The Blackbyrds - The Blackbyrds (2023 BGP Records Vinyl LP)

The Blackbyrds - The Blackbyrds | Vinyl LP - 2023 BGP Records Reissue (BGPD 1105, direct metal mastered, originally Fantasy 9444)

• Donald Byrd's Howard University student band on their debut, six full-time undergraduates channelling jazz-funk, R&B and fusion under the direction of their department head, produced by the Mizell brothers with Byrd co-producing
• Features the single "Do It, Fluid", which reached number 23 on the R&B chart and crossed into the Billboard Hot 100, plus the seven-minute "Funky Junkie" and six further tracks of groove-driven jazz
• BGP Records UK reissue with Van Gogh's Wheatfield with Crows (1890) cover artwork, liner notes by Roberta Flack, licensed from Fantasy

Donald Byrd formed the Blackbyrds in 1973 from students he was teaching at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The name came from his own 1972 album Black Byrd, and four of the six members (Allan Barnes, Keith Killgo, Barney Perry and Kevin Toney) had already played on that record. For the debut, Byrd brought the group to Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and handed production to Sky High Productions, the brother team of Larry and Fonce Mizell, both Howard alumni. Orrin Keepnews supervised. The result was some of the finest groove-oriented jazz music ever recorded. "Do It, Fluid" opens with a festive horn-and-vocal hook over a percolating funk groove from Joe Hall's bass and Killgo's drums. Killgo later recalled being called in the middle of the night by Byrd to sing the vocal part over the phone. "Gut Level", a Lincoln Ross composition, follows as a tighter, more rhythmically insistent piece with Barnes' saxophone prominent. "Reggins", one of two Larry Mizell compositions, slows things down with a mellower groove built around Toney's keyboard work.

Side B is anchored by "Funky Junkie", the album's longest track at seven minutes, where the full band locks into an extended jam that gives everyone room to stretch. The drumming throughout is notable for its looseness. Killgo admitted in a 2026 interview that when the group first went into Fantasy Studios they "knew absolutely nothing about recording", and that rawness is part of what makes the album work: the playing has a directness that more experienced session musicians might have polished away. "Summer Love" and "A Hot Day Today" are the album's most pop-oriented moments, while "Life Styles" channels the tighter end of jazz-funk. Three tracks feature additional musicians from outside the core band: Oscar Brashear on trumpet and flugelhorn, Ray Armando on percussion, and David Williams on bass. The album is dedicated to the administration and faculty of Howard University, and the back cover carries liner notes by Roberta Flack, another Howard alumna. This is the BGP Records UK reissue (BGPD 1105), direct metal mastered from digital tapes, licensed from Fantasy to Ace Records.