At the Half Note Cafe

This article is about Donald Byrd's jazz album. For other jazz albums recorded at the Half Note Club, see Half note (disambiguation).

At the Half Note Cafe, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by American trumpeter Donald Byrd recorded at the Half Note in Manhattan on November 11, 1960 and released on Blue Note the following year. Byrd's quintet features saxophonist Pepper Adams and rhythm section Duke Pearson, Laymon Jackson and Lex Humphries.^[1]

At the Half Note Cafe
Live album by Donald Byrd
Released	1961
Recorded	November 11, 1960
Venue	Half Note Cafe, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	121:26 (Double CD reissue)
Label	Blue Note BLP 4060 (Vol. 1) BLP 4061 (Vol. 2)
Donald Byrd chronology
Byrd in Flight (1960) At the Half Note Cafe (1961) Motor City Scene (1960)

Release history

The albums were later reissued as a double CD set, At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz	[3]

The AllMusic review by Thom Jurek states, "This was a hot quintet, one that not only swung hard, but possessed a deep lyricism and an astonishing sense of timing, and one need only this set by them to feel the full measure of their worth."^[2]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz says the sessions were "impeccable played and atmospherically recorded, but they tend to show off the best and worst of Byrd: ... he peels off chorus after chorus of manicured licks, and the process gets repeated throughout".^[3]

Track listing

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 1

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"My Girl Shirl"	Duke Pearson
2.	"Soulful Kiddy"

All tracks are written by Donald Byrd

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"A Portrait of Jennie"	Gordon Burdge J. Russel Robinson
2.	"Cecile"
3.	"The Theme"

At the Half Note Cafe, Volume 2

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jeannine"	Duke Pearson
2.	"Pure D. Funk"

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Kimyas"
2.	"When Sonny Gets Blue"	Marvin Fisher Jack Segal

At the Half Note Cafe, Volumes 1&2

Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Introduction by Ruth Mason"		1:20
2.	"My Girl Shirl"	Duke Pearson	10:32
3.	"Soulful Kiddy"		9:55
4.	"Child's Play"	Byrd Pearson	8:45
5.	"Chant"	Pearson	11:03
6.	"A Portrait of Jennie"	Gordon Burdge J. Russel Robinson	6:48
7.	"Cecile"		14:46

All tracks are written by Donald Byrd, except as noted.

Disc one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Jeannine"	Oscar Brown, Jr. Pearson	13:08
2.	"Pure D. Funk"		6:09
3.	"Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"	Harold Arlen Ted Koehler	9:54
4.	"Theme from Mr. Lucky"	Henry Mancini	10:51
5.	"Kimyas"		11:58
6.	"When Sunny Gets Blue"	Marvin Fisher Jack Segal	6:17

Personnel

Musicians

• Donald Byrd – trumpet
• Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone
• Duke Pearson – piano
• Laymon Jackson – bass
• Lex Humphries – drums

Technical personnel

• Alfred Lion – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer, mastering
• Reid Miles – cover design
• Francis Wolff – photography
• Leonard Feather – liner notes

References

1. Donald Byrd discography accessed August 31, 2010
2. Jurek, T. Allmusic Review accessed January 4, 2013
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (1992). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, LP & Cassette (1st ed.). Penguin. p. 171. ISBN 978-0-14-015364-4.