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Free Form is an album by American trumpeter Donald Byrd featuring Byrd with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren, and Billy Higgins recorded in 1961 and released on the Blue Note label in 1962.

This may be close to Donald Byrd's best early work, a strong statement that is by no means homogeneous, but expresses many of the avenues in jazz he was exploring while finding his own unique voice on the trumpet".

Donald Byrd's 1961 recording Free Form is both a smorgasboard of modern jazz styles and a breakthrough album showing the Detroit-born trumpeter's versatility. Where his brass tone is very lean and toned, he does not resort to outlandish outbursts into the ionosphere, but shows a refined yet daring approach removed from his predecessors or peers, including Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan. With tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, a very young pianist Herbie Hancock, drummer Billy Higgins and bassist Butch Warren, Byrd tackles different flavors of jazz with a voracious appetite."Pentecostal Feelin'" comes straight from the Horace Silver bag, original funk with Shorter, Hancock, and Higgins head-noddin' to the band. By contrast, "Nai Nai" is all straight-ahead hard bop. The more modal "French Spice" is still in the hard-to-post bop mold, but has a two-note base until the horns burst out in a rich melody. The title track represents the so-called "New Thing," a tone row-based spontaneous improvisation where the band is purposefully set apart from the inventive drumming of Higgins. Romance is also on the menu via the no-frills ballad "Night Flower" as Byrd serenely leads the band into a curtain closing venture into tenderness.

24-bit digitally remastered Japanese release.

Producer: Alfred Lion.

Recorded at the Van Gelder studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on December 11, 1961.

Originally released on Blue Note (4118).

Digitally remastered using 24-bit technology by Rudy Van Gelder (Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey).

This is part of the Blue Note Rudy Van Gelder Editions series, remastered Japanese edition celebrating Blue Note Records' 65th anniversary.

This listing is for a very rare, long out of print CD title - a BRAND NEW, NEVER PLAYED CD PRESSED and ISSUED by BLUE NOTE / EMI / TOSHIBA in JAPAN, of a highly collectible title, featuring -

Donald Byrd

Performers Include -

Donald Byrd - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
Herbie Hancock - piano
Butch Warren - bass
Billy Higgins - drums

CD Title -

Free Form

Track Listing -

All compositions by Donald Byrd except as indicated
1. "Pentecostal Feelin'" - 6:43
2. "Night Flower" (Herbie Hancock) - 6:48
3. "Nai Nai" - 6:37
4. "French Spice" - 8:02
5. "Free Form" - 11:11

The JAPAN made CD is from the rare series of out of print, audiophile Blue Note / EMI / Toshiba CDs.
  • CD catalog # TOCJ-6666
  • CD issued in 2006
  • CD made in Japan
  • CD comes in a Plastic Jewel Case with OBI paper strip - has a resealable plastic sleeve that first over the jewel case.
  • CD digitally remastered using 24-Bit digital technology

The CD, Jewel Case and Inserts are all assumed to be in MINT overall condition as this JAPANESE pressed CD is actually BRAND NEW and NEVER PLAYED!

This CD is an audiophile quality pressing (any collector of fine MFSL, half speeds, direct to discs, Japanese/UK pressings etc., can attest to the difference a quality pressing can make to an audio system).

Do not let this rarity slip by!