Amazon.com From the time Jaki Byard started to record, around 1960, he demonstrated the broadest stylistic grasp in jazz piano, reaching way back to explore James P. Johnson compositions and play early stride and barrelhouse, while pressing outward to percussive clusters and free jazz. That kind of breadth would become more common later, but Byard would never be restricted by fashion, constantly practicing different kinds of playful musical counterpoint. This CD combines two of his Prestige LPs, Solo from 1969 and With Strings! from 1968, intermingling pieces from both. The solo piano tracks touch on Byard's many facets--with a hefty representation of New Orleans and Jelly Roll Morton--often in strange combinations. For example, on "New Orleans Strut," Byard combines his Jelly Roll-like style with modal chorded passages à la McCoy Tyner. The group tracks provide Byard with a "string quartet," but it's hardly orthodox, with Ellington veteran Ray Nance on violin, Ron Carter on cello, George Benson on guitar, and Richard Davis on bass, along with Alan Dawson on drums and vibes. It's an inspired collision of unusual timbres and distinctive personalities--the Byard piano style extended to a band--and it gets remarkable results. The strings and vibes provide a lush setting for "Falling Rains of Life," a Byard ballad, but conventional usage ends there. The jam on "How High the Moon," over 14 minutes, is a continuous series of surprises, from Nance's unaccompanied theme statement to his closing cadenza. Along the way, there's a conversation between cello and bass, a clean-lined guitar solo, a rousing two-handed piano workout that surmounts the band and includes "Tea for Two," and some manic exchanges in which the entire sextet gets involved. Ray Nance sings on the loose roadhouse jam of "Ray's Blues," and "Cat's Cradle Conference Rag" meshes a variety of tunes on the same chord change. It's playful and chaotic, and it still sounds fresh. --Stuart Broomer