Jaki Byard
Piano Solo on
Downstairs Blues Upstairs

About

Jaki Byard's piano solo is the second of three solos on "Downstairs Blues Upstairs" from Sam Rivers's 1964 Blue Note debut, following Rivers's ten-chorus tenor saxophone opening. He takes eight choruses of the 12-bar blues form at 230 BPM in F, bringing his characteristically eclectic approach to the blues. Byard's playing ranges across the full history of jazz piano, from boogie-woogie and stride to bebop and beyond, his encyclopedic vocabulary making each chorus a fresh exploration. He is followed by Rivers's closing four-chorus tenor statement.

Jaki Byard was 41 to 42 years old at the time.