Instrumental Mastery

Don Byas was one of the great tenor-saxophonists of the 1940s and '50s, nearly on the same level as Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Ben Webster. But the reason that he is not all that well known today is that Byas permanently left the United States in 1946 to move to Europe. Although he continued playing great overseas, he was largely forgotten in the U.S.

Byas began his career working with many different swing bands including those of Don Redman, Lucky Millinder, Andy Kirk and Count Basie. His tone was similar to Hawkins' while his choice of notes was a bit more modern, falling between swing and bop. He played regularly on 52nd Street during 1943-46, often leading his own combos. After moving to Europe, Byas lived in France, the Netherlands and Denmark, sometimes meeting up with traveling American greats while also heading a group comprised of talented Europeans.

The imported Quadromania four-CD set features Byas during 1945-46 and 1949-52, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Among the other musicians featured are trumpeters Buck Clayton and Peanuts Holland, trombonist Tyree Glenn, clarinetist Hubert Rostaing, pianists Johnny Guarnieri, Erroll Garner and Billy Taylor, bassists Slam Stewart and Pierre Michelot, drummers Sid Catlett and Max Roach and eight selections with Dizzy Gillespie. Throughout, Don Byas is the main star, displaying a large and warm tone along with strikingly original ideas. Highly recommended.

—Scott Yanow