The latest set of reissues from UK based AVID focuses on two artists that had peak years in the 50s, but also made comebacks in later years.
Dion DiMucci is still alive and playing the blues. His career began with his famed Belmonts, with his 1959 debut including standards like “Where Or When”, but more notably, the teen heart throb tunes like “I Wonder Why” and “A Teenager In Love”.The next year featured an album focusing on teen versions of standards like “September Song” and “It’s Only A Paper Moon”, mostly in doo wop format for the bobby sox kids. In 1961, Dion left the Belmonts and went out on his own, giving a more aggressive sound to his music, as on the growling “The Wander” the victimed “Runaround Sue” and glowing “The Majestic”. Dion goes sensitive on the followup with tender pieces such as “PS I Love You” and “Lonely Teenager”. Most impressive is his 1962 album that includes a perfect mix of doe eyed soul and R&B with “Lovers Who Wander”, “Come Go With E”, “Stagger Lee” and “Sandy”. Pre Beatles Standards.
Trumpeter Donald Byrd was one of the top and most recorded hard bop trumpeters in the 1950s and 60s. A sideman on hundreds of sessions, he also carved an impressive catalogue of his own. These albums are mostly focused on his halcyon days with Blue Note Records. In 1958, Byrd teams with a hip crowd of Jackie McLean/as, Wynton Kelly/p, future long time buddy Pepper Adams/bs, Sam Jones/b and Art Taylor/dr for a justly titled “Off To The Races” and equally searing “Lover, Come Back To Me”. Next year with only a couple replacements being Walter Davis/p and Charlie Rouse/ts, Byrd shows his lyricism on “Witchcraft” with the team digs into “Devil Whip”. 1961 still has Byrd with Adams, and a new cast of Duke Pearson/p, Laymon Jackson/b and Philly Joe Jones in vintage form for interpretations of Pearson tunes like the lovely “Say You’re Mine” and “Hello Bright Sunshine” along with Byrd’s own classic “The Cat Walk”. Herbie Hancock takes the piano the same year for a sleek session with Adams, Billy Higgins/dr and Butch Warren/b and everyone sounds inspired for the cool shuffle of “Hush” and Byrd giving an aria of “I’m A Fool To Want You”. Vintage sounds of hard bop at its best.