Modern Jazz Archive

Read About This Recording

Charlie Parker was one of the true giants of American music. A brilliant alto-saxophonist who could play perfectly coherent solos at a blinding speed, Parker (who was known as Bird) had a beautiful and bluish sound, a harmonically adventurous style, and scores of ideas and phrases that became the standard vocabulary of modern jazz.

Parker, who was born in 1920, packed a great deal of living in his 34 years before his premature death in 1955. He was part of the Kansas City jazz scene, worked with Jay McShann's orchestra starting in 1939, and met trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie with whom he is grouped as one of the co-founders of bebop. Parker had stints with the big bands of Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine before revolutionizing jazz with Gillespie in 1945. Bird's recordings for Savoy and Dial during 1945-48 permanently changed jazz.

Parker's two-CD set in the Modern Jazz Archive series is from the second half of his career, 1949-54. Bird is heard in many different settings including combos, with strings, guesting with the 1949 Metronome All-Stars, matching wits with fellow altoists Johnny Hodges and Benny Carter on the lengthy Funky Blues, having a reunion with Gillespie, being backed by Latin rhythms, and playing with a big band. Among the gems are his famous recordings of K.C. Blues, Just Friends, Au Privave, Star Eyes, Bloomdido, My Little Suede Shoes, Blues for Alice and Confirmation.

Overall, this twofer contains some of the greatest recordings from Charlie Parker's career, giving quite a bit of evidence of his innovative brilliance.

-Scott Yanow

Quotes

I can't see where there's anything fantastic about it all. I put quite a bit of study into the horn, that's true. In fact, the neighbors threatened to ask my mother to move once when we were living out West. She said I was driving them crazy with the horn. I used to put in at least 11 to 15 hours a day. -Charlie Parker

Contents

Imported from Europe!

Au Privave: Swedish Schnapps; K.C. Blues; Just Friends; Laird Bird; April in Paris; Au Privave; Laura; Segment; Mango Mangue; Overtime; Victory Ball; Cardboard; Ballade; The Song is You; She Rote; Star Eyes; Kim; I Didn't Know What Time it Was; Funky Blues; Bloomdido; In the Still of the Night: Leap Frog; If I Should Lose You; Okiedokie; Why Do I Love You; Tico Tico; My Little Suede Shoes; Lover Man; Blues for Alice; I Can't Get Started; What is This Thing Called Love?; Almost Like Being in Love; I Remember You; Confirmation; In the Still of the Night; Old Folks; Fiesta; Begin the Beguine; Chi Chi; Now's the Time; I Love Paris; Love for Sale.

Charlie Parker, Gene Johnson, Fred Skerritt, Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges, Harry Terrill, Murray Williams, Alto Saxes; Jose Madera, Charlie Ventura, Coleman Hawkins, Flip Phillips, Ben Webster, Hank Ross, Tenor Saxes; Leslie Johnakins, Ernie Caceres, Danny Bank, Baritone Saxes; Buddy DeFranco, Hal McKusick, Clarinets; Manny Thaler, Bass Clarinet; Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro, Red Rodney, Kenny Dorham, Mario Bauza, Paquito Davilla, Bobby Woodlen, Charlie Shavers, Jimmy Maxwell, Carl Poole, Al Porcino, Bernie Privin, Trumpets; Mitch Miller, Oboe/Trumpet; Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson, Tommy Turk, Bill Harris, Lou McGarity, Bart Varsalona, Trombones; Joseph Singer, Junior Collins, French Horns; Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk, John Lewis, Walter Bishop, Stan Freeman, Hank Jones, Bernie Leighton, Al Haigh, Rene Hernandes, Tony Aless, Pianos; Charles Mingus, Ray Brown, Teddy Kotick, Tommy Potter, Roberto Rodriguez, Eddie Safranski, Curly Russell, Percy Heath, Basses; Barney Kessel, Billy Bauer, Freddie Green, Guitars; Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Buddy Rich, Shelly Manne, J.C. Heard, Roy Haynes, Don Lamond, Art Taylor, Drums; Jose Mangual, Bongos; Luis Miranda, Carlos Vidal, Congas; Machito, Maracas; Ubaldo Nieto, Timbales; Bronislaw Gimpel, Max Hollander, Milt Lomask, Frank Brieff, Sam Caplan, Howard Kay, Harry Melnikoff, Sam Rand, Zelly Smirnoff, Vocals; Frank Miller, Maurice Brown, Cellos; Myor Rosen, Verley Mills, Harps; Eddie Brown, Tommy Mace, Oboes; Isadore Zir, Viola; Dave Lambert Singers.

Includes 20-page book.