HiRez Poll Byrd, Donald - BLACK BYRD [SACD]

[quicksrt]

mixed by the legendary Dave Hassinger, has a much more ambient soundstage (if you can properly apply that word to an all-electric recording), with the intent of enveloping the listener rather than overwhelming them. It's the music that matters here, not the mix, and as such, it fills its role admirably, and IMO perfectly.

This is the most frightening thing I have read yet on this new SACD. I want to be overwhelmed with surrounding discreet quad. Yet you are describing "more ambient soundstage" and that the music is what matters, not the the mix? I am about to drop this one from my shopping cart because of your description is what I don't need in a new quad SACD release. I want a soundstage created in my listening room by 4 speakers where the discreet mix is superb, and all the magic of instrumental placement creates discreet 3D thrill ride. Is this a front / forward presentation & ambient in rears type affair?

 

[sjcorne]

This is the most frightening thing I have read yet on this new SACD.
...
Is this a front / forward presentation & ambient in rears type affair?

That seems rather dramatic. It's not an aggressive "four-corner" quad mix with instruments solo'd in each rear speaker, but it's not an ambient presentation either. Some elements are panned to all four channels (vocals, flute) and others are isolated in the rears (rhythm guitars, some percussion). The first track actually kicks off with a wind-like effect that slowly swirls around the room as it builds.

It's another great Dutton release, and hopefully it will lead to more from the UA quad catalog (Lou Donaldson, War, etc).

 

[ClarkNovak]

It's not an aggressive "four-corner" quad mix with instruments solo'd in each rear speaker, but it's not an ambient presentation either.

Exactly. Perhaps I didn't explain that as best I could have.

IMO, musical genres sometimes are best mixed in a certain style. The active, discrete mix for the DVD-A of "Brain Salad Surgery", for example, completely fits that album's musical style. In the case of jazz or fusion, a more relaxed multichannel mix seems more appropriate. IMO of course; your mileage may vary

 

[edisonbaggins]

I loved my first listen. Mix is plenty fun. Get this if you like the music.

 

[The56Kid]

This is the most frightening thing I have read yet on this new SACD. I want to be overwhelmed with surrounding discreet quad. Yet you are describing "more ambient soundstage" and that the music is what matters, not the the mix? I am about to drop this one from my shopping cart because of your description is what I don't need in a new quad SACD release. I want a soundstage created in my listening room by 4 speakers where the discreet mix is superb, and all the magic of instrumental placement creates discreet 3D thrill ride. Is this a front / forward presentation & ambient in rears type affair?

Definitely not what Clark communicated. This is an excellent quad presentation that is very supportive of the material.

 

[hafquark]

Though aware of Donald Byrd, I have to admit I did not purchase or listen to this album back in the day. My loss, as this is a great album of soul/funk jazz (with the emphasis on soul/funk).

Concerning the Quad, this is a wonderfully discrete mix that manages to also be deeply immersive. Instruments are anchored to different speakers, but there is very little wild panning. The surround is completely appropriate for this type of music. I'm very happy with this purchase and it gets an overall 9 from me.

 

[quicksrt]

I want a soundstage created in my listening room by 4 speakers where the discreet mix is superb, and all the magic of instrumental placement creates discreet 3D thrill ride. Is this a front / forward presentation & ambient in rears type affair?

Definitely not what Clark communicated. This is an excellent quad presentation that is very supportive of the material.

Exactly. Perhaps I didn't explain that as best I could have.

I wanted confirmation.

this is a wonderfully discrete mix that manages to also be deeply immersive. Instruments are anchored to different speakers, but there is very little wild panning. The surround is completely appropriate for this type of music.

Good. Almost a 10 for you!

I was not really dropping it anyway - from my shopping cart.

 

[stormchaser]

Though aware of Donald Byrd, I have to admit I did not purchase or listen to this album back in the day. My loss, as this is a great album of soul/funk jazz (with the emphasis on soul/funk).

Concerning the Quad, this is a wonderfully discrete mix that manages to also be deeply immersive. Instruments are anchored to different speakers, but there is very little wild panning. The surround is completely appropriate for this type of music. I'm very happy with this purchase and it gets an overall 9 from me.

I am pretty much in agreement here. The mix is very discrete, but not over the top. Horns do appear in different speakers in quick succession, but not in an over the top way from time to time. I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. I'll probably end up with a 8.

 

[BeoProf]

I gave it a 10. There are two main types of albums that I seriously collect - quadrophonic and Blue Note jazz. This release by Dutton Vocalion is the best of both worlds and I am very excited about it! Even though I much prefer Donald Byrd from 10-15 years before Black Byrd, this is still a classic Blue Note album and one of only a handful of jazz quadrophonic releases.
If there is anything I would shave off a fraction of a point for is the sound quality. Listening to my Blue Note vinyl the horns usually sound much more lifelike and it seems that on the SACD e.g. Byrd's trumpet is missing some details, making it a bit recessed sometimes Overall, the instruments are less detailed than I am used to with Blue Note, but this might be simply because of the recording itself or certain mastering choices. This is not a Van Gelder recording, and this might account for the difference.
In summary, this SACD is highly recommended! I really wish there would be more releases like this one.

 

[marpow]

I changed my vote from an 8 to a 10. Wow, big difference. I can't really say why it was an 8 and now a 10, but I think I appreciate the music more. The music, modern jazz I would call it is really good, love how there is everything, Donald Byrds trumpet of course, but it all swings so well, flute, guitar, key boards, drums, really nice and of course Vocalion surround is always top notch.

 

[humprof]

2023 is this album's 50th anniversary. Jazz writer Nate Chinen marks it with a piece for TIDAL, which he introduces in his own Substack:

A few months back, my friend Evan Haga [former editor of JazzTimes] asked whether I had any ideas for a story at TIDAL Magazine, where he serves as editorial director. As a matter of fact, I did. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Donald Byrd’s Black Byrd, an album I think has long been overlooked and under-appreciated by our cultural apparatus. It was a huge commercial success at a time when that kind of crossover often raised suspicions. And in its cooled-out approach to unwavering Blackness, I hear a formative precursor to our current moment in contemporary jazz. Here is my piece, which makes the case.​