CHARLIE BYRD | BARNEY KESSEL | HERB ELLIS — Great Guitars (1975) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Charlie Byrd was teamed up with Barney Kessel and Herb Ellis (along with bassist Joe Byrd and drummer John Rae) for this rather exciting concert. While Ellis and Kessel have three unaccompanied duets, the inclusion of Byrd (thought of as a Brazilian specialist rather than a bopper) is the wild card that makes this set a major success. While Byrd is excellent on his features "Charlie's Blues" and "O Barquinho," it is the three stomps featuring all the guitarists ("Undecided," "Topsy" and "Benny's Bugle") that are most memorable. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Undecided    6:19
 Sydney Robin / Charlie Shavers
2    O Barquinho    4:41
 Ronaldo Bôscoli / Roberto Menescal
3    Slow Burn    5:33
 Barney Kessel
4    Charlie's Blues    8:17
 Charlie Byrd
5    Topsy    5:44
 Edgar Battle / Eddie Durham
6    Latin Groove    4:26
 Barney Kessel
7    Down Home Blues    3:57
 Herb Ellis / Barney Kessel
8    H And B Guitar Boogie    4:08
 Herb Ellis / Barney Kessel
9    Benny's Bugle    5:37
 Benny Goodman
Credits :
Bass – Joe Byrd
Drums – John Rae
Guitar – Barney Kessel, Charlie Byrd, Herb Ellis

CHARLIE BYRD - Sugarload Suite (1980) FLAC (tracks), lossless

For this trio album with bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Wayne Phillips, Charlie Byrd (who long ago became an innovator by bringing the classical guitar into jazz) performs a bossa-nova oriented program which, in addition to a pair of Antonio Carlos Jobim tunes, Luiz Bonfa's "The Gentle Rain" and Dori Caymmi's "Saudade Da Bihia," includes four of Byrd's own compositions in the style. The music is typically exquisite, pretty and subtle and the performances grow in interest with each listen. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Primeira Palavra (The First Word) 6:44
Charlie Byrd
2    Triste 4:06
Antônio Carlos Jobim
3    Favela 4:06
Ray Gilbert / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
4    Na Praia (At the Seaside) 4:48
Charlie Byrd
5    Meninas Brincando 5:30
Charlie Byrd
6    Saudade da Bahia 6:19
Charlie Byrd / Dorival Caymmi
7    Sapatos Nóvos (New Shoes) 8:24
Charlie Byrd
8    The Gentle Rain 3:43
Luiz Bonfá / Matt Dubey
Credits:
Bass – Joe Byrd
Drums – Wayne Phillips
Guitar – Charlie Byrd

THE CHARLIE BYRD TRIO WITH BUD SHANK - Brazilville (1982) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This Concord release has a logical combination, teaming together guitarist Charlie Byrd's trio (which also includes bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Charles Redd) with the alto of Bud Shank. Shank had recorded an early version of bossa-nova with guitarist Laurindo Almeida in the mid-'50s while Byrd helped to popularize the attractive idiom in the early '60s. Shank and Byrd mix together very well, performing a few standards and some obscurities, mostly with samba rhythms. This music is both accessible and creative; recommended. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1    Brazilville 5:11    
Bill Potts
2    What You Are Doing the Rest of Your Life? 5:39
Alan Bergman / Marilyn Bergman / Michel Legrand
3    Zingaro 4:30
Antônio Carlos Jobim
4    Speak Low 5:48
Ogden Nash / Kurt Weill
5    How Insensitive 6:01
Norman Gimbel / Antônio Carlos Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
6    Saquarema 5:08
Oscar Castro-Neves
7    Charlotte's Fancy 5:07
Charlie Byrd
8    Yesterdays 6:43
Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Bud Shank
Bass – Joe Byrd
Drums – Charles Redd
Guitar – Charlie Byrd

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 

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

LAURINDO ALMEIDA / CHARLIE BYRD - Latin Odyssey (1982) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The second meeting on records by Brazilian guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd is similar to their first in that the emphasis is on melodies and arrangements with only subtle improvising in spots. The quartet is completed by Joe Byrd or Bob Magnusson on bass and Chuck Redd or Jeff Hamilton playing drums. Almeida and Byrd perform works from several South American composers (including Astor Piazzola) plus the current show tune "Memory" and the peaceful music holds one's interest. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Memory (FromCats) 4:12
Written-By – A. L. Webeber, T. S. Eliot, Trevor Nunn    
2 Zum and Resurección del Angel 7:46
Written-By – Astor Piazzolla    
3 El Niño 3:13
Written-By – Antonio Lauro    
4 Gitanerias 2:40
Ernesto Lecuona
5 Adios 3:04
Enric Madriguera / Eddie Woods
6 El Gavilan 3:03
Aldemaro Romero
7 Estrellita 4:25
Manuel Ponce
8 Tubihao de Beijos 4:12
Written-By – Ernesto Nazareth    
9 Intermezzo Malinconico 3:04
Manuel Ponce
Credits
Laurindo Almeida - Guitar
Charlie Byrd - Guitar
Joe Byrd - Bass
Jeff Hamilton - Drums
Bob Magnusson - Bass
Chuck Redd     Drums

LAURINDO ALMEIDA / CHARLIE BYRD - Tango (1983) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

This unusual CD finds guitarists Laurindo Almeida and Charlie Byrd (who have both mastered bop and Brazilian music) performing 11 tangoes with the assistance of bassist Joe Byrd and drummer Chuck Redd. Although the two acoustic guitarists have their short solos, the emphasis in this delightful set is on their ensemblework, respectful interpretations of the melodies and those infectious tango rhythms. by Scott Yanow
Tracklist:
1 Orchids in the Moonlight 3:11
Edward Eliscu / Gus Kahn / Vincent Youmans
2 Blue Tango 4:28
Leroy Anderson
3 Jalousie 3:24
Vera Bloom / Jacob Gade
4 Los Enamorados 3:02
Reynaldo Hahn
5 La Rosita 2:31
Gus Haenschen
6 Tango Alegre 3:06
Laurindo Almeida
7 La Cumparsita 3:05
Pascual Contursi / Enrique Pedro Maroni / Gerardo Hernán Matos Rodriguez
8 Adios Muchachos 4:04
Julio César Sanders / Cesar Vedani
9 The Moon Was Yellow 3:47
Fred E. Ahlert / Edgar Leslie
10 Hernando's Hideaway 3:54
Richard Adler / Jerry Ross
11 Tanguero 3:53
Randy Masters
Credits:
Bass – Joe Byrd
Drums – Chuck Redd
Guitar – Charlie Byrd, Laurindo Almeida