Record of the day: Don Byron, “Do the Boomerang”

Don Byron
“Do the Boomerang” (Cd Blue Note 094634109420)

The multifaceted personality of clarinetist Don Byron, undoubtedly one of the most important figures on the international jazz scene for many years, has ranged across very different fields, from free to klezmer, from Ellington’s swing to Latin American flavors, from rap to contemporary classical music, always with equal skill, driven by an insatiable intellectual curiosity. It seems that Byron wants to explore every stage of American musical history, managing each time to observe it from an original and personal angle, without distorting it and dosing tradition and innovation in equal measure.
At a certain point his interests took a sharp turn towards soul music; “Do the Boomerang” is the last fruit that Byron picks from the tree of knowledge and pays homage to saxophonist Junior Walker, who you certainly all remember for the exceptional instrumental piece “Shotgun”, a powerful funk anthem that brought Motown tons of money into the coffers and sent a generation of wild partying teenagers into a tailspin.

This song is naturally revisited by Byron with respect and energy, but the desire to retrace the original style in an identical way to Walker makes it one of the least effective pages of the album, which instead offers a wide-ranging overview of the black style by dusting off timeless successes such as “(I’m a) Roadrunner”, “Ain’t That the Truth” and “What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)”.

Contrary to usual, Byron abandons his clarinet for most of the album, focusing mainly on the tenor sax but avoiding putting too much attention on himself in favor of a dimension of greater collective impact. The arrangements follow sounds in pure vintage style of the 60s, but the final result is always fun and full of feeling, even if it cannot be configured as an essential chapter in the musician’s numerous discography.

The raw blues of “Satan’s Blues” gives guitarist David Gilmour a classy solo that ranges from BB King to Jimi Hendrix and George Colligan’s fiery Hammond organ perfectly cooks his grooves in the soul/beat of “Ewbie Steps Out”.
Dean Bowman’s voice embodies Otis Redding’s style well, also paying homage to the late James Brown in “There It Is”, presented in a very tight version.

Carlo Boccadoro, composer and conductor, was born in Macerata in 1963. He lives and works in Milan. He collaborates with soloists and orchestras in different parts of the world. He is the author of numerous books on musical subjects.

This text is taken from “Lunario della musica: Un disco per ogni giorno dell’anno” published by Einaudi, courtesy of the author and the publisher.