Bebop Spoken Here

[Alexander]

I picked this up last week in Boston. What an amazing set! I have quite a few of the recordings included on other discs (especially the Bird and Diz material, the Miles "Birth of the Cool" material, and some sundry J.J. Johnson, Sonny Stitt, Monk, and Bud Powell), but this is such a wonderful overview of bop (I've heard people speak highly of it) that I decided to get it (along with the Proper Tatum box) when I ran accross both in a used bookstore on Beacon Street. There's a lot of stuff I've never heard before, so it seemed like a good deal (only $25 (new) for four discs). The sound is exceptional (better than the Classics discs I have, which seem to be a bit harsh to my ears), the material is a delight, and the booklet is pretty good too. If you should ever run accross this, I recommend grabbing it.

Here's the track listing:

1. Woody 'N You performed by Hawkins, Coleman And His Orchestra - 2:55

2. Disorder at the Border performed by Hawkins, Coleman And His Orchestra - 2:52

3. The Moose performed by Barnet, Charlie And His Orchestra - 2:35

4. Tiny's Tempo performed by Grimes, Tiny Quintet - 2:55

5. Good Bait performed by Gillespie, Dizzy All Stars - 3:00

6. Something for You performed by Pettiford, Oscar And His All Stars - 2:30

7. Night in Tunisia performed by Raeburn, Boyd And His Orchestra - 3:07

8. In the Middle performed by Auld, Georgie & His Orchestra - 3:12

9. Groovin' High performed by Gillespie, Dizzy Sextet - 2:38

10. Dizzy Atmosphere performed by Dizzy Gillespie - 2:46

11. Opus X performed by Eckstine, Billy And His Orchestra - 2:30

12. Reverse the Charges performed by Frank Socolow's Duke Quintet - 2:55

13. Lover Man performed by Sarah Vaughan - 3:22

14. Hot House performed by Gillespie, Dizzy All Star Quintet - 3:06

15. Hallelujah performed by Norvo, Red And His Selected Sextet - 3:58

16. Koko performed by Parker, Charlie Reboppers - 2:56

17. Second Balcony Jump performed by Eckstine, Billy And His Orchestra - 2:54

review 18. Night in Tunisia performed by Gillespie, Dizzy Septet - 3:05

19. Ornithology performed by Parker, Charlie Reboppers - 3:01

20. If You Could See Me Now performed by Sarah Vaughan - 2:50

21. Jay Bird performed by Johnson, Jay Jay Beboppers - 3:01

22. Our Delight performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:30

23. Things to Come performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:44

24. Bebop in Pastel performed by Sonny Stitt All Stars - 2:57

25. Webb City performed by Bebop Boys - 5:38

26. Opus de Bop performed by Getz, Stan Quartet - 2:34

27. Dodo's Bounce performed by Dodo Mannatosa - 1:42

28. Smooth Sailing performed by Dodo Mannatosa / Lucky Thompson - 2:39

29. Woodchopper's Holiday performed by Berman, Sonny Big Eight - 2:55

30. The Man I Love performed by Gray, Wardell Quartet - 3:23

31. (Back Home Again In) Indiana performed by Bud Powell Trio - 2:38

32. Disc Jockey Jump performed by Krupa, Gene And His Orchestra - 3:10

33. All God's Children Got Rhythm performed by Red Rodney's Be-Boppers - 2:49

34. Oop-Pop-a-Da performed by Bab's Three Bips And A Bop - 2:52

35. The Chase performed by Dexter Gordon / Wardell Gray - 6:52

36. All Night, All Frantic performed by Allen Eager / Be-Bops Boys - 2:38

37. Mad Lad performed by Thompson, Sir Charles All Stars - 2:34

38. Milestones performed by Davis, Miles All Stars - 2:47

39. Ow! performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:58

40. Confirmatin performed by Dizzy Gillespie / Charlie Parker - 5:37

41. Thrivin' on a Riff performed by Thornhill, Claude And His Orchestra - 3:05

42. The Squirrel performed by Dameron, Tadd Sextet - 3:00

43. Ruby, My Dear performed by Thelonious Monk - 3:08

44. Embraceable You performed by Parker, Charlie Quintet - 3:24

45. What Is This Thing Called Love? performed by Anita ODay - 2:39

46. Scrapple From the Apple performed by Parker, Charlie Quintet - 2:59

47. In Walked Bud performed by Thelonious Monk - 2:56

48. Donna Lee performed by Thornhill, Claude And His Orchestra - 3:05

49. How High the Moon performed by Ella Fitzgerald - 3:15

50. The Duel performed by Dexter Gordon / Teddy Edwards - 5:31

51. Nostalgia performed by Fats Navarro - 2:45

52. Dexter's Riff performed by Gordon, Dexter Quintet - 3:01

53. Dexter's Mood performed by Gordon, Dexter And His Boys - 2:54

54. Cool Breeze performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 2:46

55. Manteca performed by Gillespie, Dizzy And His Orchestra - 3:06

56. Wee Dot performed by Parker, Leo All Stars - 2:29

57. Yardbird Suite performed by Thornhill, Clause And His Orchestra - 3:21

58. How High the Moon performed by Kenton, Stan And His Orchestra - 2:31

59. Bon-o-Logy performed by Johnson, Jay Jay Bop Quintet - 3:02

60. Four Brothers performed by Herman, Woody & His Orchestra - 3:17

61. The Thin Man performed by Art Blakey's Messengers - 3:00

62. Bop Alley performed by Art Blakey's Messengers - 3:07

63. Bluebird performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 2:56

64. The Talk of the Town performed by McGhee, Howard Sextet / Milt Jackson - 2:54

65. Confirmation performed by Clarke, Kenny And His Fifty Second... - 2:38

66. Jumpin' There performed by Clarke, Kenny And His Fifty Second... - 3:08

67. Epistrophy performed by Thelonious Monk - 3:07

68. Stealin' Apples performed by Goodman, Benny Group - 3:09

69. Ah-Leu-Cha performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 2:57

70. Parker's Mood performed by Parker, Charlie All-Stars - 3:05

71. The Skunk performed by Howard McGhee / Fats Navarro - 2:58

72. Double Talk performed by Howard McGhee / Fats Navarro - 5:35

73. Blue Brew performed by Brew Moore - 2:56

74. Cu-Ba performed by Moody, James Modernists - 2:36

75. Tin Tin Deo performed by Moody, James Modernists - 2:48

76. Foo's performed by Fruscella, Tony Quintet - 2:52

77. Ool-Ya-Koo performed by Ella Fitzgerald - 2:51

78. Jam for Boppers performed by Gene Ammons / Tom Archia - 5:12

79. That's Right performed by Herman, Woody & His Orchestra - 3:04

80. Victory Ball performed by Metroname All-Stars - 4:14

81. Casbah performed by Dameron, Tadd And His Orchestra - 3:01

82. Professor Bop performed by Gonzales, Babs And His Orchestra - 2:28

83. Move performed by Davis, Miles & His Orchestra - 2:35

84. Israel performed by Davis, Miles & His Orchestra - 2:18

85. Undercurrent Blues performed by Goodman, Benny And His Orchestra - 3:08

86. Focus performed by Dameron, Tadd And His Orchestra - 3:02

87. Blue Lou performed by Goodman, Benny Group - 3:01

88. Bebop Spoken Here performed by Barnet, Charlie And His Orchestra - 2:48

89. Wallington's Godchild performed by Winding, Kai Sextet - 2:53

90. Crossing the Channel performed by Winding, Kai Sextet - 2:51

91. I'll Keep Loving You performed by Bud Powell - 2:42

92. Tempus Fugit performed by Bud Powell - 2:28

93. Euphoria performed by Charlie Ventura - 6:35

94. Crazy Chords performed by Getz, Stan Quartet - 2:36

95. Wail performed by Powell, Bud Modernists - 2:44

96. Twisted performed by Gray, Wardell Quartet - 3:09

97. Move performed by Serge Chaloff - 5:33

Edited January 8, 2004 by Alexander

[Out2Lunch]

I have purchased about a dozen of their sets. For the price and the quality, the Proper Boxes are a fantastic value.

[JSngry]

Have we made it clear? Bebop spoken here!

[ralphie_boy]

These sets are an incredible value! BeBop Spoken Here is excellent. My two faves however are the Wardell Gray and the Coleman Hawkins. I also have the Nat King Cole which is fantastic. Lots of music for little $$.

[Alfred]

The Johnny Hodges box is highly recommended!

[BruceH]

Don't forget the Fats Navarro! Great set.

Some of the Proper 2-CD compilations are also very worthwhile.

[Brad]

Bebop Spoken Here was my first Proper set and remains my favorite. It's a great introduction to bop and there are songs on there not otherwise available on cd. The book is good and informative and it's just a great all around box. For those not that familiar with box, this is the place to start.

[BruceH]

My first too! In complete agreement with you Brad. I already had over half the tracks in the set, yet it's still my favorite Properbox. For newcomers to bop, it would be a treasure trove. (A nice affordable treasure trove!)

[Alexander]

My first too! In complete agreement with you Brad. I already had over half the tracks in the set, yet it's still my favorite Properbox. For newcomers to bop, it would be a treasure trove. (A nice affordable treasure trove!)

I'm well aquainted with bop, and *I* think it's a treasure trove!