THE ERIC BYRD TRIO
TMN EXCLUSIVE
The Eric Byrd Trio: Keeping the Soul of Jazz Alive at DC Jazz Festival 2025
Interview with The Eric Byrd Trio. DC Jazz Festival.
The DC Jazz Festival 2025 turned Washington, D.C. into the capital of jazz for one unforgettable week. Among the artists who lit up the stages was the Eric Byrd Trio, a powerhouse ensemble that blends decades of experience with a deep love for the music. For TMN, catching up with them right after their set was a chance to hear not just their sound, but their story.
WASHINGTON D.C., Written by Pablo Herrera. Photo by Micah Bierman
Formed more than 25 years ago, The Eric Byrd Trio has released 11 records, the latest being Echoes of Arrival, which dropped just a day before their DC Jazz Fest performance. Pianist Eric Byrd, drummer Alfonso Young Jr., and bassist Bhagwan Khalsa have built a band where longevity is rooted in both friendship and musical purpose. As Byrd put it:
“The last thing is the love for the music and the love for each other.”
What makes the trio special isn’t just technical skill — it’s how they approach the art form. Jazz, for them, is about community. Byrd explained: “The best of jazz is how do I play something that makes everybody else sound good?” In a genre often mistaken for competition, they’ve built a career on listening, sharing, and lifting each other up.
Their philosophy has kept the band free from ego clashes that often break groups apart. Instead of fighting over space, they negotiate it. “Just make the music the main thing. Money will come, gigs will come, attention will come.” It’s a lesson not just for musicians, but for anyone chasing their craft.
“The best of jazz is how do I play something that makes everybody else sound good?”
The conversation also turned to their early beginnings. Both Byrd and Young started playing in school bands and church groups, picking up piano and drums long before they were professionals. “Good advice for young people is like, stay as musically active as you can. Just always try to stay active.” That message echoes TMN’s belief that creative careers are built on consistent practice and exploration.
Their influences reflect the jazz greats — from Herbie Hancock and Branford Marsalis’ band to Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, and of course Miles Davis. Davis, Byrd recalled, was the reason he started playing jazz in the first place. Being part of a tradition where “we get to play the music of the cats that came before us” gives their work a sense of continuity and purpose.
“Good advice for young people is like, stay as musically active as you can. Just always try to stay active.”
Even their teenage experiments in a “really crappy rock band” became part of the story — a reminder that every step, even the rough ones, adds to the journey. The trio laughed about not being that good back then, but remembered it fondly as a time of passion and discovery. That energy still fuels them today.
At DC Jazz Fest, their performance was more than music; it was a statement about jazz as a living culture. The festival, now one of the most important jazz events in the U.S., gave them a stage to share their message with a new generation of listeners. And through TMN’s lens, their voice reaches even further, inspiring young creators across the globe.
For the Eric Byrd Trio, jazz isn’t just about notes or solos — it’s about building something bigger together. As Byrd said best:
“Jazz is unique… what am I doing on my instrument that really highlights what everybody else is doing?”
In that spirit, their music isn’t just heard — it’s felt, shared, and passed on. And that’s exactly what makes it timeless.
At TMN, we believe in amplifying creative voices—the artists who challenge norms, share their truth, and inspire young creatives to dream bigger. The Eric Byrd’s story, set against the backdrop of DC Jazz Festival’s dynamic cultural pulse, is a testament to the power of music as a force for connection, healing, and growth.
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