This reissue combines two of
the Blackbyrds
' classic albums,
City Life
from 1975 and
Unfinished Business
from 1976, on a single 74-minute CD. To be sure, "classic" isn't a word that many
jazz
purists have used to describe the albums -- when
Donald Byrd
produced them,
bop
's hard-liners were denouncing the
Clifford Brown
-influenced trumpeter as a shameless sellout and insisting that he should have stuck to straight-ahead acoustic
. But then,
weren't going after
purists -- their music was
soul
,
funk
, and
disco
with
overtones, and the people who bought their albums were more likely to be into
Earth, Wind & Fire
and
Tower of Power
than
Sonny Stitt
or
Art Blakey
. Unlike
Stevie Wonder
Gil Scott-Heron
Marvin Gaye
the O'Jays
Curtis Mayfield
didn't get into a lot of heavy sociopolitical messages; their forte was party music, and it is that escapist, feel-good mindset that defines the infectious hits
"Happy Music"
"Rock Creek Park"
(both from
) as well as memorable album tracks such as the mellow
"Love So Fine"
from
and the insistently funky
"Party Land"
. Calling this music escapist isn't saying that it's faceless or mechanical -- far from it.
The Blackbyrds
' party-time lyrics may not have been challenging, but musically, the band was creative, risk-taking, and distinctive. Even though they were primarily a
/
outfit,
came from
backgrounds -- and that
influence often works to their creative advantage on this excellent reissue. ~ Alex Henderson