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Beginning with a crack of thunder, like it was made to trail Gary Bartz's "Mother Nature" (actually recorded at a slightly later date), Stepping into Tomorrow contains almost all of the Mizell trademarks within its title track's first 30 seconds: a soft and easy (yet still funky) electric-bass-and-drums foundation, silken rhythm guitar, organ and piano gently bouncing off one another, light synthesizer shading, and coed group vocals to ensure true liftoff. It's only one in a line of many magnetic '70s sessions led by Fonce and Larry Mizell, and it differs from their two previous Donald Byrd dates -- the polarizing and groundbreaking Black Byrd and the deceptively excellent Street Lady -- by not featuring any of Roger Glenn's flute, and by focusing on heavily melodic and laid-back arrangements. Even the speedy "You Are the World," by some distance the most energetic song, seems more suited for relaxing in a hammock than shooting down a freeway. Many of the musicians present on the previous Byrd-Mizell meetings are here, including drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Chuck Rainey, keyboardist Jerry Peters, and guitarist David T. Walker. As ever, those who pined for the approach of Byrd's '60s dates would tune out a sublime set of material, but maybe some of those who sniffed at the straightforward nature of some of the rhythms and riffing were won over by the supreme layering of the many components (the way in which "Think Twice" lurches forward, peels back, and gathers steam is nothing short of heavenly), not to mention some deeply evocative playing from Byrd himself.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Harvey Mason, Drums, Percussion, Harmonica, Unknown, Other, AssociatedPerformer - Fred Perren, Synthesizer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Jerry Peters, Organ, Piano, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Conductor, Producer, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Chuck Rainey, Bass Guitar, Electric Bass, AssociatedPerformer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Keyboards, Trumpet, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - David T. Walker, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Donald Byrd, Flugelhorn, Trumpet, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - James Carter, Whistle, AssociatedPerformer - Stephanie Spruill, Percussion, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Gary Bartz, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Kay Haith, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Mayuto Correa, Conga, AssociatedPerformer - Lorraine Kennar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Rhonghea Southern, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Ronghea Southern, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Roger Sainte, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Margie Evans, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Composer, Conductor, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Lorraine Kenner, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Composer, Conductor, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Kay Haith, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Jason Mizell, ComposerLyricist - Fonce Mizell, Producer - Donald Byrd, MainArtist - Kay Haith, Vocals, FeaturedArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Bradley Ridgell, ComposerLyricist - Sigidi Bashir Abdullah, ComposerLyricist - Laurence Mizell, Producer
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Harvey Mason, Composer - Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Composer, Conductor, Producer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Kay Haith, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Composer, Conductor, Producer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Composer, Conductor, Producer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Margie Evans, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Fred Perren, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Jason Mizell, Conductor, Producer - Fonce Mizell, Producer, Vocal Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Dave Hassinger, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ron McMaster, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Donald Byrd, Composer, Trumpet, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Chuck Davis, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Val Christian Garay, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
(C) 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 1975 Blue Note Records
Album review
Beginning with a crack of thunder, like it was made to trail Gary Bartz's "Mother Nature" (actually recorded at a slightly later date), Stepping into Tomorrow contains almost all of the Mizell trademarks within its title track's first 30 seconds: a soft and easy (yet still funky) electric-bass-and-drums foundation, silken rhythm guitar, organ and piano gently bouncing off one another, light synthesizer shading, and coed group vocals to ensure true liftoff. It's only one in a line of many magnetic '70s sessions led by Fonce and Larry Mizell, and it differs from their two previous Donald Byrd dates -- the polarizing and groundbreaking Black Byrd and the deceptively excellent Street Lady -- by not featuring any of Roger Glenn's flute, and by focusing on heavily melodic and laid-back arrangements. Even the speedy "You Are the World," by some distance the most energetic song, seems more suited for relaxing in a hammock than shooting down a freeway. Many of the musicians present on the previous Byrd-Mizell meetings are here, including drummer Harvey Mason, bassist Chuck Rainey, keyboardist Jerry Peters, and guitarist David T. Walker. As ever, those who pined for the approach of Byrd's '60s dates would tune out a sublime set of material, but maybe some of those who sniffed at the straightforward nature of some of the rhythms and riffing were won over by the supreme layering of the many components (the way in which "Think Twice" lurches forward, peels back, and gathers steam is nothing short of heavenly), not to mention some deeply evocative playing from Byrd himself.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 8 track(s)
- Total length: 00:38:32
- Main artists: Donald Byrd
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Blue Note Records
- Genre: Jazz
© 2000 Blue Note Records ℗ 2000 Blue Note Records
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