Donald Byrd, Marvin Gaye Producer Larry Mizell to Celebrate 80th Birthday With L.A. Tribute Concert
variety.comTodd Gilchrist editor From 1972 to 1981, producers Larry and Alfonso “Fonce” Mizell helped create some of the most popular and recognizable recordings in the history of jazz.
These include Donald Byrd’s “Black Byrd,” “Stepping Into Tomorrow” and “Places and Spaces;” Bobbi Humphrey’s “Blacks and Blues” and “Fancy Dancer;” Johnny Hammond’s “Gears;” Gary Bartz’s “Music Is My Sanctuary,” and many more.
Yet as prolific as they were, the Mizells’ instantly-recognizable sound was disparaged aggressively at the time by critics who balked at their pioneering but decidedly untraditional combination of jazz and R&B.
Even so, their legacy would eventually prove both commercial (“Black Byrd” remains one of Blue Note Records’ best-selling records of all time) and inspirational.
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