Donald Byrd, 1932-2013

The great Detroit-born trumpeter Donald Byrd died Monday in Delaware, where he was artist in residence at Delaware State University. Starting in the 1950s as a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers before leading his own band for Blue Note Records, he recorded over 50 albums — ranging in style from hard-bop to afro-pop to the experimental hip-hop/jazz fusion he helped Gangstarr MC Guru pioneer on the Jazzmatazz albums in the early ’90s. He was 80.