Royce Campbell - A Tribute To Charlie Byrd '2003

Tracks list

Tracklist

01. Shiny Stockings
02. Meditation
03. The Days of Wine and Roses
04. Mood Indigo
05. How Insensitive
06. Zing Went the Strings of My Heart
07. Desifinado
08. In a Mellow Tone
09. Prelude to a Kiss
10. One Note Samba
11. Blues for Charlie

Sharing a rare commitment to the mastery of their instrument, jazz guitarists
have a strong bond to an axe which – despite huge popularity in other
genres – has by and large, seemed to elude jazz throughout the
music’s history. When thinking of true non-crossover jazz guitarists,
only a handful come to mind: Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wes
Montgomery, Freddie Green (only in terms of longevity, not originality), and
Grant Green. George Benson’s roots were in straight-ahead but he
eventually sold out to the tasteless modern aesthetic of smooth jazz. And then
there was Charlie Byrd. In terms of legends, that’s really it!

In a century when guitar became the most widely heard and played instrument in
the world, namely in non-jazz settings, jazz guitarists’ dedication to
their trade is admirable since they represent a handful of instrumentalists that
dared to delve head-on into the jazz idiom. If you think about it, the
aforementioned can only truly be called jazz legends, compared to the throngs of
saxophonists, trumpeters, pianists, bassists, and drummers out there credited
for great contributions to the music’s development.

Germany's Jardis label prides itself on producing the finest in today’s
jazz guitar. Following his critically acclaimed Trioing with drummer Bill
Goodwin and fellow DC native bassist Paul Langosch (long a collaborator with
crooner Tony Bennett), the mostly unknown guitarist Royce Campbell released his
second effort for Jardis, A Tribute to Charlie Byrd. Campbell’s
professional connection to Byrd originated in 1998, when the two and veteran
Gene Bertoncini, another regional name, collaborated for a tribute to another
six string master, Joe Pass.

When asked to do the tribute album, Campbell thought it fitting that Bertoncini
be on the project. Having worked closely with the man who had greatly influenced
the introduction and acceptance of the Brazilian bossa nova and samba within the
jazz world, Campbell appropriately chose to do mostly bossa nova works by Jobim
and songs out of the Duke Ellington songbook: tunes that had been close to
Byrd’s heart.

While the session is highly predictable and laid back, the solo work is
magnificent and the overall artistry of the musicians is masterful. Filling out
the quartet is a “who’s who” of DC’s thriving jazz
scene. Drummer and vibraphonist Chuck Redd (also of the Smithsonian Jazz
Masterworks Orchestra) displays tasteful stick and brushwork, very reminiscent
of the Charlie Byrd “feel” – not surprising since Redd had
been Byrd’s own drummer for 19 years. And finally, one of DC’s
living jazz legends, Keter Betts fills in on bass. You might recognize
Betts’ name from several years as bassist for both Byrd and “First
Lady of Song” Ella Fitzgerald.



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