Ivey-Divey

1	I Want to Be Happy 8:47
2	Somebody Loves Me 7:15
3	I Cover the Waterfront 5:05
4	I've Found a New Baby 6:05
5	Himm (For Our Lord and Kirk Franklin) 5:29
6	The Goon Drag 3:18
7	Abie the Fishman 5:08
8	Lefty Teachers at Home 6:35
9	"Leopold, Leopold..." 4:02
10	Freddie Freeloader 7:09
11	In a Silent Way 9:29
12	Somebody Loves Me Alternate Take 6:32

Barnes & Noble

After a series of albums that addressed and signified upon spoken word, hip-hop, the Afro-Caribbean lexicon, lieder, and his own programmatic originals, clarinetist Don Byron presents Ivey-Divey, his first full-out blowing record. Byron draws both repertoire and instrumental configuration from a mellow 1945 trio recording by Lester Young with Nat Cole on piano and Buddy Rich on drums, slotting into those chairs not-yet-30 pianist Jason Moran and veteran drum titan Jack DeJohnette. They open the program with equilateral triangle improvs on four songbook chestnuts from the Ur-session and conclude it with panoramic deconstructions of "Freddie Freeloader" (1959) and "In a Silent Way" (1969) by Miles Davis. In between are explorations of four Byron creations and a down-home blues from a 1941 date led by pianist Sammy Price on which Young uncorked an effervescent solo. As always, Byron layers erudite references onto the narrative arc, but here he tells his stories with a raw, spontaneous attitude that precludes any overtone of ambivalence or ironic distance, staking his claim as a deft, inspired heir to the tradition. Ted Panken

All Music Guide

Clarinetist Don Byron once again mixes post-bop, swing, and funk into a unique concoction on Ivey-Divey. Just like Bug Music wasn't necessarily '30s swing and A Fine Line: Arias and Lieder wasn't exactly a classical album, Ivey-Divey isn't truly a straight-ahead, mainstream jazz album, although purists and avant-garde fans alike should find much common ground here. To these ends, Byron gets humorously rambunctious and a little "out" on such tracks as the swinging "I've Found a New Baby," the reverent and bluesy "Himm (For Our Lord and Kirk Franklin)," and the funky downtown jam "'Leopold, Leopold...'." Backing Byron here are the always adventurous talents of pianist Jason Moran, drummer Jack DeJohnette, trumpeter Ralph Alessi, and bassist Lonnie Plaxico. Matt Collar