bill Henderson III, guitarists Don Peake, Greg Poree, and David T. Walker, bassist Wilton Felder, drummer Ed Greene, and percussionist Bobbye Porter Hall.

Tracklist

A1: The Emperor
A2: Jamie

B1: The Little Rasti