At the Half Note Cafe

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This article is about Donald Byrd's jazz album. For other jazz albums recorded at the Half Note Club, see Half note (disambiguation).
At the Half Note Cafe
Live album by
Donald Byrd
Released1961
RecordedNovember 11, 1960
VenueHalf Note Cafe, NYC
GenreJazz
Length121:26 (Double CD reissue)
LabelBlue Note
BLP 4060 (Vol. 1)
BLP 4061 (Vol. 2)
Donald Byrd chronology
Byrd in Flight
(1960) 		At the Half Note Cafe
(1961) 		Motor City Scene
(1960)

At the Half Note Cafe, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded at the Half Note in Manhattan on November 11, 1960 and released on Blue Note the following year. Byrd's quintet features saxophonist Pepper Adams and rhythm section Duke Pearson, Laymon Jackson and Lex Humphries.[1]

Release history[edit]

The albums were later reissued as a double CD set, At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz[3]

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states, "This was a hot quintet, one that not only swung hard, but possessed a deep lyricism and an astonishing sense of timing, and one need only this set by them to feel the full measure of their worth."[2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz says the sessions were "impeccable played and atmospherically recorded, but they tend to show off the best and worst of Byrd: ... he peels off chorus after chorus of manicured licks, and the process gets repeated throughout".[3]

Track listing[edit]

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 1[edit]

All tracks are written by Donald Byrd

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."My Girl Shirl"Duke Pearson 
2."Soulful Kiddy"  
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."A Portrait of Jennie"
 
2."Cecile"  
3."The Theme"  

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 2[edit]

Side 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jeannine"Duke Pearson 
2."Pure D. Funk"  
Side 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Kimyas"  
2."When Sonny Gets Blue"
 

At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2[edit]

All tracks are written by Donald Byrd, except as noted.

Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Introduction by Ruth Mason" 1:20
2."My Girl Shirl"Duke Pearson10:32
3."Soulful Kiddy" 9:55
4."Child's Play"
  • Byrd
  • Pearson
8:45
5."Chant"Pearson11:03
6."A Portrait of Jennie"
6:48
7."Cecile" 14:46
Disc one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Jeannine"
13:08
2."Pure D. Funk" 6:09
3."Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"
9:54
4."Theme from Mr. Lucky"Henry Mancini10:51
5."Kimyas" 11:58
6."When Sunny Gets Blue"
6:17

Personnel[edit]

Musicians[edit]

Technical personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Donald Byrd discography accessed August 31, 2010
  2. ^ a b Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed January 4, 2013
  3. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette (1st ed.). Penguin. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-14-015364-4.
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