KOFI (LIMITED EDITION) by DONALD BYRD

Limited edition with one extra song on 10": "The Loud Minority", written by Frank Foster, who plays on this album, and who later recorded the track under his own name. The track is for the first time available on vinyl."A fantastic set of tracks that was recorded at the cusp of the 70's, but which wasn't (for some strange reason) released until 1995! Donald Byrd's playing here with two different larger groups, and the music is a perfect bridge between his spacey late 60's attempts to mimic Miles, and his tighter Early 70's jazz funk work with Larry Mizell. The instrumentation's a bit different than usual, and includes a trumpet/tenor/flute frontline, backed by electric piano (played by Duke Pearson), for a sweet mellow funk sound that's unlike most other Blue Notes from the time. We were super-happy to have this one finally come out -- and believe us, it's been worth the wait! Titles include "Kofi", "Fufu".(