[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 13, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO DR. DONALD BYRD

                                 ______


                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 1994

  Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the Congressional Black 
Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, to bring to the 
attention of my colleagues the cultural achievements and contributions 
of Dr. Donaldson Toussaint L' Overtoure Byrd. In a sense this honor is 
a direct outgrowth of House Concurrent Resolution 57 passed in the 
100th Congress which declared jazz a rare and valuable American 
treasure. On this occasion, I am delighted to present to the 103d 
Congress, a living testament of this national treasure, Dr. Donald 
Byrd. As an educator, performing artist, composer, trumpeter, 
flugelhornist, and bandleader, he has been and continues to be one of 
the most influential figures in jazz.
  It is an additional pleasure to bring this tribute because I have had 
the distinct privilege of being a friend of Dr. Byrd and an avid fan of 
his work. As an artist, he has made an unprecedented contribution to 
our national music. After establishing himself as one of the most 
celebrated jazz trumpeters of his times, Byrd successfully branched out 
to explore new artistic venues. For example, Dr. Byrd has worked in 
plays, theater, spiritual music, and experimented with opera music. 
This characteristic is common to many other jazz legends including the 
late John Coltrane.
  He began his education in Detroit, which was home to some of jazz 
music's most important artists. Byrd was inspired by the sounds of 
Motor City including the three Jones Brothers, Tommy Flanagan, Barry 
Harris, Kenny Burrell, Billy Mitchell, Yusef Lateef, and Betty Carter. 
He attended Cass Technical High School for its outstanding music 
curriculum and continued his music studies at Wayne State University 
where he received his bachelor of music degree in 1954.
  In 1955 Byrd arrived in New York quickly establishing himself as a 
major recording artist recording with John Coltrane, Max Roach, Sonny 
Rollins, and Thelonious Monk. During that period, Byrd became a member 
of Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers and brought with him a trumpet 
style influenced by the great Clifford Brown that served as a 
transitional link from Brown to future messengers Lee Morgan and 
Freddie Hubbard. As critic Barry Kernfeld wrote in the New Grove 
Dictionary of Jazz, ``following the death of Clifford Brown in 1956, 
Byrd, was for a few years arguably the finest hard bop trumpeter. He 
had not only a masterful technique * * * but also a beautiful tone.''
  Byrd's own Blue Note recordings in the 1960's and 1970's established 
him as a leader, with two of his most famous discoveries being 
pianist--composers Herbie Hancock and Duke Pearson. Byrd recorded in a 
wide variety of contexts: from his synthesis of jazz, choral, and 
spiritual influences on his landmark ``A New Perspective'' in 1963, to 
his popular jazz/funk/fusion recordings ``Black Byrd,'' ``Street 
Lady,'' and ``Places and Spaces'' of the early to mid 1970's. Moreover, 
Byrd has also influenced popular music and in the mid-1970's he formed 
the Blackbyrds, a jazz-tinged group made up of Howard University 
students.
  Jazz education has occupied a significant part of his career. He 
received a masters of arts degree in music education from the Manhattan 
School of Music, and a doctorate from Columbia University. As an 
educator, his accessibility to students has made him both famous and 
popular. During the early 1970's, Byrd created and developed jazz 
curriculums at Rutgers, Hampton Institute, Howard University where he 
served as chairman of Black Music Department, North Carolina Central 
University, Oberlin, the New School, and Queens College. Moreover, Dr. 
Byrd has served as a consultant and chairman to the music program of 
National Endowment for the Arts, and was one of the founding board 
members of the National Jazz Service Organization.
  As we honor the career of this great artist one thing remains crystal 
clear: that the pioneering work and art of Dr. Donaldson Toussaint L' 
Overtoure Byrd has provided a rich legacy of jazz music for our youth 
to learn from, build on, and carry forth into the 21st century. May he 
long continue to inspire musicians and music supporters as well.

                          ____________________