Grant Green / Donald Byrd - His Majesty King Funk / Up With Donald Byrd (1964-65) (1995)

Artist: Grant Green / Donald Byrd
Title Of Album His Majesty King Funk / Up With Donald Byrd
Year Of Release:1964-65/1995
Label (Catalog#) : Verve [559 621-2]
Country: USA
Genre: Jazz / Soul-Jazz, Jazz-Funk
Quality: FLAC (tracks+cue,log)
Bitrate: Lossless
Total Time: 01:14:40
Total Size: 440mb(+3%)(covers)

AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
This single Verve CD reissues the complete contents of two unrelated LPs: Grant Green's His Majesty King Funk (great title) and Up with Donald Byrd. Unfortunately, the music overall is not as rewarding as Green and Byrd's work of the period for Blue Note. Green is OK with a quintet that includes tenor saxophonist Harold Vick and organist Larry Young, but the material (mainly fairly simple funk riffs) is disappointing. Trumpeter Donald Byrd has a potentially strong group with both Jimmy Heath and Stanley Turrentine on tenors along with pianist Herbie Hancock and guitarist Kenny Burrell. However, the three- or four-voice Donald Byrd Singers and the arrangements by Claus Ogerman weigh down the date. Each album watered down its music to an extent in hopes of gaining commercial success, but neither really caught on. The results are interesting but somewhat forgettable.

Tracks:
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His Majesty King Funk:
01. "The Selma March" (Grant Green) - 8:26
02. "Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell)- 10:01
03. "The Cantaloupe Woman" (Ben Dixon)- 4:55
04. "That Lucky Old Sun" (Haven Gillespie, Beasley Smith) - 5:20
05. "Daddy Grapes" (Robert Graham) - 4:35
Up With Donald Byrd:
06. "Blind Man, Blind Man" (Herbie Hancock) - 2:51
07. "Boom Boom" (John Lee Hooker) - 4:21
08. "House of the Rising Sun" (Traditional) - 5:05
09. "See See Rider" (Ma Rainey) - 3:58
10. "Cantaloupe Island" (Hancock) - 6:46
11. "Bossa" - 7:56
12. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" (Traditional) - 5:13
13. "You're Talkin' About My Baby" (Gale Garnett, Walter Hirsch, Ray Rivera) - 2:39
14. "My Babe" (Willie Dixon) - 2:48

Personnel:
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Bass – Bob Cranshaw (tracks: 6 to 14), Ron Carter (tracks: 6 to 14)
Bongos, Congas – Candido Camero*
Drums – Ben Dixon (tracks: 1 to 5), Grady Tate (tracks: 6 to 14)
Guitar – Grant Green (tracks: 1 to 5), Kenny Burrell (tracks: 6 to 14)
Organ – Larry Young (tracks: 1 to 5)
Piano – Herbie Hancock (tracks: 6 to 14)
Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Heath (tracks: 6 to 14), Stanley Turrentine (tracks: 6 to 14)
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Harold Vick (tracks: 1 to 5)
Trumpet – Donald Byrd (tracks: 6 to 14)
Vocals – The Donald Byrd Singers (tracks: 6 to 14)

Notes:
His Majesty King Funk recorded May 26, 1965 in New York City
Up With Donald Byrd recorded November 2, 3, 6 and December 16, 1964

All thanks to original releaser