Arthur Blythe - Blythe Byte (2001)

In 2001 Savant Records brought out Blythe Byte, an album by alto saxophonist Arthur Blythe. For his second Savant release and sequel to the excellent live album Spirits in the Field, Blythe chose pianist John Hicks, drummer Cecil Brooks III, and Dwayne Dolphin, the Oakland-cum-Pittsburgh bassist who came up working with Wynton Marsalis and Hank Crawford. What resulted was a well-balanced assortment blending three original compositions, an old-fashioned spiritual, the Latin pop tune "Besame Mucho," Billy Strayhorn's reflective "My Little Brown Book," John Coltrane's "Naima," and three exquisite airs by Thelonious Monk. As would be the case with his 2003 Savant release Exhale, the title track on Blythe Byte is a miniature lasting less than 60 seconds. ~ arwulf arwulf