Music Munchers - Bebop and Bird, Vol. 1 by Charlie Parker

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Much of this CD comes from a 1950 radio broadcast from Birdland on which Charlie Parker is joined by trumpeter Fats Navarro and pianist Bud Powell, two bop musicians almost as brilliant and certainly as tormented as Parker himself. Together they prod Bird to the limits, especially on a nine-minute version of "Street Beat." It's a rare glimpse of bop at its absolute creative peak, as tense, anarchic, and explosive as jazz could ever be. The CD also includes a few of the Dial studio recordings, with excellent support from a young Miles Davis and trombonist J.J. Johnson. --Stuart Broomer

This review is from: Bebop and Bird, Vol. 1 (Audio CD) Most of the tracks on this CD were recorded on May 15/16, 1950, live from Birdland (some musicologists say that they could be from later in 1950 or from 1949). The group is unique, and this is the only known session where Charlie Parker, Fats Navarro, and Bud Powell play together. The bassist is Curly Russell and the drummer Art Blakey; could one ask for more? Many of the tracks have appeared over the years on obscure labels, such as Le Jazz Cool (LP), in the late 1950s, and Pair (CD) in 1989. There is one track that stands out above all others, and that is the almost eight minute version of "Ornithology"; the CD is worth buying for this magnificent track alone. Bird's playing is inspired, and he propels the group into orbit. His solo is raw, incisive, and he dissects the harmonic structure of the tune (based, of course, on "How High the Moon") like a skilled musical surgeon, tossing phrases around with bold rhythmic complexity. Fats' solo, by comparison, is laid back, cool, yet as it moves along he establishes tension and excitement through understatement, which sets it apart from Dizzy's approach. It is regrettable that Bird and Fats were not paired in other venues and on other recordings. Fats' melodic lines here are profoundly moving, poetic, and he creates them in perhaps the most elegant and lyrical trumpet style of all the modernists, with his characteristic "disappearing" high notes. Bud enters in a quiet way after Fats finishes his narrative, but within just a few bars he is on fire. Yet this is no pyrotechnic tour de force; everything he lays down has a purpose. The touch is Bach-like, as if Glenn Gould had suddenly become a hipster. His solo is one of the greatest jazz piano performances you will ever hear. Listen to it a few times. You'll hear new ideas and nuances with each listening: the angular expressive leaps, the closely spaced notes, all in the service of a spontaneously and perfectly conceived composition. And when Bird returns to trade phrases with Fats, it is clear that he has been inspired by the gauntlet that Bud has laid down. He passionately tears into the exchange, quoting from "Mexican Hat Dance" and "Carmen," with Fats, ever cool, giving back as much as he takes in. When they return to the theme, and to earth, from this stratospheric excursion, Bird even plays a spontaneous harmony line against Fats. By most standards, the sound on these sessions (mastered from tape) is execrable. Bud's intro will almost scare you with its chilling tones. Yet you almost feel as though you're at Birdland, especially when someone calls out "Go, Baby!" at the beginning of Bird's solo (the cognoscenti say that it was Little Jimmy Scott). Listen to the track at high volume. You'll feel as though you were at this remarkable gig. All other group versions of "Ornithology" pale in comparison to this one. It is quintessential bebop and musically one of the most complex and satisfying pieces you will ever hear. How many stars? As many as you can see on a clear night! Comment | Permalink | (Report this)