"Byron, Get One Free"
October 2002 ITG Journal Review of "Byron, Get One Free..." by David Johnson, Berklee College of Music, Boston

Byron Stripling should be well known to ITG members. He adjudicated the Carmine Caruso competition and has presented master classes at several recent ITG Conferences. His credentials as a performer are beyond reproach. As lead and solo trumpet in the Count Basie, Woody Herman, and Lionel Hampton bands, star of Satchmo on Broadway, and favorite guest of pops orchestras nationwide, Stripling has done it all. He continues to do it all on this CD, released in 2001. The choice of repertoire is quite good. Apart from the two Stripling originals, it is a collection of comfortable standards, spanning several generations of jazz history. On the opening track, Indiana, Byron is true to his Louis Armstrong roots with his tribute to the style that Armstrong invented. Frank's Magic reminds the listener of the monumental "Jazz At The Philharmonic" jam sessions of the 1940s and 50s with its Basie influence and use of rhythm changes riffs. The two Dizzy Gillespie compositions represent Stripling's nod to the Bebop era. Byron handles all these styles with great assurance, although I do get the feeling that he is more comfortable with the earlier styles. His fat sound and unfailing upper register always serve the music. He also possesses a warm, Johnny Hartman-like baritone that he uses effectively on several of the older tunes. Stripling's selection of personnel for this session could not have been better. The two other horn players compliment him perfectly, and the rhythm section's sense of accompaniment in creating the various styles is outstanding. This well-recorded and mixed CD definitely belongs in anyone's Byron Stripling collection.

Personnel:
Byron Stripling, tp & v; Wycliffe Gordon, tb; Frank Wess, ts; Bill Charlap, p; Peter Washington, b; Ira Coleman, b; Dennis Mackrel, d.

"StriplingNOW!"
Reviewed by C. Michael Bailey, allaboutjazz.com
 
Count Basie Band trumpeter Byron Stripling has a tone that is a throwback to a bygone era. He has a vocal style that is the same. His trumpet style is an amalgam of Louis Armstrong, Cootie Williams and Roy Eldridge. Dirty yet precise, Stripling's trumpet blows a blast of fresh air that provides a market foil to the Davis-Marsalis-Roney axis. Stripling's vocal style recalls Armstrong, a tenor Johnny Hartman, and a Nat Cole... . Stripling is joined by university chum Dave Glasser blowing alto and penning three of the discs twelve pieces. Basie alum Frank Wess shows up with his tenor sans flute, providing an effective obbligato accompaniment on "East of the Sun" as well as a honkin' good solo on "Greasy Livin." The rhythm section is rounded out with Bill Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, Dennis Mackrel on drums. As a unit, Stripling's band plays an updated, turn-or-the-century Modern Jazz. Plenty of Blues, Be Bop, Hard Bop, and Post Bop. The music is very effective and listenable to all ears.

Personnel:
Byron Stripling, tp & v; David Glasser, as; Frank Wess, ts; Bill Charlap, p; Peter Washington, b; Dennis Mackrel, d.

Please note that both CDs are available on iTunes. Listening samples coming here soon.