LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Charlie Byrd occupied a unique place in the guitar firmament. One of a select few to perform exclusively on the amplified classical guitar, Byrd (1925-1999) mastered virtually every significant style associated with his instrument. He was as much at home playing flamenco and classical pieces (as a young man, Byrd had studied with Maestro Andres Segovia) and bossa nova (with Stan Getz he recorded the 1962 LP Jazz Samba, which did much to bring Brazil’s bossa nova to the world) as he was with mainstream jazz, Appalachian folk, acoustic blues, and pop tunes, both Tin Pan Alley and contemporary. This 1974 set, recorded live at a fabled California club and containing seven previously unissued tracks, presents Byrd at his best. The tensile strength of his multifaceted work, backed expertly by his brother Joe on basses and Bertell Knox on drums, makes for an exceptional guitar legacy. Wave, I’m Coming Virginia, Killing Me Softly with His Song, Fantasy in B Minor, Salty Dog, Chiquilin de Bachin, Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown), Ela, Cherry, The Way We Were, Concerto in G, Love Is in the Air, Meditation (Meditação), This Can’t Be Love, It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)with Joe Byrd, Bertell Knox