- Charlie Byrd
-
Charlie Byrd 
Charlie Byrd performing with his trio in July 1997.Background information Birth name Charlie Lee Byrd Born September 16, 1925
Suffolk, Virginia, USADied December 2, 1999 (aged 74) Genres Bossa nova, Brazilian jazz, Latin jazz, Swing Occupations Musician Instruments Guitar Associated acts Stan Getz
Keter BettsCharlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 – December 2, 1999) was a famous and versatile American guitarist born in Suffolk, Virginia. His earliest and strongest musical influence was Django Reinhardt, the famous gypsy guitarist. Byrd became the American guitarist who best understood and played Brazilian music, especially the Bossa Nova genre. In 1962, Byrd collaborated with Stan Getz on the famous album, Jazz Samba, a recording which pushed bossa nova into the mainstream of North American music. Byrd played a classical guitar with nylon strings using fingerstyle.
Contents
Early life
Charlie Byrd was born in Suffolk, Virginia, in 1925 and grew up in the town of Chuckatuck, Virginia. His father—a mandolin and guitar player—taught him how to play the acoustic steel guitar at age 10, though he eventually went on to study with the renowned Sophocles Papas. He had three brothers, Oscar, Jack and one fellow musician, Joe Byrd. In 1942 he entered the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and played in the school orchestra there. By 1943 he had been drafted into the United States Army for World War II and subsequently saw combat, then was stationed in Paris in 1945 and played in an Army Special Services band. He returned to the United States and went to New York, where he studied composition and jazz theory at the Harnett National Music School in Manhattan, New York. During this time he began using a classical guitar. After moving to Washington, D.C. in 1950, he studied classical guitar with Sophocles Papas for several years. In 1954 he became a pupil of the Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia and spent time studying in Italy with "the Maestro." Byrd's earliest influence was the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt, whom he saw perform in Paris.[1][2][3]
Career
In 1957 Byrd met double bassist Keter Betts in a Washington, D.C., club called The Vineyard. The two began doing gigs together, and by October they were frequently performing at The Showboat. In 1959 the pair joined Woody Herman's band and toured Europe for 3 weeks as part of a United States State Department sponsored "goodwill" tour. The other members of the band were Vince Guaraldi, Bill Harris, Nat Adderley and drummer Jimmy Campbell.[4] At other times, Byrd led his own groups that sometimes featured his brother, Joe Byrd. During the late 1950s he trained several guitar students at his home in D.C., each being required to 'audition' for him, before he decided they had potential enough to warrant his input.
Byrd was first introduced to Brazilian music by his friend, radio host Felix Grant, who had established contacts in Brazil in the late 1950s and who was well-known there by 1960, due to the efforts of Brazilian radio broadcaster Paulo Santos. Following a spring 1961 diplomatic tour of South America (including Brazil) for the United States State Department, Charlie Byrd returned home and met with Stan Getz at the Showboat Lounge. Byrd invited Getz back to his home to listen to some bossa nova recordings by João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim he had brought back. Getz liked what he heard and the two decided they wanted to make an album of the songs. The task of creating an authentic sound, however, proved much more challenging than either man had anticipated.[5][6]
Getz convinced Creed Taylor at Verve Records to produce the album, and Byrd and he assembled a group of musicians they both knew to create the recordings. These early sessions did not turn out to either man's liking, so Byrd gathered a group of musicians that had been to Brazil with him previously and practiced with them in Washington, D.C. until he felt they were ready to record. The group included his brother Gene Byrd, as well as Keter Betts, Bill Reichenbach and Buddy Deppenschmidt. Bill and Buddy were both drummers, and the combination made it easier to achieve authentic samba rhythms. Finally the group was deemed ready and Getz and Taylor arrived in Washington D.C. on February 13, 1962. They recorded in a building adjacent to All Souls Unitarian Church because of the excellent acoustics found there.[5]
The recordings were released in April 1962 as the album Jazz Samba, and by September the recording had entered Billboard's pop album chart. By March of the following year the album had moved all the way to number one, igniting a bossa nova craze in the American jazz community as a result. It should be noted that the term bossa nova did not become used in reference to the music until later. The album remained on the charts for seventy weeks, and Getz soon beat John Coltrane in a Down Beat poll. One of the album's most popular tunes was a Jobim hit, titled "Desafinado".[5]
In 1963 Byrd did a European tour with Les McCann and Zoot Sims, among others.[7] Either in 1964 or 1965 Byrd appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival with Episcopal priest Malcolm Boyd, accompanying prayers from his book Are You Running With Me Jesus? with guitar.[8] In 1967 Byrd brought a lawsuit against Stan Getz and MGM, contending that he was unfairly paid for his contributions to the 1962 album Jazz Samba. The jury agreed with Byrd and awarded him half of all royalties from the album.[9]
His earliest trios included bassist Keeter Betts and drummers Buddy Deppinschmidt and Bertel Knox. In the early 1960s Betts joined Ella Fitzgerald and Byrd's brother Gene H. (Joe) Byrd became bassist for the group. Joe Byrd played with his brother until Charlie Byrd's death in 1999 of cancer. Byrd's trios also included drummers Billy Reichenbach for over ten years, Wayne Phillips for several years and for the last 19 years Chuck Redd.
In 1967, or more likely 1968, his quartet was on a state department tour in Asia, which included Katmandu, Nepal. Upon invitation by the pastor, that stop included him playing both Bach and a spiritual at the worship service of the (International) Protestant Congregation on Sunday morning.
In 1973 Byrd moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and in September of that year he recorded an interesting album with Cal Tjader titled Tambú, the only recording the two would make together.[10] That same year Byrd joined guitarists Herb Ellis and Barney Kessel and formed the Great Guitars group, which also included drummer Johnny Rae.[10][11] Byrd collaborated with Venezuelan pianist and composer Maestro Aldemaro Romero in the album ONDA NUEVA/THE NEW WAVE.
From 1980 through 1996, he released several of his arrangements to the jazz and classical guitar community through Guitarist's Forum (gfmusic.com) including Charlie Byrd's Christmas Guitar Solos, Mozart: Seven Waltzes For Classical Guitar, and The Charlie Byrd Library featuring the music of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin. He also collaborated with the Annapolis Brass Quintet in the late 1980s, appearing with them in over 50 concerts across the United States and releasing two albums.
Charlie Byrd, Joe Byrd and Chuck Redd were also a part of the famous act called "The Great Guitars" with electric guitarists Herb Ellis and Barnie Kessel. This group toured and recorded albums in the 1980s. Byrd collaborated with many famous jazz players over his lengthy career. A jazz supper club in Georgetown, DC also bore his name, "Charlie's". When he died, he was "at home" in the King of France Tavern of the Maryland Inn.
Upon his death, a scholarship was endowed in his name at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University.
Byrd played for several years at a jazz club in Silver Spring, Maryland, called The Showboat II which was owned and managed by his manager, Peter Lambros. He was also home-based at the King of France Tavern nightclub at the Maryland Inn in Annapolis from 1973 until his death in 1999. In 1992 the book "Jazz Cooks"—by Bob Young[disambiguation needed
] and Al Stankus—was published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang, a compilation of recipes that include a few recipes from Byrd.[12] He also authored the 1973 publication Charlie Byrd's Melodic Method for Guitar.Personal life
Byrd was married to Rebecca Byrd, and has two daughters from previous marriages, Carol Rose of Charlotte, NC, and Charlotte Byrd of Crownsville, MD. He loved sailboating, and owned a twenty-six foot boat called "I'm Hip" that he sailed to various parts of the world. Charlie Byrd died of lung cancer on December 2, 1999 at his home in Annapolis, Maryland.[13]
Awards
- 1999 - Knighted by the government of Brazil as a Knight of the Rio Branco
- 1997 - deemed a "Maryland Art Treasure" by the Community Arts Alliance of Maryland
Discography
Title Release Remarks First Flight 1957 Compilation from 'Jazz Recital' (tracks 1-10) and 'Blues For Night People' (tracks 11-17) Jazz Recital 1957 February 4, 1957 Blues for Night People 1957 August 4, 1957; Same as 'Midnight Guitar' with slight difference in the 1st track Midnight Guitar 1957 Same as 'Blues for Night People' with slight difference in the 1st track Byrd's Word 1958 Riverside Records Mr. Guitar 1959 Riverside The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd 1960 Riverside Charlie Byrd at the Village Vanguard 1961 Riverside Blues Sonata 1961 Riverside Latin Impressions 1962 Riverside Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros 1962 Riverside Once More! Bossa Nova 1963 Riverside Guitar/Guitar 1963 In collaboration with Herb Ellis Charlie Byrd Trio at the Village Gate 1964 Riverside Brazilian Byrd 1965 - Travellin' Man 1965 - The Touch of Gold 1965 Columbia Byrd Song 1965 - Solo Flight 1965 Riverside Byrdland 1966 Columbia CS 9392/CL 2592 Hollywood Byrd 1967 - More Brazilian Byrd 1967 - Christmas Carols for Solo Guitar 1967 - Music for "Villa Lobos" 1967 - Delicately 1968 - Hit Trip 1968 - The Great Byrd 1969 - Byrd Man 1969 Let It Be 1970 - For All We Know 1971 - The Stroke of Genius 1971 sometimes known as 'Aquarius' Crystal Silence 1973 - The World of Charlie Byrd 1973 double album The New Wave (La Onda Nueva) 1974 In collaboration with Venezuelan Aldemaro Romero. Label: Columbia Records Byrd by the Sea 1974 live Great Guitars 1975 live w/ Barney Kessel & Herb Ellis Top Hat 1975 - Great Guitars 2 1976 live w/ Barney Kessel & Herb Ellis Charlie Byrd Swings Downtown 1976 live Bluebyrd 1979 - Sugarloaf Suite 1980 recorded live at the Concord Jazz Festival, Concord CA, in August 1979 Great Guitars at the Winery 1980 - Brazilville 1981 - Brazilian Soul 1981–1983 with Laurindo Almeida Latin Odyssey 1981–1983 with Laurindo Almeida Charlie Byrd Christmas Album 1982 - Isn't It Romantic 1984 - Tango 1985 - Byrd and Brass 1986 w/Annapolis Brass Quintet It's a Wonderful World 1988 - Christmas With Byrd and Brass 1989 w/Annapolis Brass Quintet Great Guitars: Straight Tracks 1991 w/ Herb Ellis & Barney Kessel Tambu 1992 - Rise and Shine 1992 - The Washington Guitar Quintet 1992 - Music to Dine By 1993 - Aquarelle 1993 - I've Got the World on a String 1994 - Moments Like This 1994 - Jazz & Samba 1995 - Du Hot Club De Concord 1995 - Live At Music Room 1996 live Return of the Great Guitars 1996 live w/ Herb Ellis & Mundell Lowe Au Courant 1997 - My Inspiration: Music of Brazil 1999 - For Louis 2000 - Charlie Byrd 2000 Label: Delta Byrd in the Wind 2002 Riverside Charlie Byrd Plays Jobim 2002 - Bamba Samba Bossa Nova 2005 - Aquarius 2005 - Byrd at the Gate: Charlie Byrd Trio at the Village Gate 2005 Extended CD Release, live Everybody's Doin' the Bossa Nova 2005 - Great Guitars Concord Jazz 2005 label: Concord Jazz, live Let Go 2005 - Lodovico Roncalli Suites 2005 - Music of the Brazilian Masters 2005 with Laurindo Almeida and Carlos Barbosa-Lima World of Charlie Byrd 2005 - References
- ^ Hurwitz, Tobias. "Fly Away Home". http://www.citypaper.com/music/story.asp?id=8342. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Salon.com. "Jazz guitarist Charlie Byrd dies at 74". http://www.salon.com/people/obit/1999/12/03/byrd/index.html. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ norfolk.gov. "Charlie Byrd:Legends of Music". http://www.norfolk.gov/WalkOfFame/Charlie_Byrd.asp. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Price, Suzi. "Legendary Bassist, Keter Betts". http://www.jazzreview.com/articledetails.cfm?ID=781. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ a b c Gelly, Dave (2004). Stan Getz: Nobody Else But Me (A Musical Biography). Backbeat Books. p. 120. ISBN 0879307293.
- ^ Roberts, John Storm (1999). The Latin Tinge: The Impact of Latin American Music on the United States. Oxford University Press. p. 171. ISBN 0195121015.
- ^ Doerschuk, Robert L. (2001). 88: The Giants of Jazz Piano. Backbeat Books. p. 133. ISBN 0879306564.
- ^ Boyd, Malcolm (2001). Simple Grace: A Mentor's Guide to Growing Older. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 104. ISBN 0664223737.
- ^ Holley, Joe. "James Goding; Lawyer in Royalties Case". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/13/AR2006021302007_pf.html. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott (2000). Afro-Cuban Jazz. Backbeat Books. p. 144. ISBN 087930619X.
- ^ Sallis, James (1996). The Guitar in Jazz: An Anthology. University of Nebraska Press. p. 114. ISBN 0803242506.
- ^ Fabricant, Florence (1992-07-08). "Jazz Makers Swing From Ham Hocks To Health Food". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE6DE1538F93BA35754C0A964958260&sec=health&spon=&pagewanted=print. Retrieved 2007-06-06.
- ^ "Jazz legend Byrd dies". BBC News. 1999-12-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/548266.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
External links
- Pixinguinha
Categories:- American jazz guitarists
- Bossa nova guitarists
- Brazilian jazz (genre) guitarists
- Latin jazz guitarists
- Swing guitarists
- People from Suffolk, Virginia
- Musicians from Virginia
- 1925 births
- 1999 deaths
- Cancer deaths in Maryland
- Deaths from lung cancer
- Concord Records artists
- Riverside Records artists
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