YOUR desert island Charlie Parker disc / side / related-sessions

[BillF]

Nice list from Amazon for "Live" Bird.

Charlie Parker live recordings with acceptable sound.

Great treasure house of material! Thanks for the link.

You're very welcome. It's pretty decent isn't it?

Yes, the 60 one-minute samples from the Complete Savoy Live Recordings kept me nicely entertained yesterday evening

[poetrylover3]

So I'll cheat a little and opt for the Savoy and Dial Master Takes as reissued on a compact Savoy three disc set. Honestly, this is as bad as asking for a single Coltrane set, or a single set by Beethoven, Mozart, Ellington, Miles, IMO. I'm grateful I don't have to really make this choice.

Peace,

Blue Trane

[Cliff Englewood]

While we're on the subject of keeping the Bird alive, does anyone know where the recordings from this 4 CD Set are borrowed from?

I can't find any real info. on it, but I presume they're from some of the Norman Granz Labels???

If so are they any good or are they standard JATP jam-type deals???

I am tempted by it after all this Parker talk.

Blurb;

Product Description

2007 four CD collection presents all of Charlie Parker’s known recordings at this famous venue for the first time on one edition. This collection goes all through all his surviving Carnegie Hall sets until the last one, that also was to be his last known live recording ever and the next to last session of his life. As bonus tracks, we have selected three rarely heard and very interesting recordings. The first two, 'Mambo' and 'Lament for the Congo', are Bird’s only known recordings with Machito outside of his studio recordings and the February 11, 1949 set issued here for the first time ever. Next we have a solo a sole selection recorded live at an unknown venue in New York, probably from a radio broadcast. Definitive.

Track Listings

1. Night In Tunisia

2. Dizzy Atmosphere

3. Groovin’ High

4. Confirmation

5. Ko-Ko

6. Bird

7. Repetition

8. Introduction By Norman Granz

9. Leap Here

10. Indiana (Back Home Again In)

11. Lover Come Back To Me

12. Opener

13. Lester Leaps In

14. Embraceable You

15. Closer

16. Ow!/Voice-Over Introducing Ella Fitzgerald

17. Flyin’ Home

18. How High The Moon

19. Perdido

20. Ornithology

21. Cheryl

22. Ko-Ko

23. All The Things You Are

24. Now’S The Time

25. What Is This Thing Called Love?

26. April In Paris

27. Repetition

28. Easy To Love

29. Rocker

30. Just Friends (First Concert)

31. Easy To Love (First Concert)

32. Repetition Into Strings Theme

33. Just Friends (Second Concert)

34. Easy To Love (Second Concert)

35. Announcement By Charlie Parker/Repetition Into Strings Theme (Second Concert)

36. Announcement

37. Night In Tunisia

38. Fiftu Second Street Theme

39. Song Is You

40. My Funny Valentine

41. Coold Blues

42. No Noise (Previously Unissied)

43. Mango Mangue (Previously Unissued)

44. Tanga (Previously Unissued)

45. Bean And The Boys

46. Stuffy

47. Mambo (Bonus Track)

48. Lamnet For The Congo (Bonus Track)

49. I Can't Get Started (Bonus Track)

[P.L.M]

The '53 recording of "Now's the Time". Bird's solo on that track is sublime, quite free yet totally logical, with shape, an ebb and flow, then Bird climaxes the solo near the end with the full statement of a phrase he had been hinting at right from the beginning. I have played the solo a hunded times and it never fails to amaze me or tell me a story. It's probably my single favorite solo in all recorded jazz.

The same here for me as a single title but I'll take the whole album ("The genius Of charlie Parker #3: Now The Time/ The Quartet Of Charlie Parker" Verve) and particularly, the first Half of it recorded in December 30, 1952 with Hank Jones, Teddy Kotick, Max Roach who is simply the best sounding session ever recorded by Bird.

[John L]

While we're on the subject of keeping the Bird alive, does anyone know where the recordings from this 4 CD Set are borrowed from?

I can't find any real info. on it, but I presume they're from some of the Norman Granz Labels???

If so are they any good or are they standard JATP jam-type deals???

I am tempted by it after all this Parker talk.

There appears to be a JATP 1949 concert here and (I believe) a live Bird with Strings concert, both of which are Norman Granz (Verve/Clef) recordings. The first concert is a 1947 reunion with Diz, and some of the tracks were issued as 78s at the time (including Bird's only "official" recording of Confirmation in the 1940s). Thje other recordings have been available on various boots over the years.

The overall quality here is somewhat variable, but the best material is VERY VERY good, and the sound quality of these broadcasts is usually excellent to match. Special highlights include the first 1947 concert and the 1949 Christmas concert with Red Rodney. The 1949 JATP extended Embraceable You with Lester Young is one of my very favorite pieces of recorded music. In other words, if you don't have this music, grab it.

Edited June 29, 2008 by John L

[Cliff Englewood]

While we're on the subject of keeping the Bird alive, does anyone know where the recordings from this 4 CD Set are borrowed from?

I can't find any real info. on it, but I presume they're from some of the Norman Granz Labels???

If so are they any good or are they standard JATP jam-type deals???

I am tempted by it after all this Parker talk.

There appears to be a JATP 1949 concert here and (I believe) a live Bird with Strings concert, both of which are Norman Granz (Verve/Clef) recordings. The first concert is a 1947 reunion with Diz, and some of the tracks were issued as 78s at the time (including Bird's only "official" recording of Confirmation in the 1940s). Thje other recordings have been available on various boots over the years.

The overall quality here is somewhat variable, but the best material is VERY VERY good, and the sound quality of these broadcasts is usually excellent to match. Special highlights include the first 1947 concert and the 1949 Christmas concert with Red Rodney. The 1949 JATP extended Embraceable You with Lester Young is one of my very favorite pieces of recorded music. In other words, if you don't have this music, grab it.

John L, thanks for the response. I went out at lunch today and bought this badboy, €40 for 4 discs, not bad.

I'm looking forward to giving it a spin this evening and will go straight to the version of "Embraceable You" that you speak so highly of.

[papsrus]

Great info. Parker is one of the giants who is sorely underrepresented in my house. So ... after considering The Complete Dial & Savoy Master Takes, I decided to go instead with A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948, which apparently includes all the Dial and Savoy masters, plus ... including "six key Parker/Gillespie tracks from early 1945 that are included on the Rhino, plus Sarah Vaughan backed by Parker/Gillespie on four tracks," according to an amazon reviewer. They seem to prefer the sound quality here as well. Picked it up at J&R for $29. ...

[thomastreichler]

Great info. Parker is one of the giants who is sorely underrepresented in my house. So ... after considering The Complete Dial & Savoy Master Takes, I decided to go instead with A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948, which apparently includes all the Dial and Savoy masters, plus ... including "six key Parker/Gillespie tracks from early 1945 that are included on the Rhino, plus Sarah Vaughan backed by Parker/Gillespie on four tracks," according to an amazon reviewer. They seem to prefer the sound quality here as well. Picked it up at J&R for $29. ...

I purchased this one too, just recently. It is a very valuable set that compiles all of Parker's studio recordings from 1940 to 1948 (including the ones with Jay McShann and his orchestra), sound quality is mostly good. The set has minimal liner notes but full discography (with some minor errors). I am very happy with this set; bought it from Caiman for $32 (shipping included).

[AmirBagachelles]

Bebop's Heartbeat on Savoy was a great disc, and I liked the early 90s 4 CD Royal Roost series also on Savoy, with all of Sid's banter.

[papsrus]

Now listening to the Complete Rockland set, which arrived today. Amazing, particularly disc 2. The extended version of "This Time the Dream's on Me" is a real treat. A wonderful set.

Ordered the Boston '52 uptown and Bird and Diz discs earlier today. There are a fist full of used copies of the latter available at amazon that sellers are practically giving away.

Edited June 4, 2009 by papsrus

[felser]

Jazz at Massey Hall, anyone?

That's my pick, though I'm biased because it was my introduction to Bird, the 2LP Prestige reissue in the early 70's that had the Bud Powell Massey Hall sides (not a favorite of Powell's for me), on the other LP. Bird, Diz, Bud, Mingus, Max. Wow.