THE GIGI GRYCE-DONALD BYRD JAZZ LABORATORY & THE CECIL TAYLOR QUARTET – At Newport (1957-2002) RM | Serie : LP Reproduction | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

At Newport is the 1957 album by two groups: The Gigi Gryce, Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory & The Cecil Taylor Quartet. Each group has three songs each. Originally released on Verve, this was released by Verve Music Group on 20 August, 2002.

At first combining a set by Cecil Taylor with another by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory seems like an odd pairing, but it ends up working rather well. These live recordings, which come from the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, have stood the test of time rather well. Taylor's style of piano playing is not that far removed from Thelonious Monk in his interpretation of Billy Strayhorn's "Johnny Come Lately," though his dissonant, angular approach is a bit busier; Steve Lacy's nasal-toned soprano sax and solid rhythmic support from bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Denis Charles fuel Taylor's fiery playing. Both Taylor's "Nona's Blues" and "Tune 2" are fairly accessible in comparison to his works in the decade which followed. The Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory – with pianist Hank Jones, bassist Wendell Marshall, and drummer Osie Johnson – is firmly rooted in hard bop. Oddly enough, none of the three pieces were written by either Gryce or Byrd, though they were both already budding composers at this point in their respective careers. But their brief program – which includes Ray Bryant's "Splittin' (Ray's Way)," the blues "Batland," and a rousing rendition of "Love for Sale" – is a good representation of this unfortunately short-lived and under-recorded group. Reissued as a part of Verve's limited-edition series in the summer of 2002, this valuable CD will be available until the summer of 2005. Ken Dryden

Cecil Taylor Quartet

1. Johnny Come Lately

2. Nona's Blues

3. Tune 2

The Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory

4. Splittin'

5. Batland

6. Love For Sale

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor-piano

Steve Lacy-soprano saxophone

Buell Neidlinger-bass

Denis Charles-drums

The Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Laboratory

Gigi Gryce-alto saxophone

Donald Byrd-trumpet

Hank Jones-piano

Wendell Marshall-bass

Osie Johnson-drums

Recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival, Newport, Rhode Island in July 1957