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
jazz. But then,
the Blackbyrds weren't going after
jazz purists -- their music was
soul,
funk, and
disco with
jazz 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, and
Curtis Mayfield,
the Blackbyrds 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" and
"Rock Creek Park" (both from
City Life) as well as memorable album tracks such as the mellow
"Love So Fine" from
City Life and the insistently funky
"Party Land" from
Unfinished Business. 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
soul/
funk/
disco outfit,
the Blackbyrds came from
jazz backgrounds -- and that
jazz influence often works to their creative advantage on this excellent reissue. ~ Alex Henderson
![In The Purest Form / Massterpiece [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5013929083332_p0_v1_s90x140.jpg "In The Purest Form / Massterpiece [Bonus Tracks]")
