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