Charlie Parker - The Great Sessions

[Brad]

Does anybody know this disc and have any thoughts on it. I'm not that much concerned about the sound, unless it's absolutely horrible.

[jazzbo]

On this page Parker page

I found this:

"Charlie Parker : The Great Sessions 1947/1948" (Jazz Anthology, France) Last Band for Bonds & '49 Carnegie Hall Concert.

[brownie]

Brad, I would not touch it. Jazz Anthology was a French label which reissued various material from a number of bootleg labels.

The CD you mention has three tracks (another track is missing) from the Christmas Day 1949 Carnegie Hall concert (with Red Rodney, Al Haig, Tommy Potter and Roy Haynes) plus an incomplete November 1947 Barry Ulanov organised session with Fats Navarro, Bird, Alan Eager, Lennie Tristano, Sarah Vaughan.

The two sessions should be available in complete form - and probably better sound - on other labels.

[JSngry]

Brownie's right, Brad, but otoh, if you can't find the full sessions right now, and if this JA disc is reasonably priced, it might make for a nice "stopgap" until the real thing comes along. Depends on if that's a strategy you take in building a collection or not. Some do, some don't.

The music is superb, especially Carnegie Hall '49. Above-average Bird, and all that that implies.

[brownie]

The Parker section of the Carnegie Hall 1949 concert is out on a Fresh Sounds Parker CD. In full. With more Bird sessions. And probably better sound.

[JSngry]

Well, there you go. The Bands For Bonds stuff is very good (and historically interesting), but if you can get the '49 Carnegie stuff in toto, do so, like, yesterday!

[brownie]

The Charlie Parker at Carnegie Hall 1949 is available on Cool&Blue 105 'Bird at Carnegie Hall'. Cool&Blue is issued by the Fresh Sounds people.

The full broadcast of the Barry Ulanov broadcast with Navarro, Parker, Tristano et al is in the Philology 'Bird's Eyes' CD volume 17. That one may be more difficult to get but worth the search. It also has two other Ulanov 1947 reunions with Dizzy, Bird and Tristano, and various other Bird treasures.

[Brad]

Thank you all, especially Brownie and Jim. The embarassing thing is that I have the Carnegie Hall Concert, from Jass . The other I'll try to locate. Thanks again.