Hartford/Netherlands pianist Warren Byrd re-releases rare CD from 1999, “Truth Raised Twice”…

**PRESS RELEASE**

May 6, 2020

A one-hundred percent American underground post-bebop CD fielded a modest release in America 20 years ago. The album was performed by a group of like-minded musicians led by Hartford, CT. USA-born pianist/composer Warren Byrd. The CD, “Truth Raised Twice” was produced by Warren Byrd, himself, on his own label, Byrdspeak Productions. The release party jumped off at Connecticut’s premiere temple of jazz, Hartford’s legendary 880 Club. The album was avidly received by a choice set of enthusiasts of swinging bebop. The year 2020 is the moment of the exciting rebirth of this iconic underground album, now bolstered into worldwide release with support from and licensing through Netherlands-based Laroo Records (Europe).

Nearly a year would pass from the CD debut of Warren Byrd and his group, when Warren meets Dutch jazz trumpet player and jazz diva Saskia Laroo with whom he would tour all over the world in small and large ensembles.It would be busy years in which both, also as a duo, garnered worldwide renown. Due to the international success of Saskia and Warren, the marketing of Warren Byrd’s piece de resistance “Truth Raised Twice” gradually faded into the background. However, the good news is their musical bond had become a love bond and they eventually bonded in marriage, living alternately in Amsterdam and the US. The album ‘Truth Raised Twice’ can best be described as a ‘post bebop’ CD, on which besides many of Warren’s own compositions also well-known jazz standards are recorded, such as Cole Porter’s’ What Is This Thing Called Love ‘and’ You’ve Changed by Bill Carey and Carl Fischer. Also “October Ballade” by Chick Corea is on the CD. The album leaves no doubt that Warren Byrd cherishes the great icons like Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson and Duke Ellington. It is therefore no surprise that the CD swings incisively from start to finish. The listener will have trouble keeping his feet still.

Warren could never have thought that the part of the title (“Twice”) could portend an impressive second launch from the Netherlands, twenty years later. And that is definitely not happening “underground”, but with a grand release on Byrdspeak Productions label, licensed under Saskia’s own label Laroo Records.Warren Byrd’s personnel on the album consists not only of Warren himself but also of Kris Allen alto saxophone, Jonathan Ball tenor and soprano saxophone, Steven Porter bass, interspersed with bassist Tom Pietrychia and three drummers Michael Scott, Tido Holtkamp and Tony Leone.

About Warren Byrd

Warren Byrd is the youngest in a family of sixteen siblings. From the age of four, he was encouraged to sing joining several of his siblings already in the church choir. Noodlings on piano began as early until he embarked on earnest study with his church music director Thomassina Neely at age ten. Warren turned out to be very musical, so he started composing when he was eleven. This had evolved into avid study of music theory with his music teacher R. Leslie Childs in high school. In the 1980s, he aborted a vocal scholarship and focused on a life in jazz music. He soon became a professional musician, and though bop would remain a prime passion for him, he proved to be highly versatile, even working as a choir director, a dance accompanist, and a composer of incidental music for several theatre and dance productions. Warren would concurrently become a much sought-after jazz pianist working with such big names as Archie Shepp, Eddie Henderson, Frank Lacy, Saskia Laroo, Jay Hoggard, Jimmy Green, Hans Dulfer, Alvin Carter Jr. and many others.

The physical CD will be available via webshops. Furthermore, the CD will also be available digitally via all download and streaming channels such as Spotify, Apple Music etc. A modest release ceremony will be held on May 15th during the free live-streamed corona feelgood concert series by Duo laroo/Byrd each Friday at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time (at 7 pm in the Netherlands/ Europe and around midnight in the Far East).

More information: https://www.warrenbyrd.com/music
listen: https://warrenbyrd.bandcamp.com/album/truth-raised-twice