The Eric Byrd Trio, Sacred Music Vol. 1: Saints Are Still Marching Review

Feel GoodJazz

The Eric Byrd Trio, Sacred Music Vol. 1: Saints Are Still Marching Review 1Pianist and vocalist Eric Byrd is the leader of The Eric Byrd Trio with bassist Bhagwan Khalsa, and drummer Alphonso Young, Jr. The trio has released their eighth recording titled, Sacred Music Vol. 1: Saints Are Still Marching, which is a collection of sacred music set to a jazz theme. Two guest appearances augment the trio: trumpeter Terell Stafford and alto saxophonist Tim Warfield. The jazz-inspired arrangements of spirituals, hymns, and gospels are given a hip new style of jazz that is based in the rich tradition of swing and be-bop and of course, gospel and the blues. Sacred Music Vol. 1: Saints Are Still Marching, offers nine tracks that will certainly keep your feet marching with a swinging and creative trio that brings a sense of joy and unbridled creativity to every note they play. That’s the short of it!

Positives:

Outstanding arrangements of well-known sacred songs. The trio has a chemistry that has been developed over a twenty-year period. The special guests are remarkable players and add a lot to the overall project’s advanced sound.

Bottom Line:

Gospel and the blues is always at the heart of any good jazz album, it may be subtle, but it is in there. The Eric Byrd Trio has brought that aspect out and placed it front and center for our ears to savor and enjoy. The trio’s vocabulary is modern jazz that is based and derived from the straight-ahead jazz tradition of swing and be-bop. The interaction between the three players is exciting to listen to and something that can only occur with an extended amount of time on the bandstand collectively. The styles on the album are diverse and the tempos are wide-spanning. The two guest appearances add even more to this gem of a project. This is taking the art of improvisation from blues, gospel, and jazz to a new level of expression, not about one single player, but one collective mind becoming a unit and expressing the music from that state of mind. Can I get an Amen?

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