Photos in Black, White and Gray
| Photos in Black, White and Gray | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 13, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | November 2–3, 2007 | |||
| Studio | Leon Lee Dorsey Studio | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Label | Smalls Records | |||
| Producer | Luke Kaven | |||
| Chris Byars chronology | ||||
| ||||
Photos in Black, White and Gray is an album by American jazz saxophonist Chris Byars.
Content
[edit]The album features Byars playing the music he played at Smalls Jazz Club in the 90s, taking great inspiration from the bebop era, and specifically the composer-saxophonists Gigi Gryce and Lucky Thompson.[1] On most tracks, the quartet plays the head, then a saxophone solo, piano solo, bowed bass solo, drum solo, and repition of the head, in that order.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Tom Hull | A-[4] |
In a review for AllMusic, Ken Dryden wrote that "Byars displays a mature sound on alto, tenor, and soprano saxes in eight catchy original compositions."[3] Tom Hull wrote that "Byars sounds fresh even working in such a well-worn form."[4] A PopMatters reviewer criticized the "numbing predictability" of the album's soloing pattern, but praised the "bright, easy tone" of Byars' alto saxophone playing.[2] Similarly, a reviewer for Coda magazine stated that Byars alto playing had a "bebop-derived fluidity shot through with melodic loopholes and a rhythmic sensibility that works in short, irregular bursts", and that the album was "an excellent addition to Byars' small but impressive body of recordings".[1]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Chris Byars
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Aquarian Epoch" | 8:03 |
| 2. | "Milton" | 7:25 |
| 3. | "Safe at Home" | 7:12 |
| 4. | "Acoustic Phenomenon" | 9:28 |
| 5. | "Manhattan Valley" | 7:49 |
| 6. | "Cliff Diving" | 6:46 |
| 7. | "Riddle of the Sphinx" | 6:38 |
| 8. | "A.T." | 6:35 |
Personnel
[edit]- Chris Byars – Alto, tenor, and soprano saxophone
- Sacha Perry – piano
- Ari Roland – bass
- Andy Watson – drums
References
[edit]- ^ a b Dorward, Nate (July 2007). "Chris Byars / Photos in Black, White and Gray". Coda. Archived from the original on January 5, 2009 – via smallsrecords.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b Ross, Jon (2007-08-22). "Chris Byars: Photos in Black, White and Gray, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ a b Dryden, Ken. "Chris Byars - Photos in Black, White and Gray Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ a b Hull, Tom (September 14, 2009). "Smalls Consumer Guide". Retrieved 2024-01-13.