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At the Half Note Cafe

At the Half Note Cafe
Live album by Donald Byrd
Released	1961
Recorded	November 11, 1960
Venue	Half Note Cafe, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	121:26 (Double CD reissue)
Label	Blue Note BLP 4060 (Vol. 1) BLP 4061 (Vol. 2)
Donald Byrd chronology
Byrd in Flight (1960) At the Half Note Cafe (1961) Motor City Scene (1960)

At the Half Note Cafe, Vols. 1 &2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded at the Half NoteinManhattan on November 11, 1960 and released on Blue Note the following year. Byrd's quintet features saxophonist Pepper Adams and rhythm section Duke Pearson, Laymon Jackson and Lex Humphries.^[1]

Release history[edit]

The albums were later reissued as a double CD set, At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2.

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states, "This was a hot quintet, one that not only swung hard, but possessed a deep lyricism and an astonishing sense of timing, and one need only this set by them to feel the full measure of their worth."^[2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz says the sessions were "impeccable played and atmospherically recorded, but they tend to show off the best and worst of Byrd: ... he peels off chorus after chorus of manicured licks, and the process gets repeated throughout".^[3]

Track listing[edit]

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 1[edit]

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 2[edit]

At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2[edit]

Personnel[edit]

Musicians[edit]

• Donald Byrd – trumpet
• Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone
• Duke Pearson – piano
• Laymon Jackson – bass
• Lex Humphries – drums

Technical personnel[edit]

• Alfred Lion – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer, mastering
• Reid Miles – cover design
• Francis Wolff – photography
• Leonard Feather – liner notes

References[edit]