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DON BYRON
You Are #6
 Blue
Note 532 2312
Amazon
UK
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Subtitled More Music For Six Musicians, this
album is in the same stylistic mould as Byron’s 1995 Music For Six
Musicians, if less overtly political. As with that album, Byron
has turned to a relatively straight ahead jazz album in contrast to
the rather eclectic, unfocussed (some might say schizophrenic) feel
of his recent releases. The instrumentation is the same as on the 1995
album, with Byron on clarinets, Edsel Gomez on piano and Ben Whitman
on drums surviving, joined here by James Zollar on trumpet and flugelhorn,
Leo Traversa on bass and vocals, and Milton Cardona on congas, percussion
and vocals.
Notice that I said "relatively straight
head jazz album". As seasoned Byron-watchers will expect, there
are occasional eccentric tangents. One such is "Dub-Ya", a
short free-form instrumental and vocal piece that is doubtless aimed
at G. W. Bush, but lacks the barbs one might expect. Overall though,
this ensemble’s guiding principle is to explore Afro-Caribbean and Latin
rhythms, and it remains faithful to its mission. Throughout, the music
is driven along by the percussion, achieving an infectious momentum
in a variety of styles. "Shake ‘Em Up" is straight soca, complete
with an ensemble horn section to propel things along, plus call-and-response
vocals (and Don Byron Senior on bass). "A Whisper In My Ear"
is dedicated to trumpeter Mario Bauza, one of Byron’s musical mentors.
It features a Latin rhythm, but is predominantly a showcase for some
great soloing, led off by a driving solo from Byron himself, displaying
his virtuosity unchecked, followed in similar fashion by Gomez and Zollar.
In contrast, "No Whine" is a slow paced and effective feature
for Byron, and acts as a refreshing respite from the relentless rhythms
all around it. "Belmondo’s Lip" is a feature for Zollar (muted)
and Byron (on bass clarinet), an effective contrast of sounds. The piece
appears straight, and in a second version mixed by DJ Spooky that transforms
it into a dub version (another of those Byron tangents).
This album is a success. It is Byron’s most sustained
and enjoyable album for a while, probably since the live No-Vibe
Zone.
John Eyles
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