A New Perspective
A New Perspective is a 1964 studio album by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd. It was released on the Blue Note label as BLP 4124 and BST 84124.
| A New Perspective | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Early February 1964[1] | |||
| Recorded | January 12, 1963 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Jazz, hard bop | |||
| Length | 40:37 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Donald Byrd chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [2] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings |  [3] |
In 2017, it was ranked at number 194 on Pitchfork's list of the "200 Best Albums of the 1960s".[4] The album was remastered by Rudy Van Gelder in 1998.
Inspiration
The album features a fusion of jazz with spirituals, and features a vocal choir singing wordlessly to accompany the instruments.
About the project, Byrd said: "I mean this album seriously. Because of my own background, I've always wanted to write an entire album of spiritual-like pieces. The most accurate way I can describe what we were all trying to do is that this is a modern hymnal. In an earlier period, the New Orleans jazzmen would often play religious music for exactly what it was - but with their own jazz textures and techniques added. Now, as modern jazzmen, we're also approaching this tradition with respect and great pleasure."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Elijah" | Donald Byrd | 9:21 |
| 2. | "Beast of Burden" | Donald Byrd | 10:07 |
| 3. | "Cristo Redentor" | Duke Pearson | 5:43 |
| 4. | "The Black Disciple" | Donald Byrd | 8:12 |
| 5. | "Chant" | Duke Pearson | 7:31 |
Personnel
- Donald Byrd – trumpet
- Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock – piano
- Kenny Burrell – guitar
- Donald Best – vibraphone, vocals
- Butch Warren – bass
- Lex Humphries – drums
- Duke Pearson – arranger
- Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson – choir direction
- Unidentified vocalists: Four men (two basses, two tenors) and four women (two altos, two sopranos)
- Technical
- Rudy Van Gelder - recording
- Reid Miles - cover design, cover photography
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 110 |
References
- Billboard February 22, 1964
- Yanow, Scott. "A New Perspective - Donald Byrd | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- "The 200 Best Albums of the 1960s (1/10)". Pitchfork. August 23, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
- Original liner notes
- "Donald Byrd - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
Further reading
- Patrin, Nate (January 29, 2013). "A New Perspective On The Road: Donald Byrd As Driving Music". Blue Note Records.