Donald Byrd

A jazz trumpeter known for his impeccable technique, suave phrasing, and luminous tone, Donald Byrd began and ended his career in the field of hard bop. In between, this highly respected jazz educator at Howard University achieved jazz-pop crossover stardom. Born Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II in 1932, he arrived in New York at age 22 and succeeded Clifford Brown in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. He went on to perform with John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, and Herbie Hancock—whose appearance on Byrd's 1961 Blue Note release, Royal Flush, marked the pianist's debut. In 1973, Byrd hit the pop charts with Black Byrd: A jazz/funk/R&B blend produced by two of his former students, the album launched the hit single "Walking in Rhythm" and became Blue Note's best-selling release to date. Byrd continued to explore fusion until 1987, when he released Harlem Blues, the first of three mostly hard-bop albums that provided a fitting bookend to a remarkable career.