Charlie Parker on Verve

[Bol]

Could anyone tell me whether the following Charlie Parker Verve albums are worth seeking out:

Jazz Perennial

Swedish Schnapps

Fiesta

I think they are all from a series called "The Genius of Charlie Parker". Please also let me know whether any of them have strings in them. I got conflicting information from internet sources. Thanks in advance.

[Nate Dorward]

I don't know the 1st & 3rd but the 2nd is a classic. The best Parker sides on Verve are the Bird+Diz session, the late one with Hank Jones, & Swedish Schnapps (which has Parker's working band with Kenny Dorham or Red Rodney on trumpet).

[gnhrtg]

I think I agree with Nate here, if the sides with Hank Jones you're referring to are tne ones included in, what's re-issued as, the "Charle Parker" album.

[Bol]

I don't know the 1st & 3rd but the 2nd is a classic. The best Parker sides on Verve are the Bird+Diz session, the late one with Hank Jones, & Swedish Schnapps (which has Parker's working band with Kenny Dorham or Red Rodney on trumpet).

So "Swedish Schnapps" does not have strings? AMG says it does while some other internet discography sites say it does not.

[jazzbo]

I have a Japanese cd of Swedish Shnappes and no strings are onboard. . . .

Great stuff!

Jazz Perennial includes the session with Gil Evans that is controversial (in that some love it, some don't like it, I love it).

Fiesta. . . it has the small groups "latin" sides. I like it. Probably don't play these that often. . . .

Edited June 15, 2004 by jazzbo

[John L]

AMG also said at one time that Swedish Schnapps was recorded in Sweden.

They must not have been paying too much attention to the liner notes that they thought would save them from actually listening to the CD.

Swedish Schnapps has no strings. It is straight classic quintet sessions. Tremendous music.

[Nate Dorward]

No, no strings on Swedish Schnapps!

The Hank Jones one I think just has a title like "The Charlie Parker Quartet" or the like. "Confirmation", "Kim", "The Song Is You", I forget the other tracks on it ("Laird Baird"?).

Swedish Schnapps is among other things interesting for some of the tune choices & some of Parker's own compositions. If I remember rightly the title piece is a Charlie Shavers tune. There's also the strange piece "Segment", the classic "Star Eyes", & an interesting uptempo improv on "Out of Nowhere", if memory serves.

[gnhrtg]

The Hank Jones one I think just has a title like "The Charlie Parker Quartet" or the like. "Confirmation", "Kim", "The Song Is You", I forget the other tracks on it ("Laird Baird"?).

That's the one; I have the somewhat recent digipak re-issue. Parker is in very good form throughout, and both takes of "Kim" are equally stunning, in my opinion.

[Bol]

I have a Japanese POCJ CD called "Now's the Time" that has all of those songs, and has Hank Jones on it. I like it very much.