THE CHARLIE BYRD TRIO - Isn't It Romantic ? (1984-1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

On this enjoyable set, Charlie Byrd's trio performs five classics by Rodgers & Hart and numbers by Ray Noble, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, George Gershwin, and Jimmy Van Heusen. All of the songs are quite familiar, but Byrd (along with his brother Joe on bass and drummer Chuck Riggs) makes such potential warhorses as "Cheek to Cheek," "Thou Swell," and "I Thought About You" sound fresh and alive. Byrd's solo guitar interpretation of "Someone to Watch Over Me" is a highlight. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Isn't It Romantic? 3:34
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2    I Could Write a Book 3:05
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3    Cheek to Cheek 4:33
Irving Berlin
4    The Very Thought of You 3:26
Ray Noble
5    Thou Swell 2:52
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
6    I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan 4:09
Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz
7    He Loves and She Loves 4:04
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
8    Last Night When We Were Young 3:48
Harold Arlen / E.Y. "Yip" Harburg
9    One Morning in May 3:07
Hoagy Carmichael / Mitchell Parish
10    I Didn't Know What Time It Was 3:54
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
11    There's a Small Hotel 3:06
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
12    Someone to Watch Over Me 3:52
George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
13    I Thought About You 3:37
James Van Heusen / Johnny Mercer
Credits:
Bass – Joe Byrd
Drums – Chuck Redd
Guitar – Charlie Byrd 

THE CHARLIE BYRD TRIO - The Bossa Nova Years (1991-2003) SACD / FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Guitarist Charlie Byrd revisits a variety of bossa nova songs, including nine by Antonio Carlos Jobim on this pleasing and accessible set. What makes this CD stand out from his many similar dates is that Ken Peplowski's clarinet and tenor are well featured, adding variety to the music and a lead voice for Byrd to play off of. Otherwise the music is predictably excellent, with such classics as "One Note Samba," "Corcovado," "Dindi," "O Pato," and "The Girl from Ipanema" receiving very favorable treatment. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Meditation (Meditação) 5:07
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça
2    One Note Samba 4:49
Jon Hendricks / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Newton Mendonça
3    Corcovado 7:17
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Gene Lees
4    Triste 4:35
Antônio Carlos Jobim
5    Dindi 3:47
Ray Gilbert / Antônio Carlos Jobim
6    O Pato 3:35
Alberto Goncalves Da Silva / Neuza Teixeira
7    The Girl from Ipanema 4:51
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes   
8    Samba d'Orpheo 5:03
Luiz Bonfá / Andre Michel Salvet
9    How Insensitive 3:34
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
10    Wave 4:20
Antônio Carlos Jobim
11    P'ra Dizer Adeus (To Say Goodbye) 3:20
Eduardo Lobo
12    O Nosso Amor 3:56
Antônio Carlos Jobim / François Llenas / Vinícius de Moraes
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar – Charlie Byrd
Bass – Dennis Irwin
Clarinet – Ken Peplowski (faixas: 1, 4, 6, 9, 12)
Drums – Chuck Redd
Percussion – Michael Spiro (faixas: 4, 9, 11, 12)
Tenor Saxophone – Ken Peplowski (faixas: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11)

CHARLIE BYRD - The Washington Guitar Quintet (1992) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Romanticism, Afro-Latin voicings and classical stylings are the three primary components of Charlie Byrd's most recent release. It blends his playing with that of Carlos Barbosa-Lima, Jeffrey Meyerriecks, Myrna Sislen and Larry Snitzler, and the quintet members expertly complement and contrast each other on a program of American popular standards, compositions by Vivaldi, Mozart, Antonio Carlos Jobim and three superb interpretations of the Bix Beiderbecke masterpieces "In A Mist," "Candlelights" and "In The Dark." It's more structured than improvisatory, but the playing is so compelling and exquisite that it should appeal to both guitar lovers and music fans generally. by Ron Wynn
Tracklist:
1    Sarambeque 2:31
Ernesto Nazareth   
2    Espanoleta de Camara 3:31
Laurindo Almeida
3    Django 4:56
John Lewis
4    Swing '39 5:51
Stéphane Grappelli / Django Reinhardt
5    Derradeira Primavera 2:07
Antônio Carlos Jobim
6    Correnteza 2:31
Luiz Bonfá / Antônio Carlos Jobim
7    Tears 3:25
Stéphane Grappelli / Django Reinhardt
8    El Noy de la Mare 5:18
Traditional
9    Nuages 3:28
Django Reinhardt / Spencer Williams
10    Concierto de Aranjuez/Spain 4:44
Chick Corea / Joaquín Rodrigo
11    Ashokan Farewell 3:26
Jay Ungar
12    Easy to Love 4:36
Cole Porter
13    I'm a Stranger Here With Myself 5:39
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
14    Speak Low 4:50
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
15    Cavatina 4:15
Stanley Myers
Credits:
Bass – Joe Byrd (faixas: 12-14)
Drums – Chuck Redd (faixas: 12-14)
Guitar – Carlos Barbosa-Lima (faixas: 1,5,12-15), Charlie Byrd, Howard Alden (faixas: 12-14), Jeffrey Meyerriecks (faixas: 1-11), John Marlow (faixas: 1-11), Larry Snitzler (faixas: 1-11), Myrna Sislen (faixas: 1-11)

THE CHARLIE BYRD TRIO - Au Courant (1997) FLAC (tracks), lossless

That old Django Reinhardt buff Charlie Byrd actually gets something resembling the drive of the Hot Club Quintette on this CD at times, but with unusual means. With Charlie on acoustic guitar and brother Joe Byrd on bass, Charlie's longtime drummer Chuck Redd shifts over to the vibraphone, and the three independent voices tumble intricately all around each other in a collection of standards. While not absolutely impeccable in technique, Byrd continues to get around his instrument in a swinging manner, and Redd proves to be a more than serviceable performer on the vibes. Inevitably (for Byrd), the Brazilian influence surfaces on tracks like "On a Clear Day," Jobim's "If You Never Came to Me," and Rodgers/Hart's "There's a Small Hotel," all of which bring us gently back to 1962. A modest yet pleasing experiment for the Charlie Byrd collector. by Richard S. Ginell
Tracklist:
1    This Can't Be Love 3:01
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
2    My Romance 3:31
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
3    St. Louis Blues 5:36
W.C. Handy
4    On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever) 4:30
Burton Lane / Alan Jay Lerner
5    There'll Be Some Changes Made 3:24
Billy Higgins / W. Benton Overstreet
6    If You Never Came to Me 5:04
Antônio Carlos Jobim / Aloysio de Oliveira
7    I Didn't Know What Time It Was 4:02
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
8    Avalon 3:03
Buddy DeSylva / Al Jolson / Vincent Rose
9    Emily 3:09
Johnny Mandel / Johnny Mercer
10    There's a Small Hotel 4:22
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
11    The Blue Room 4:06
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
12    Have You Met Miss Jones? 4:16
Lorenz Hart / Richard Rodgers
13    Willow Weep for Me 5:09
Ann Ronell
14    Days of Wine and Roses 4:10
Henry Mancini / Johnny Mercer
Credits:
Acoustic Guitar – Charlie Byrd
Vibraphone – Chuck Redd
Acoustic bass – Joe Byrd

CHARLIE BYRD - For Louis (2000) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Charlie Byrd's last studio recording, 2000's For Louis, finds the journeyman swing guitarist paying tribute to jazz trumpet legend Louis Armstrong. Backed by an all-star ensemble featuring saxophonist Steve Wilson, trumpeter Joe Wilder, pianist Robert Redd, bassist Dennis Irwin, and drummer Chuck Redd, Byrd dives into a bevy of songs strongly associated with Armstrong throughout his career. Included here are such tunes as "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," "Hello, Dolly!," "Tin Roof Blues," "Struttin' with Some Barbecue," and more. by Matt Collar
Tracklist:
1    Petite Fleur 5:09
Sidney Bechet
2    Remembering Louis Armstrong 4:20
Charlie Byrd
3    A Kiss to Build a Dream On 5:05
Oscar Hammerstein II / Bert Kalmar / Harry Ruby
4    Autumn in New York 6:48
Vernon Duke
5    Hello, Dolly! 4:07
Jerry Herman
6    Tin Roof Blues 5:05
George Brunies / Georg Brunis / Paul Mares / Walter Melrose / Ben Pollack / Leon Roppolo / Mel Stitzel / Melville Stitzel
7    Soft Lights and Sweet Music 5:04
Irving Berlin
8    A Child Is Born 4:22
Thad Jones
9    Struttin' with Some Barbecue 4:49
Lil Hardin Armstrong / Louis Armstrong / Lil Hardin / Don Raye
10    Indian Summer 4:04
Al Dubin / Victor Herbert
11    Rosetta 4:40
Earl Hines / Henri Woode
12    What a Wonderful World 4:59
Bob Thiele / George David Weiss
Credits:
Bass – Dennis Irwin
Drums – Chuck Redd
Guitar – Charlie Byrd
Piano – Robert Redd
Saxophone – Steve Wilson
Trumpet – Joe Wilder