Charlie Parker on Dial
Encyclopedia
Charlie Parker on Dial: The Complete Sessions is a 1993 four-disc box set collecting jazz
saxophonist
and composer
Charlie Parker
's 1940s recordings for Dial Records
. The box set, released by the English
label Spotlite Records
, assembled into a single package the multi-volume compilation albums the label had released on vinyl
in the 1970s under the series title Charlie Parker on Dial. The box set has been critically well-received. In 1996, a different box set collecting Parker's work with Dial was assembled by Jazz Classics and released as Complete Charlie Parker on Dial
.
between March 28, 1946, and December 17, 1947, these 89 songs have been released multiple times.
and by Stash Records in 2004 as Complete Dial Sessions. (The collection was also released as a limited edition LP box set on Warner Brother Records
in 1976, and as a general release two-disc set in 1976.)
, collected "every locatable alternate take and rejected excerpt, as well as eight sides privately recorded at a house party" and compiled them with more readily available material. The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz describes the Spotlite box set as "an essential aid in appreciating the scope of Parker's invention from take to take", concluding that "[t]his brilliant body of work is indispensable." The Guardian
also describes the recordings as "essential". The UK
publication selected the Spotlite box set to represent Parker in its 2007 series on "1000 albums to hear before you die", noting that "timeless themes..., inspired improvising and radical vision make these epochal episodes in modern music". In his review, Yanow notes several problems with the collection, including a "glaring" inaccuracy regarding Parker's medical history in the liner notes
and "scratchy surface noise" on some of the tracks, but praises the collection for its informativeness and comprehensiveness, indicating that "those who truly love Charlie Parker will cherish these artifacts, warts and all."
set in 1970. The subsequent release of two additional albums incorporated material from 1948, including a session with Tadd Dameron
's Orchestra, featuring performances by tenor saxophonists Allen Eager
and Wardell Gray
.
The first volume features several sessions. In one, Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
perform "Diggin' Diz". In another, described by Yanow as "superior", Parker and Miles Davis
on trumpet
lead a West Coast
septet
through several Parker standards, with variant takes. The final session on the album features Parker in performance with a Howard McGhee
-led quintet
where, according to Yanow, Parker's performance is seriously hampered by his poor physical condition.
This volume features the first session, including alternate takes, that Parker recorded following his hospitalization at Camarillo State Hospital in 1947. He is accompanied by the Erroll Garner
trio, with vocalist Earl Coleman.
The majority of the third volume features Parker in session with Red Callender
on double bass
, Gray on tenor saxophone, Barney Kessel
on guitar
, Don Lamond
on drum, McGhee on trumpet, and Dodo Marmarosa
on piano
. Although the rest of the album has more historical significance than sound quality, Yanow describes the volume as "excellent" and recommends it.
The fourth volume presents Parker in performance with his 1947 quintet
, featuring musicians Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan
on piano and Max Roach
on drums. The album features six classics and 10 alternative takes. In his review, Yanow indicates that "this influential bop music...is full of brilliant moments".
Primarily from a session on November 4, 1947, the 5th volume again features Parker with his 1947 quintet. Additionally, it includes tracks featuring vocals by Earl Coleman and a 1945 performance of "Hallelujah" with Parker and Gillespie in support of vibraphonist
Red Norvo
.
Concluding the original six-volume run, Parker's quintet became a sextet
with the addition of J.J. Johnson
on trombone.
Spotlite LP107, officially titled Lullaby in Rhythm Featuring Charlie Parker, presents several Parker solos along with two radio sessions featuring Parker with Gillespie, Billy Bauer
on guitar, Ray Brown
on double bass, John LaPorta
on clarinet
, Roach on drums and Lennie Tristano
on piano.
The final volume of the series featured tracks taken primarily from a radio broadcast on November 8, 1947, where Parker played with Barry Ulanov and His All-Star Metronome Jazzmen
. The group featured Bauer on guitar, Allen Eager
on tenor saxophone, LaPorta on clarinet, Fats Navarro
on trumpet, Tommy Potter on double bass
, Buddy Rich
on drums, Tristano on piano, and, singing on "Everything I Have Is Yours", Sarah Vaughan
. Additional material was taken from a set with Tadd Dameron
's Orchestra, featuring performances by Eager and Gray.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
's 1940s recordings for Dial Records
Dial Records
Dial Records has been the name of at least four different record labels in the 20th century:* Dial Records – a US based company.* Dial Records – a US based company.* Dial Records – a US based company....
. The box set, released by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
label Spotlite Records
Spotlite Records
Spotlite Records is a British jazz record label. It was founded in 1968, originally as an outlet for Charlie Parker's Dial recordings.- External links :*...
, assembled into a single package the multi-volume compilation albums the label had released on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
in the 1970s under the series title Charlie Parker on Dial. The box set has been critically well-received. In 1996, a different box set collecting Parker's work with Dial was assembled by Jazz Classics and released as Complete Charlie Parker on Dial
Complete Charlie Parker on Dial
Complete Charlie Parker on Dial is a 1996 box set release of jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker's 1946-1947 recordings for Dial Records. The box set, released by Jazz Classics, features 89 songs, including alternate takes and notes composed by jazz historian and Parker biographer Ira Gitler...
.
Recording history
Recorded during Parker's tenure with Dial RecordsDial Records
Dial Records has been the name of at least four different record labels in the 20th century:* Dial Records – a US based company.* Dial Records – a US based company.* Dial Records – a US based company....
between March 28, 1946, and December 17, 1947, these 89 songs have been released multiple times.
Release history
In addition to British Spotlite's release here and on earlier vinyl, in the mid 1970s, separately, the collection was published by label Jazz Classics in 1996 as Complete Charlie Parker on DialComplete Charlie Parker on Dial
Complete Charlie Parker on Dial is a 1996 box set release of jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker's 1946-1947 recordings for Dial Records. The box set, released by Jazz Classics, features 89 songs, including alternate takes and notes composed by jazz historian and Parker biographer Ira Gitler...
and by Stash Records in 2004 as Complete Dial Sessions. (The collection was also released as a limited edition LP box set on Warner Brother Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1976, and as a general release two-disc set in 1976.)
Critical reception
The producers have, according to jazz historian Scott YanowScott Yanow
Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...
, collected "every locatable alternate take and rejected excerpt, as well as eight sides privately recorded at a house party" and compiled them with more readily available material. The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz describes the Spotlite box set as "an essential aid in appreciating the scope of Parker's invention from take to take", concluding that "[t]his brilliant body of work is indispensable." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
also describes the recordings as "essential". The UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
publication selected the Spotlite box set to represent Parker in its 2007 series on "1000 albums to hear before you die", noting that "timeless themes..., inspired improvising and radical vision make these epochal episodes in modern music". In his review, Yanow notes several problems with the collection, including a "glaring" inaccuracy regarding Parker's medical history in the liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
and "scratchy surface noise" on some of the tracks, but praises the collection for its informativeness and comprehensiveness, indicating that "those who truly love Charlie Parker will cherish these artifacts, warts and all."
Disc 1
- "Diggin' Diz" (Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
) – 2:55 - "Moose the MoocheMoose the Mooche"Moose the Mooche" is a bebop composition written by Charlie Parker in 1946. It was written shortly after his friend and longtime musical companion Dizzy Gillespie left him in Los Angeles to return to New York City. Charlie Parker had been a long time heroin addict and had been using since he was...
" – 3:00 - "Moose the Mooche" – 3:05
- "Moose the Mooche" – 2:58
- "Yardbird SuiteYardbird SuiteYardbird Suite is a bebop standard composed by Charlie Parker in 1946. It follows an AABA form. It was used as the title of Lawrence O. Koch's biography of Parker....
" – 2:41 - "Yardbird Suite" – 2:57
- "OrnithologyOrnithology (composition)"Ornithology" is a jazz standard by bebop alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Benny Harris.Its title is a reference to Parker's nickname, "Bird"...
" – 3:04 - "Ornithology" ("Bird Lore") – 3:19
- "Ornithology" – 3:01
- "A Night in TunisiaA Night in Tunisia"A Night in Tunisia" is a musical composition written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1942 while he was playing with the Earl Hines Band. It has become a jazz standard....
" (Excerpt) (Dizzy GillespieDizzy GillespieJohn Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
, Frank Paparelli) – :50 - "A Night in Tunisia" (Gillespie, Paparelli) – 3:07
- "A Night in Tunisia" (Gillespie, Paparelli) – 3:04
- "Max Making Wax" (Howard McGheeHoward McGheeHoward McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...
) – 2:33 - "Lover Man" (Jimmy David, Roger "Ram" Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman) – 3:22
- "The Gypsy" (Take) (Billy Reid) – 3:05
- "Rebop" (Gillespie) – 2:55
- "Yardbird Suite" – 2:14
- "Blues on the Sofa" – :47
- "Kopely Plaza Blues" – 1:06
- "Lullaby in Rhythm, Pt. 1" (Benny GoodmanBenny GoodmanBenjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
, Edgar SampsonEdgar SampsonEdgar Melvin Sampson was a composer, arranger, saxophonist, and violinist...
) – 1:32 - "Lullaby in Rhythm, Pt. 2" (Goodman, Sampson) – 1:34
- "Home Cooking (Opus)" (Hal McKusickHal McKusickHal McKusick is an American-born jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist and flautist, most notable for his work with Boyd Raeburn from 1944 to 1945 and Claude Thornhill from 1948 to 1949.-Biography:...
) – 2:24 - "Home Cooking (Cherokee)" (Ray NobleRay Noble (musician)Ray Noble was an English bandleader, composer, arranger and actor. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and became leader of the HMV Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day...
) – 2:09 - "Home Cooking (I Got RhythmI Got Rhythm"I Got Rhythm" is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and published in 1930, which became a jazz standard. Its chord progression, known as the "rhythm changes", is the foundation for many other popular jazz tunes such as Charlie Parker's and Dizzy Gillespie's Bebop...
)" (George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, Ira GershwinIra GershwinIra Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
) – 2:27
Disc 2
- "This is Always" (Mack GordonMack GordonMack Gordon was an American composer and lyricist of songs for the stage and film. He was nominated for the best original song Oscar nine times, including six consecutive years between 1940 and 1945, and won the award once, for "You'll Never Know"...
, Harry WarrenHarry WarrenHarry Warren was an American composer and lyricist. Warren was the first major American songwriter to write primarily for film. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song eleven times and won three Oscars for composing "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know" and "On the Atchison,...
) – 3:18 - "This is Always" (Gordon, Warren) – 3:13
- "Dark Shadows" (Coleman, Shifty HenryShifty HenryJohn Willie "Shifty" Henry was an American musician, most noted as a double bass and bass guitar player, and blues songwriter. He also played flute, violin, viola, saxophone, and oboe and was in demand as a session musician and arranger in Los Angeles in the 1940s and 1950s...
) – 4:06 - "Dark Shadows" (Coleman, Henry) – 3:13
- "Dark Shadows" (Coleman, Henry) – 3:09
- "Dark Shadows" (Coleman, Henry) – 3:01
- "Bird's Nest" – 2:55
- "Bird's Nest" – 2:53
- "Bird's Nest" – 2:46
- "Cool Blues" (aka "Hot Blues") – 2:01
- "Cool Blues" (aka "Blowtop Blues") – 2:26
- "Cool Blues" – 3:11
- "Cool Blues" – 2:54
- "Relaxin' at Camarillo" – 3:10
- "Relaxin' at Camarillo" – 3:09
- "Relaxin' at Camarillo" – 3:04
- "Relaxin' at Camarillo" – 3:02
- "Cheers" (McGhee) – 3:12
- "Cheers" (McGhee) – 3:07
- "Cheers" (McGhee) – 3:07
- "Cheers" (McGhee) – 3:07
- "Carvin' the Bird" (McGhee) – 2:47
- "Carvin' the Bird" (McGhee) – 2:47
- "Stupendous" (Melvin Broiles, McGhee) – 2:57
- "Stupendous" (Broiles, McGhee) – 2:54
Disc 3
- "Dexterity" – 3:01
- "Dexterity" – 3:01
- "Bongo Bop" – 2:48
- "Bongo Bop" – 2:47
- "Dewey Square" (aka "Prezology") – 3:32
- "Dewey Square" – 3:05
- "Dewey Square" – 3:11
- "The Hymn" – 2:34
- "The Hymn" – 2:31
- "All the Things You Are" (Jerome KernJerome KernJerome David Kern was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over 100 stage works, including such classics as "Ol' Man River", "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man", "A...
) – 3:11 - "Bird of Paradise" – 3:13
- "Bird of Paradise" – 3:13
- "Embraceable YouEmbraceable You"Embraceable You" is a popular song, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song was originally written in 1928 for an unpublished operetta named East is West. It was eventually published in 1930 and included in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. where it was performed by...
" (Gershwin, Gershwin) – 3:49 - "Embraceable You" (Gershwin, Gershwin) – 3:26
- "Bird Feathers" – 2:54
- "Klact-Oveeseds-Tene" – 3:08
- "Klact-Oveeseds-Tene" – 3:09
- "Scrapple from the AppleScrapple from the Apple"Scrapple from the Apple" is a bebop composition by Charlie Parker written in 1947, commonly regonized today as a jazz standard, written in F major...
" – 2:42 - "Little Be Bop" – 2:58
Disc 4
- "My Old Flame" (Sam CoslowSam CoslowSam Coslow was an American songwriter, singer, film producer, publisher, and market analyst. Coslow was born in New York City. He began writing songs as a teenager...
, Arthur JohnstonArthur Johnston (composer)Arthur Johnston was a composer known for such works as “Mandy, Make Up Your Mind,” "Pennies From Heaven," and many others...
) – 3:17 - "Out of NowhereOut of Nowhere (Johnny Green song)"Out of Nowhere" is a popular song composed by Johnny Green with lyrics by Edward Heyman. It was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1931 and became his first number one hit as a solo artist...
" (Johnny GreenJohnny GreenJohnny Green was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, and conductor. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earliest, "Body and Soul"...
, Edward HeymanEdward HeymanEdward Heyman was an American musician and lyricist, best known for his compositions "Body and Soul", "When I Fall in Love", and "For Sentimental Reasons". He also contributed many songs for films.-Biography:...
) – 4:06 - "Out of Nowhere" (Green, Heyman) – 3:53
- "Out of Nowhere" (Green, Heyman) – 3:08
- "Don't Blame Me" (Jimmy McHughJimmy McHughJames Francis McHugh was a U.S. composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he composed over 270 songs...
) – 2:51 - "Drifting on a Reed" (aka "Giant Swing") – 2:59
- "Drifting on a Reed" – 2:56
- "Drifting on a Reed" (aka "Air Conditioning") – 2:55
- "Quasimado" – 2:57
- "Quasimado" – 2:55
- "Charlie's Wig" – 2:49
- "Charlie's Wig" – 2:49
- "Charlie's Wig" – 2:45
- "Bongo Beep" (aka "Dexterity") – 3:00
- "Bongo Beep" (aka "Bird Feathers") – 3:00
- "Crazeology" (Excerpt) (Little Benny Harris) – 1:03
- "Crazeology" (Excerpt) (Harris) – :35
- "Crazeology" (Harris) – 3:00
- "Crazeology" (Harris) – 3:00
- "How Deep is the Ocean?How Deep Is the Ocean?"How Deep Is the Ocean?" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1932, and can be heard in the background of the 1933 film The Life of Jimmy Dolan...
" (Irving BerlinIrving BerlinIrving Berlin was an American composer and lyricist of Jewish heritage, widely considered one of the greatest songwriters in American history.His first hit song, "Alexander's Ragtime Band", became world famous...
) – 3:26 - "How Deep is the Ocean?" (Berlin) – 3:07
Eight-volume vinyl set
Initially, Spotlite Records released the Dial recordings in a six-volume vinyl lpLP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
set in 1970. The subsequent release of two additional albums incorporated material from 1948, including a session with Tadd Dameron
Tadd Dameron
Tadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...
's Orchestra, featuring performances by tenor saxophonists Allen Eager
Allen Eager
Allen Eager was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Eager first played jazz as a teenager during World War II in the bands of Bobby Sherwood, Sonny Dunham, Shorty Sherock, Hal McIntyre, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, and Johnny Bothwell...
and Wardell Gray
Wardell Gray
Wardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.-Early years:...
.
Volume 1
- Recorded: Feb 5, 1946 – Jul 29, 1946
The first volume features several sessions. In one, Parker and Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
perform "Diggin' Diz". In another, described by Yanow as "superior", Parker and Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
on trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
lead a West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
septet
Septet
A septet is a formation containing exactly seven members. It is commonly associated with musical groups, but can be applied to any situation where seven similar or related objects are considered a single unit, such as a seven-line stanza of poetry....
through several Parker standards, with variant takes. The final session on the album features Parker in performance with a Howard McGhee
Howard McGhee
Howard McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...
-led quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
where, according to Yanow, Parker's performance is seriously hampered by his poor physical condition.
Volume 2
- Recorded: Feb 19, 1947
This volume features the first session, including alternate takes, that Parker recorded following his hospitalization at Camarillo State Hospital in 1947. He is accompanied by the Erroll Garner
Erroll Garner
Erroll Louis Garner was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His best-known composition, the ballad "Misty", has become a jazz standard...
trio, with vocalist Earl Coleman.
Volume 3
- Recorded: Feb 1, 1947 – Feb 26, 1947
The majority of the third volume features Parker in session with Red Callender
Red Callender
Red Callender, , was a jazz bass and tuba player, famous for turning down a chance to work with Duke Ellington's Orchestra and the Louis Armstrong All-Stars....
on double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, Gray on tenor saxophone, Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel
Barney Kessel was an American jazz guitarist born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, USA. Generally considered to be one of the greatest jazz guitarists of the 20th century, he was noted in particular for his vast knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies...
on guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, Don Lamond
Don Lamond
Don Lamond was an American jazz drummer.Lamond attended the Peabody Conservatory in Philadelphia in the early 1940s, and played with Sonny Dunham and Boyd Raeburn at the outset of his career...
on drum, McGhee on trumpet, and Dodo Marmarosa
Dodo Marmarosa
Michael "Dodo" Marmarosa was an American bebop pianist.-Biography:Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a child prodigy, Marmarosa was a trained classical pianist, but familiarised himself with jazz in parallel and practised with school mate Erroll Garner, another pianist from Pittsburgh...
on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Although the rest of the album has more historical significance than sound quality, Yanow describes the volume as "excellent" and recommends it.
Volume 4
- Recorded: Oct 28, 1947
The fourth volume presents Parker in performance with his 1947 quintet
Quintet
A quintet is a group containing five members.It is commonly associated with musical groups, such as a string quintet, or a group of five singers, but can be applied to any situation where five similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
, featuring musicians Davis on trumpet, Duke Jordan
Duke Jordan
Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan was an American jazz pianist.-Biography:An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regular member of Charlie Parker's so-called "classic quintet" , featuring Miles Davis...
on piano and Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
on drums. The album features six classics and 10 alternative takes. In his review, Yanow indicates that "this influential bop music...is full of brilliant moments".
Volume 5
- Recorded: Jun 6, 1945 – Nov 4, 1947
Primarily from a session on November 4, 1947, the 5th volume again features Parker with his 1947 quintet. Additionally, it includes tracks featuring vocals by Earl Coleman and a 1945 performance of "Hallelujah" with Parker and Gillespie in support of vibraphonist
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
Red Norvo
Red Norvo
Red Norvo was one of jazz's early vibraphonists, known as "Mr. Swing". He helped establish the xylophone, marimba and later the vibraphone as viable jazz instruments...
.
Volume 6
- Recorded: Dec 17, 1947
Concluding the original six-volume run, Parker's quintet became a sextet
Sextet
A sextet is a formation containing exactly six members. It is commonly associated with vocal or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six similar or related objects are considered a single unit....
with the addition of J.J. Johnson
J.J. Johnson
J. J. Johnson was a United States jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. He was sometimes credited as Jay Jay Johnson....
on trombone.
Volume 7
- Recorded: Feb 1, 1947 – Sep 20, 1947
Spotlite LP107, officially titled Lullaby in Rhythm Featuring Charlie Parker, presents several Parker solos along with two radio sessions featuring Parker with Gillespie, Billy Bauer
Billy Bauer
Billy Bauer was an American cool jazz guitarist.-Life:Bauer was born in New York City. He played banjo as a child before switching to guitar...
on guitar, Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
on double bass, John LaPorta
John LaPorta
John LaPorta was a Philadelphia-born jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. LaPorta's sound has been compared to that of fellow jazz experimenter Jimmy Giuffre...
on clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, Roach on drums and Lennie Tristano
Lennie Tristano
Leonard Joseph Tristano was a jazz pianist, composer and teacher of jazz improvisation. He performed in the cool jazz, bebop, post bop and avant-garde jazz genres. He remains a somewhat overlooked figure in jazz history, but his enormous originality and dazzling work as an improviser have long...
on piano.
Volume 8
- Recorded: Nov 8, 1947 – Sep 1948
The final volume of the series featured tracks taken primarily from a radio broadcast on November 8, 1947, where Parker played with Barry Ulanov and His All-Star Metronome Jazzmen
Barry Ulanov
Barry Ulanov was an American writer.Ulanov's father was Nathan Ulanov, concertmaster in Arturo Toscanini's NBC Philharmonic. His father taught him violin, but after a car crash in which he broke both wrists, he ceased studying the instrument. He studied at Columbia University, taking his BA there...
. The group featured Bauer on guitar, Allen Eager
Allen Eager
Allen Eager was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.Eager first played jazz as a teenager during World War II in the bands of Bobby Sherwood, Sonny Dunham, Shorty Sherock, Hal McIntyre, Woody Herman, Tommy Dorsey, and Johnny Bothwell...
on tenor saxophone, LaPorta on clarinet, Fats Navarro
Fats Navarro
Theodore "Fats" Navarro was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong stylistic influence on many other players, most notably Clifford Brown.-Life:Navarro was born in Key West, Florida, to Cuban-Black-Chinese parentage...
on trumpet, Tommy Potter on double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, Buddy Rich
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Rich was billed as "the world's greatest drummer" and was known for his virtuosic technique, power, groove, and speed.-Early life:...
on drums, Tristano on piano, and, singing on "Everything I Have Is Yours", Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer, described by Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."...
. Additional material was taken from a set with Tadd Dameron
Tadd Dameron
Tadley Ewing Peake "Tadd" Dameron was an American jazz composer, arranger and pianist. Saxophonist Dexter Gordon called Dameron the "romanticist" of the bop movement, while reviewer Scott Yanow writes that Dameron was the "definitive arranger/composer of the bop era".-Biography:Born in Cleveland,...
's Orchestra, featuring performances by Eager and Gray.
Production
- Roy Russell – liner notesLiner notesLiner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
- Malcolm Walker – graphic designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
- Toni Williams – liner notes