Donald Byrd was an American jazz and R&B trumpeter and vocalist (1932-2013). Byrd began his career in hard bop, performing with jazz pioneers like John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Sonny Rollins. As a leader or co-leader, he began releasing albums in the mid-1950s, including A New Perspective, Black Byrd, and Places & Spaces. He released some of the top-selling albums on the influential jazz label Blue Note. He also played alongside artists such as Art Blakey, Hank Jones, and Horace Silver. In between playing, Byrd taught music at universities including Howard University and Cornell University.