For two days in August 1971, Donald Byrd took a powerhouse band to A&M studios in Los Angeles to record the jazz-funk exploration Ethiopian Knights, continuing his evolution from high-flying hard bop trumpeter to R&B/funk fusion pioneer. . Consisting of just three tracks – the extended funk exercises The Emperor and The Little Rasti, interspersed with the purifying Jamie – the album precedes his fusion masterpiece Black Byrd, produced by Mizell Bros. It includes the exceptional contributions of tenor saxophonist Harold Land and vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, as well as keyboardists Joe Sample and Bill Henderson III, guitarists Don Peake, Greg Poree and David T. Walker, bass Wilton Felix and the NAC Orchestra. This Classic Vinyl edition is fully analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Tracklisting:
1. The Emperor
2. Jamie
3. The Little Rasti