The Blackbyrds

About

The brainchild of music professor and prolific jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd, The Blackbyrds was formed in the 1970s by a group of students at Howard University, named after Byrd’s 1973 album Blackbyrd, a dynamic fusion of jazz, funk and Motown soul. Proteges of Byrd’s jazz-soul tradition, the group blended elements of classical, blues, gospel and jazz with more contemporary funk sounds. The group is known for its danceable, rhythmic grooves on tracks like Do It, Fluid , as well as catchy call and response chants backed by funky instrumentals, like on Rock Creek Park . Drummer Keith Killgo leads the band today, one of two original members still in the group, alongside bassist Joe Hall.