Charlie Byrd
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charlie Lee Byrd (September 16, 1925 - November 30, 1999), better known as Charlie Byrd, was a famous American jazz guitarist, born in Suffolk, Virginia and attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He was the first jazz guitarist of his era whose primary instrument was the classical guitar. This gave him his uniquely identifiable sound.
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[edit] Biography
Byrd's earliest influence was the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt. He was taught acoustic guitar by his father and played in an Army Special Services band during WWII. He lived briefly in NYC where he played jazz on an electric guitar. He then moved to Washington, D.C., to study classical guitar with the renowned Sophocles Papas. He later visited Italy where he studied briefly with Andrés Segovia. In the early 1960s he was on a State Department tour in South America where he was introduced to a new music, the bossa nova, which was the musical passion of Brazil beginning in the late 50's. On his return from this trip he contacted jazz saxophonist Stan Getz and suggested the idea that they collaborate on a bossa nova album. That album entitled "Jazz Samba" was the introduction of bossa nova to North America and then the world.
He is perhaps most well known as a collaborator with Stan Getz on the Jazz Samba album, which featured many themes of bossa nova, and of course, samba. Byrd went on to be a featured performer on the Riverside, Columbia, Fantasy and Concord Jazz labels during his 40 year career. While living in Washington, DC, from the early 1960's until 1973, Byrd and his trio were featured performers at the "Showboat Lounge" located in Adams Morgan. In 1973, is home base became Annapolis, Maryland and remained so until his death in 1999. When he died, he was "at home" in the King of France Tavern of the Maryland Inn.
From 1980 through 1996, he released several of his arrangements to the jazz and classical guitar community through Guitarist's Forum (gfmusic.com) including Charlie Byrd's Christmas Guitar Solos, Mozart: Seven Waltzes For Classical Guitar, and The Charlie Byrd Library featuring the music of George Gershwin and Irving Berlin.
His earliest trios included bassist Keeter Betts and drummers Buddy Deppinschmidt and Bertel Knox. In the early 1960s Betts joined Ella Fitzgerald and Byrd's brother Gene H. (Joe) Byrd became bassist for the group. Joe Byrd played with his brother until Charlie Byrd's death in 1999 of cancer. Byrd's trios also included drummers Billy Reichenbach for over ten years, Wayne Phillips for several years and for the last 19 years Chuck Redd.
Charlie Byrd, Joe Byrd and Chuck Redd were also a part of the famous act called "The Great Guitars" with electric guitarists Herb Ellis and Barnie Kessel. This group toured and recorded albums in the 1980s. Byrd collaborated with many famous jazz players over his lengthly career. A jazz supper club in Georgetown, DC also bore his name, "Charlie's."
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Title | Release | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Flight | 1957 | - | |
| Jazz Recital | 1957 | - | |
| Blues for Night People | 1957 | - | |
| Midnight Guitar | 1957 | - | |
| Byrd's Word | 1958 | - | |
| Mr. Guitar | 1959 | - | |
| The Guitar Artistry of Charlie Byrd | 1960 | - | |
| Charlie Byrd at the Village Vanguard | 1961 | live | |
| Latin Impressions | 1962 | - | |
| Bossa Nova Pelos Passaros | 1962 | - | |
| Once More! Bossa Nova | 1963 | - | |
| Charlie Byrd Trio at the Village Gate | 1964 | live | |
| Brazilian Byrd | 1965 | - | |
| Travellin' Man | 1965 | - | |
| The Touch of Gold | 1965 | label: Columbia | |
| Byrd Song | 1965 | - | |
| Solo Flight | 1965 | - | |
| Byrdland | 1966 | - | |
| Hollywood Byrd | 1967 | - | |
| More Brazilian Byrd | 1967 | - | |
| Christmas Carols for Solo Guitar | 1967 | - | |
| Music for "Villa Lobos" | 1967 | - | |
| Delicately | 1968 | - | |
| Hit Trip | 1968 | - | |
| The Great Byrd | 1969 | - | |
| Let It Be | 1970 | - | |
| For All We Know | 1971 | - | |
| The Stroke of Genius | 1974 | - | |
| Byrd by the Sea | 1974 | live | |
| Great Guitars | 1974 | live | |
| Top Hat | 1975 | - | |
| Charlie Byrd Swings Downtown | 1976 | live | |
| Blue Byrd | 1978 | - | |
| Sugarloaf Suite | 1979 | live | |
| Great Guitars at the Winery | 1980 | - | |
| Brazilville | 1981 | - | |
| Charlie Byrd Christmas Album | 1982 | - | |
| Isn't It Romantic | 1984 | - | |
| Tango | 1985 | - | |
| Byrd and Brass | 1986 | w/Annapolis Brass Quintet | |
| It's a Wonderful World | 1988 | - | |
| Christmas With Byrd and Brass | 1989 | w/Annapolis Brass Quintet | |
| Tambu | 1992 | - | |
| Rise and Shine | 1992 | - | |
| The Washington Guitar Quintet | 1992 | - | |
| Music to Dine By | 1993 | - | |
| Aquarelle | 1993 | - | |
| I've Got the World on a String | 1994 | - | |
| Moments Like This | 1994 | - | |
| Jazz & Samba | 1995 | - | |
| Du Hot Club De Concord | 1995 | - | |
| Great Guitars 2 | 1995 | - | |
| Live At Music Room | 1996 | live | |
| Au Courant | 1997 | - | |
| My Inspiration: Music of Brazil | 1999 | - | |
| For Louis | 2000 | - | |
| Charlie Byrd | 2000 | label: Delta | |
| Byrd in the Wind | 2002 | - | |
| Bamba Samba Bossa Nova | 2005 | - | |
| Aquarius | 2005 | - | |
| Byrd at the Gate: Charlie Byrd Trio at the Village Gate | 2005 | Extended CD Release, live | |
| Everybody's Doin' the Bossa Nova | 2005 | - | |
| Great Guitars Concord Jazz | 2005 | label: Concord Jazz, live | |
| Let Go | 2005 | - | |
| Lodovico Roncalli Suites | 2005 | - | |
| Music of the Brazilian Masters | 2005 | - | |
| World of Charlie Byrd | 2005 | - |
