Bird in Time 1940-1947

[Quasimado]

Just picked up this fine 4 cd production by Michael D Anderson.

Essentially it's a history of Bird's life and development in the music during the period stated. What is unique about it is that there are interviews with many of the musicians involved in the sessions (Bird, Max, Bags, Roy Porter, Teddy Edwards, Howard McGhee, Earl Coleman); AND the chronological selection of the music is in the main from relatively obscure sources (Boris Rose etc.), all of it compelling, and some of it pretty rare (example: *Dee Dee's Dance* by the Howard McGhee group from the Hi-De-Ho Club in '47).

The historical musical perspective includes the earliest known demo disc, the McShann Wichita transcriptions, Monroe's Uptown House 1942, Vic Damon Studios in KC 1942, The RedCross recordings, Cootie Williams Orchestra, Bird & Diz at Lincoln Square 1945, the 3 Jubilee Sessions on the West Coast, some of the Dial sessions, the Homecooking sessions (some of it new to my ears), the 3 Ulanov's All Star Modern Jazz Broadcasts etc.

Anderson has worked as a musician, and produced "Bebop City" on Public Radio from 1984 - 1995 (I wish I had heard that!).

There are 2 informative 32 page booklets, with session details, photos, historical references etc... I would have liked clearer personnel listings, but the information is there if you search for it.

Re Bird's woodshedding incident, presuming the dates in the booklet are correct, it would appear that Joe Jones threw the cymbal at Bird's feet sometime in 1940, when he (Bird) was 20. Now, he already had a lot of experience behind him - and you can hear just how good he was later in the November of the same year in the Wichita transcriptions with McShann (Lady be Good etc.) - he could really play! Maybe there was more to Jones' action than music... or perhaps he didn't understand where Bird was coming from...

For the Bird nut (me) this is essential in every way ...

Q

[AllenLowe]

I only wonder if, on the real early things like the transcriptions, they've messed with the sound, which was fine on early reissues.

Edited September 16, 2010 by AllenLowe

[Quasimado]

I only wonder if, on the real early things like the transcriptions, they've messed with the sound, which was fine on early reissues.

It still seems fine to my ears. All in all it's a very fine production (IMO).

Q

[medjuck]

BTW, if like me you have almost everything from this box, you can download the few things you don't have from the Amazon site for 99 cents each cut.