Donald Byrd - The Cat Walk (Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series)

Donald Byrd's The Cat Walk returns on 180-gram vinyl, a sleek 1962 Blue Note session that pairs his bright trumpet with Pepper Adams's growling baritone saxophone.

Recorded at Van Gelder Studio in 1961 with Alfred Lion producing, the album catches Byrd in the middle of a fruitful partnership with Adams, one of the most satisfying front lines of the hard bop era. Duke Pearson sits at the piano and contributes much of the material, with Laymon Jackson on bass and Philly Joe Jones driving the drums with his familiar crackle and swing.

Pearson's "Say You're Mine" opens the record in a relaxed, singing groove, the horns trading lines like old friends. "Duke's Mixture" is bluesier and more strutting, while Byrd's own title track "The Cat Walk" lives up to its name with a sly, prowling melody that keeps slipping around corners. Closing with "Hello Bright Sunflower", the album ends on a lighter, sunnier note, Pearson's writing again giving the band something warm to chew on.

The contrast between Byrd's clean, lyrical tone and Adams's husky bottom end is the real thrill here, and it sounds wonderfully physical on a heavy pressing. It is a smart pick for anyone exploring Byrd beyond his later funk records, and a fine companion to other Blue Note classics.