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Two Top Fives for some late greats
Two musical greats died this week.
Bobby Byrd worked in the shadow of his longtime collaborator James Brown, but if it hadn’t been for Byrd, Brown might not have gotten very far. Brown was in prison when Byrd met him; The Famous Flames were Byrd’s band but he ceded the front spot to Brown. Most people who’ve heard Byrd have heard his call-and-response with Brown on “Sex Machine,” “Licking Stick,” “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved,” and other Brown hits, but Byrd’s own releases should not be overlooked. All five tracks below can be found on Bobby Byrd Got Soul: The Best of Bobby Byrd, a 1995 Polydor compilation covering the years 1963-72, which sadly is out of print.
Joe Zawinul (read my obituary here) was a jazz pioneer who was not only an imaginative improviser with an arranger’s ear for distinctive timbres, he was also an excellent composer. He was already making history while paying his dues with Cannonball Adderley and Miles Davis; when he co-founded Weather Report, his spot in the pantheon was assured.
Backed by the JB’s in 1971, Byrd gets superfunky on a classic single. Sampled by many, including Eric B. & Rakim (who also used the title), Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince, Ice Cube, Salt-N-Pepa, and Kool Moe Dee.
Bobby Byrd – “I Need Help (I Can’t Do It Alone)”
Hyper funk from 1970 on which Brown and Byrd switch roles, Byrd the frontman and Brown interjecting.
Bobby Byrd – “Keep on Doin’ What You’re Doin’”
Brighter and jazzier than Brown’s sound.
Bobby Byrd – “I’m Not to Blame”
Byrd gets his ballad on.
Bobby Byrd – “We’re in Love”
Cool, swinging soul from 1965, Byrd’s first hit (#14 on the Black singles chart).
Cannonball Adderley – “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”
Jazz was never more soulful than on this Zawinul-penned groove hooked by his electric piano line.
Miles Davis – “In a Silent Way”
With an assist from Miles’s re-arrangement, this Zawinul composition became an atmospheric masterpiece.
Weather Report – “Orange Lady”
Space jazz at its finest, absolutely beautiful.
Weather Report – “125th Street Congress”
Zawinul gets his groove on, even funkier this time.
Weather Report – “Birdland”
More hooks than a box of fishing tackle.
