Charlie Parker Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes 2016 Verve

[JSngry]

I'm on a Discman with Dell earplugs, but/and it sounds good that way too! I think you hear Max better/best on the Savoys and almost as good on the Dials, not so well here, but he's still there and you can hear him well enough to get that dance he's doing, Max Roach with Bird, y'all, kiss it or miss it.

I don't get, though, why some of the released masters show more wear than their sessionmates...ok, I get why they do, duh, but haven't there been other releases that don't show the wear as much and still sound good?

Minor complaint, though. I'm just letting it play as it goes, and that's working splendidly!

[Justin V]

I'm probably the only person here who owns Unheard Bird but doesn't have the Verve box set.  The only Verve Bird albums I own are Now's the Time and Bird and Diz (the latter of which was my first Bird album).  As such, I'm trying to treat it as its own collection of unreleased takes and am avoiding listening to the released masters (except for the quintet tracks, which appear to be the entirety of the quintet portion of the session).  Besides some fine Bird, I'm a huge Hank Jones and Roy Haynes fan as well, so this set is a great addition to my collection.  It's quite remarkable to have so much previously unreleased Bird come out 61 years after his death, and the sound quality is excellent.  I definitely recommend it.

I'm still absorbing the Savoy and Dial box that I got after Christmas 2014, but I will eventually pick up the Verve box and the Charlie Parker with Strings set. 

Edited July 28, 2016 by Justin V

[paul secor]

Bird will be around for as long as you are.

[JSngry]

No matter who "you" are, or will be, in this century or any other!

[Clunky]

On 12 July 2016 at 2:08 PM, Larry Kart said:

Phil Schaap's liner notes are semi-illiterate in spots and feature some peculiar Schaap-isms. Details upon request.

 

Schaap's writing here boarders on the unintelligible at points. None the less the music and sound is very fine.

[gmonahan]

On 7/31/2016 at 10:39 AM, Clunky said:

Schaap's writing here boarders on the unintelligible at points. None the less the music and sound is very fine.

At least in this one he talks about where the music came from.  Said not a word about that in the Strings set.

 

gregmo

[six string]

It is amazing that so much unheard Bird can be discovered at this point in time.  I get why some people would like all those false starts and studio chatter but after one spin I am done wih that kind of stuff.  I really don't like it when the false starts are not put at the end of a program.  Hearing four or five false starts before I get to hear the song is not something I enjoy.

[mikeweil]

It's interesting if you are interesting in the process of creation. I, too, had times when I was tired of listening through all that before reaching the master take. 

[JSngry]

Digital. Programmable output. Built-in solution to a non-existent problem.

[mikeweil]

Yeah, but programming a CD track sequence seems to feel like sacrilege to some CD buyers. Album sequence as part of the art. 

[JSngry]

Ability to make you own art, stand or fail!!!!!

Seriously, though, the difference between some full sessions and other is how abrupt are the cutoffs. I really do like hearing the players voices, hearing their speech timbres and inflections. To me, that's a part of how they play, how they talk, that and their temperment, are the snappy or quiet, what kind of people were they bringing to their playing etc.

That's why I love those talking records of The Lion, Hawk, Jo Jones, etc. Chico Hamilton. Lester! Yes, music is enough, but music is not all.

[king ubu]

On 12.8.2016 at 8:25 PM, mikeweil said:

... I, too, had times when I was tired of listening through all that before reaching the master take. 

That's why I bought the "Complete Masters" box, I guess - but guess what? I never heard a single tone from it yet (and have lent it to a friend a year or so ago - do plan to get it back though).