Theme For Malcolm By Donald Byrd

Donald Byrd is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. He was performing with Lionel Hampton before finishing high school. Byrd is one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk & soul genres while remaining a pop artist. In 1973 he created The Blackbyrds, a fusion group consisting of his best students. The Blackbyrds had several major hits including "Happy Music", "Rock Creek Park", and "Walking In Rhythm". In 1972 he teamed up with the Mizell Brothers for the album "Black Byrd". "Black Byrd"was highly successful and became Blue Note Records' highest-ever selling album. He has performed with a variety of jazz musicians including John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock, & Thelonious Monk. In addition to his Masters from Manhattan School of Music, Byrd has two masters from Columbia University. Byrd received a law degree in 1976, and his doctorate from Columbia University Teachers College in 1982. He has taught music at Rutgers University, the Hampton Institute, New York University, and Howard University. He has also taught music at Queens College, Oberlin College, Cornell University and Delaware State University. In September 2009, he was named an artist-in-residence at Delaware State University. This selection, written by Byrd, first appeared in his 1990 album "Getting Down To Business". It has also been included in numerous compilation albums including his "Landmarks" released in 1998.