Don Byas (1913-72) was one of the greatest jazz tenor saxophonists of all time, but because he was in the shadow of Coleman Hawkins (his main inspiration) and Lester Young in the 1930s and ’40s and moved permanently to Europe in 1946, he has always been underrated if not totally overlooked.
Born in Muskogee, Oklahoma to a musical family, Byas started on the viola before switching to clarinet, alto and, by the early 1930s, tenor. He played with many territory bands from the time he was 17, led his own band in college, had early stints with Lionel Hampton, Eddie Barefield and Buck Clayton, and was greatly influenced by Art Tatum who inspired him to learn to play stunning outbursts of notes and to master every chord in every key. Byas worked with the orchestras of Lucky Millinder, Don Redman, Andy Kirk, and Count Basie (as Lester Young’s successor during 1941-43).
After leaving Basie, he had a very busy three-year period that included working on 52nd Street with Dizzy Gillespie’s early bop group and making scores of recordings, sometimes showcased with a quartet. Byas was a forward-looking swing player who was also comfortable playing with New Orleans combos, bop groups, and on dates where he caressed ballads. Byas simply played in his own forceful style, sounding like himself while pushing the music forward a bit.
Mosaic’s latest limited-edition box, Classic Don Byas 1944-194
