Collecting Charlie Parker: What’s to Know?
Charlie Parker’s recording career can generally be divided into two broad categories: the "official" studio sides that he recorded for release on 78 rpm records during his recording career from 1944 to 1954, and the "unofficial" (mostly live) recordings that were made by both professional and amateur recorders throughout his performing career, as well as guest appearances that he made on other musician’s records. The most important, by far are his own studio recordings, and anyone who is interested in this master’s music should begin there.The studio recordings can then be easily broken down into two distinct groups: the sides he cut for the small Savoy and Dial labels from 1944-1948, and the ones he cut for Norman Granz’s Verve label from 1950-1954. While many of the Dial sides are tremendous, Granz also put Parker in some very odd configurations, including recording with strings, Latin musicians and other experiments. While in no way do I wish to diminish the value of the Dial recordings, I believe that it is unquestionable that the heart of a Charlie Parker discography begins with the Savoy and Dial master takes on which he first displayed his revolutionary style, codified the sound and form of the new music he represented, and eventually, documented his own regular working band.
After your Savoy/Dial collection, go on to a Verve collection. Then, if you want more, you start filling in the blanks. In my opinion, this is the very best strategy for collecting, understanding and enjoying Parker's music.
Is There a Good Single-Disc Introduction to Charlie Parker?
In a word, no. But that’s just my opinion. Like most jazz artists, experiencing Charlie Parker’s music is the result of an experience over time. His recordings tell the story of his life as well as the life of his art, and when you get a single disc of highlights, it’s more like just getting a snapshot of a few days. You really don’t get the flow of the development, and it has been my experience that you truly can’t appreciate a great improviser without a broad band of their approaches to music over time.
Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Collection (March 18, 1997)
Rhino Records used to have what I considered a "perfect" 2-disc introduction to Parker called Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Collection. It featured the very cream of his Savoy and Dial recordings, his later Verve sessions, several selection of him with strings, and even a good bit of live Bird with Dizzy Gillespie. It’s been long out of print, but you can still order it used on Amazon starting around $6. I highly recommend it if you want to take that route.
Ken Burns JAZZ Collection: Charlie Parker (November 7, 2000)
I suppose, however, that if you are "new" to Parker or jazz in general, and you’re not sure how much you want to commit yourself to listening, you could do worse than getting the Ken Burns JAZZ Collection disc that came out with his JAZZ TV series. (Actually, you could do a lot worse - there are quite a number of crappy collections of marginal Parker music available.) Burns collections are well-selected and cost around ten bucks. It should definitely let you know if you dig Bird or not, and if you do expand, you’ll still be able to enjoy it in one sitting.Basically, what you really want, however is this:
The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes (July 1, 2009)
This 3-disc set is the definitive place to begin both collecting and listening to the music of Charlie Parker. From 1944 to 1948, Parker recorded sporadically for two record labels, Savoy and Dial. All of the masters are collected here. It is in these sessions that Bird definitively laid down both the core of his recording career and established the parameters of the new jazz revolution known as "bebop." If I were to recommend only one modern jazz collection as absolutely essential and germinative, it would be this. This is where to come to begin to learn about modern jazz, folks. There is nothing I can think of that is more dazzling than to sit down and immerse oneself in the seemingly nonstop flow of extraordinary ideas and beautiful improvisations that spill almost effortlessly from this unparalleled and revolutionary genius.I don’t know quite how to recommend that one approach this treasure trove of improvisational wonder. Obviously, one could listen carefully to each disc in sequence, following the developments of the sessions, perhaps one day at a time. But there’s also something to be said for total immersion. There are definitely much worse ways to spend one’s days and nights than to constantly listen to the flow of Charlie Parker’s horn, even for weeks on end, until this music is firmly established as part of your bloodstream.
One thing is certain, however: you will never exhaust the treasures you find here. The best advice I can give you is to keep returning - as long as you live. The endless variations of the Bird will provide you with an ever-evolving opening into a magical, impossible world of dream and bliss. Another thing I suggest is that you take the time to thoroughly digest this entire material - which means being able to hum along with every basic tune in the collection - before moving on to any other Charlie Parker recordings. Or any other modern jazz for that matter. It all starts here - this is the ultimate template for anything subsequent that’s worth taking your time to listen to. If you are lucky, this music will become an essential and ongoing part of some of the most treasured realms of your personal reality.
It currently runs for about $30 on MP3 and $40 for compact discs. (I still like CDs.)
If you’re still just not quite ready to wade in this deep, I have one more option for you:
Best of the Complete Savoy & Dial Recordings (July 2, 2002)
This features 20 stellar tracks from the 3-disc collection above, just in case you want to wade into Parkerland a little at a time. It’s only ten bucks on MP3, which is the only format I would buy it, since it will become superfluous if you finally decide to upgrade to the 3-disc box set. (Or, you can fill the whole collection in later by purchasing individual tracks.)And finally, if you are me, you will not mess with any of the above and skip straight ahead to this, without which my life would not be complete:
The Complete Savoy and Dial Recordings 1944-1948 (June 18, 2002)
This is the grand mother lode, and it’s sitting next to me, as always, right on my desk even as I type. It’s eight CDs including everything Bird ever laid down in the studio for these labels, including dozens of alternate takes, false starts, weird little living room recordings - in short, it’s the whole works. It’s just over a $100 on Amazon, but I finally reached the point where I could not live without it. I know not many people are going to hit this obsessive level, but isn’t it good to know it’s out there?Our Plan for Analysis and DiscussionI am simply going to assume that you are one of the wise and committed souls who have at least at least opted for the 3-Disc Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes shown above. (It is also available on Spotify, so if you have that service, then you’re already ready to follow along. What I propose is to look at each individual recording session, in chronological order (as on the set) and discuss each one individually, looking at each track.
As we go on, I will fill you in briefly about what is on the Complete box set, in addition to what you get with the Master Takes, so you can stay fully informed on what all is out there. I also plan to take the occasional detour, as the moment seems to demand, to look at some other important recordings along the way.
Let’s go ahead and get started with the first session on Disc One of the Master Takes set:
DISC ONE
Tiny Grimes Quintette - September 15, 1944
Charlie Parker (as); Clyde Hart (p); Tiny Grimes (g,v); Jimmy Butts (b,v); Doc West (d)
While there are a number of interesting recordings featuring Parker from the early ‘40s, mostly featuring him playing in Jay McShann’s big band, this is the first small-group session in which we get to hear any substantial soloing from the mature Bird. Hence, it’s a great place to start.
It’s not ideal, however. Tiny Grimes was a jazz/r&b singer and guitarist of average talents, and this is definitely his session. Four tracks were recorded on this date to be released as singles on 12" 78rpm records, the medium of the day. Grimes had been listening to some of the "new music," which explains why Parker is present at the date. Everyone else present is a traditional "swing" player. There are two vocal number, and two instrumentals. It’s the latter ("Tiny’s Tempo" and "Red Cross" that show the influence of the new music, as well as Grimes’ willingness to experiment. With the exception of Parker, however, this isn’t bebop yet. It’s still worth listening to, however, as we can hear Parker in full possession of his powers, ready to spring them on an unsuspecting world.
1. "Tiny’s Tempo" - This is a quick, 12-bar blues (ABC form) that features a bebop-inflected melody. The formal structure is this:
Intro: 4 bars (West, cymbals)
Theme: Parker & Grimes in unison (ABC, 12 bars, repeated once - 24 bars total)
Parker solo: 3 choruses (ABC, 12 bars - 36 bars total)
Hart solo: 2 choruses (ABC, 12 bars - 24 total)
Grimes solo: 3 choruses (ABC, 12 bars - 36 total)
Repeated riff 1 - Grimes & Parker (ABC, 12 bars)
Repeated riff 2 - Grimes & Parker (AB, 8 bars)
Ending cadenzas - Grimes, then Parker (C, 4 bars)
This is a fun little piece to kick off a career, and it’s the first of many times that we’ll be hearing Parker solo over a blues pattern. He will approach this form in so many different ways over the years that it’s exciting to hear what he does with his first opportunity.
The cymbals rev us up, and the playful little tune is played twice. Parker gets the first solo, presumably because Grimes wants to save his for last, but it’s also likely that he’s excited to have Charlie Parker playing on his recording date, and he knows Bird will make a big impact as soon as people hear him.
Parker takes three choruses in his solo, and while he is mightily impressive, you can tell he is cautious about coming out and over-playing, something that someone with his unprecedented skills might be tempted to do on his first big public outing. His entry does make an impact however, though it is mainly through the strength and authority of his tone. His first phrase goes a full 7 bars in a descending pattern with a little tail at the end. He rests briefly, then answers his AB in a four-bar C decisively, with a rise at the close. While not pushing anything, his playing is quick, clean and bluesy. But what we must remember is that many people hearing this recording would have hearing Parker’s style for the first time, and it will probably be baffling to hear the sheer number of notes that he’s playing - and lots of them were notes they’d never heard before! On his second phrase, he ups the ante, takes a blues squeal, then goes on what is arguably one solid phrase across the entire 12 bars. (It there is a pause, it’s just a slight hesitation, like a skateboarder making a fast jump. Then he dots the ending with two little points of exclamation. His last chorus is divided into two even phrases of 6 bars, but it’s equally stunning.
I don’t want to make too much about this solo, because this is just one of thousands that Charlie Parker will make over the next 10 years, and there will be so many stunning and acrobatic feats to come. But I just have to say how impressed I am with the "cool" that Bird displays on this, his opening recording gambit. You can almost hear him grinning, teasing his audience, as if he’s simultaneously saying: "You’ve never heard anything like me, have you?" and "You ain’t heard nothing yet." In other words, he manages to unfurl his ferociously revolutionary technique while at the same time, holding himself back and playing strictly in the groove - quite a trick, and damn impressive! (God, I love Bird!)
Clyde Hart’s 2-chorus solo is more conventional, but fun, a boogie-based pattern, and you can really notice the "straight" playing of the swing rhythm section behind him. Hart’s playing is good-natured and upbeat, though., (Sadly, this unfortunate young musician would die the following year of tuberculosis at the age of 35.)
Tiny Grimes’ playing is basically in the style of Charlie Christian’s single-note-run soloing, and he follows a jazz-oriented pattern here that seems influenced by the innovations of Christian, Parker, and other "modernists." His choices are basically simple and melodic, however, especially on the first two verses. On the third, he opens up a bit more and plays with greater speed and daring.
On the next chorus, Grimes begins with a quick 2-bar lick that one interprets as further soloing, until it is repeated, and Parker joins in to play in unison. As they repeat this riff all throughout the verse, the record begins to recover some of the "bebop feel" that it may have lost after Parker’s solo. A second, lower riff played over the next verse sounds more "swing," and as they reach the end, both Grimes and Parker break off (separately) into short cadenzas that bring the tune to a close.
Basically, "Tiny’ Tempo" is a fun, inconsequential little exercise the primary aesthetic and historical importance of which is that it serves to introduce Charlie Parker to the world.
2. "I’ll Always Love You Just the Same" - This is a rather dull, if pleasant, ballad sung by Grimes, who possesses a pretty, yet hardly stunning vocal delivery. The structure is the standard 32-bar AABA model:
Intro: 4 bars (Grimes, then Parker)
Grimes Vocal: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars)
Parker Solo: 1/2 chorus (AA, 16 bars)
Vocal: Grimes 1/2 chorus (BA, 16 bars) (Parker on last 2 bars)
I don’t really want to be critical of Grimes, but there really isn’t much to this. The only real event of interest is our first opportunity to hear Charlie Parker’s solo approach to a ballad, and he does not disappoint. His tone is beautiful, clean and rich, and he plays with an impossible combination of power and finesse. He begins his solo simply, without much embellishment to the melody, first on a short intro, and then on the first four bars. This is a deceptive strategy, as the cagey Bird will allow a spectacular plan to unravel, beginning at the 1:46 point. As the "answer" to what he has played in the first half of the A section, he responds with what is essentially a 6-bar phrase that ends 2 bars into the second A section. He begins it with a short, fast run that quickly turns into one of his trademark "Woody Woodpecker" quotes before resuming seamlessly at the high speed with which he began, picking up the quote again, quickly, before the end of the section. Instead of pausing here, he simply continues playing over the bar, finally rounding out the end of his phrase at 1:59. He then launches into an even faster chromatic run, first upwards, then downwards, and catches the melody again only to finish at 2:07, just after the midway point of the section. For the last two bars, he plays the quote again twice in a descending pattern, which on the third attack, turns gracefully into the final phrase that he will use to finish out his solo before Grimes returns to sing on the bridge.
Just this one short, 16-bar solo is enough to demonstrate an entirely new (and mind-blowing) approach and aesthetic of jazz playing is present, yet Parker does it in such a way that it is still tuneful, tasteful, and fully kept in context with the musical environment. And yes, he swings.
Parker also quietly blows obbligatos under Grimes’ singing throughout the piece, decorating, but never distracting from the vocalist, but along with his solo, and his final cadenza which brings it to a close, Bird dominates this otherwise unremarkable tune with his uncanny presence.
3. "Romance without Finance" - This is a slightly uptempo, "funny" novelty number that features Grimes singing about how he can’t date a woman who has no money, as bass player Jimmy Butts answers him with responses the like of "You ain’t kiddin’ brother." The structure is once again a 32-bar AABA, and though likeable, the only really remarkable thing about it is Parker’s playing.
Intro: 8 bars (Parker & ensemble)
Grimes vocal: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars) (with Butts responses)
Parker solo: 1/2 chorus (AA, 16 bars)
Hart solo: 1/4 chorus (B, 4 bars)
Parker solo: 1/4 chorus (A, 4 bars)
Grimes guitar solo: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars)
Hart solo: 1/4 chorus (additional A, 4 bars)
Grimes vocal: (nearly) 1 chorus (AAB half-A, 28 bars)
Parker ending (with ensemble): (nearly-half-A, 3 bars)
After a brief "bebop"-inspired intro where Parker doubles with Grimes on guitar, Grimes leaps directly into the vocal, with Parker playing light, fanciful runs behind him, once again, slightly off the microphone. It’s a light-hearted and silly little performance that is pleasant and simple.
Parker’s solo begins just before the bar beginning the first A section at the 0:50 mark. It is a relaxed but dazzling run that showcases the ease with which he can improvise fast and complex melodic lines without any show of strain. His first phrase is just over 2 1/2 bars, where he briefly pauses, then resumes to complete the first 4-bar A section. He does not however, pause at the end, but continues playing freely, over the bar, sailing directly into his next statement on the second A section, with a seemingly effortless, casual ease. He pauses momentarily up high, like a child suspended momentarily at the peak of riding a swing, then launches back down into two more phrases that finish off the second A section, seemingly hitting every note possible.
Clyde Hart picks up the solo on the bridge, playing nicely, but with a conventional simplicity that brings all the fireworks to a momentary halt. Parker returns at 1:22 to finish off the final A of the solo, and it’s like he’s never stopped. He covers the final four bars in just two phrases, the first one beginning with a bluesy bend that expands to 2 1/2 bars before a brief pause, where he picks it up to bring it home.
Unfortunately, that’s all of Bird, and Grimes follows with a full chorus on guitar that cannot possibly hold up to what has come before, though it is playful and at least "bop"-inspired, using some of the unusual notes and rhythms of the new music. Hart comes in for the next A, but instead of continuing on, Grimes starts the entire section over again with a repeat of the vocal - surely unnecessary, especially when he had Charlie Parker standing there with his horn! He halts just before the end, and the piece comes to a close with one final statement of the introductory line to finish it off.
4. "Red Cross" - Fortunately, we are back to an instrumental here, and this was actually composed by Parker himself (though it is based on the changes of "I’ve Got Rhythm"). Bird takes the attractive little theme by himself, and the piece is structured so:
Intro: 4 bars (rhythm section)
Theme: Parker (AABA, 32 bars)
Parker solo: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars)
Hart solo: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars)
Grimes solo: 1 chorus (AABA, 32 bars)
Theme: Parker (AA, 16 bars)
Parker/Grimes/Parker/Grimes (B,8 bars, trading 2’s)
Parker & Grimes (together) (A, 8 bars)
This is the closest thing we get in this session to a true "bebop" feel, and it’s very enjoyable - especially Parker’s solo, of course. He once again takes the first break and solos for a full chorus, beginning at the 0:42 mark. On the second half of the second A section, Bird takes off into some high-speed runs (at 0:53) that must have curled some hairs, but he winds up with a perfectly logical statement. On the bridge (beginning at the 1:00 mark), he performs a mind-boggling series of step-down inverted arpeggios that suggest the performance of an acrobat. Then, on the final A (1:10), he turns straight and more bluesy to bring it home.
Of course, nobody’s going to come anywhere close to matching that, so you might as well turn it off now. Actually, Hart performs a very pretty, bouncy solo that features some interesting, climbing dissonant chords on the bridge (beginning at 1:35). Grimes is playfully active on his 4-string tenor guitar, but he hits a bum note at 2:21, although he plays his way out of it. The theme returns, and for variety’s sake, Bird and Grimes trade off 2 bars each, twice, on the bridge, before they both join together to ride it out to the end.
So there we have it, folks, Charlie Parker’s first session on Savoy, even though it was in a "supporting role." Nothing against Tiny Grimes, but Bird unquestionably steals the show on what was the first recording session featuring this extraordinary young musician and his new style, and no doubt it turned heads. But it would be nothing compared to what Parker would do on his next session, paired with the incredible Dizzy Gillespie.
Tracks on: The Complete Savoy and Dial Recordings
If you are a fanatic like me, the first disc in your ultimate collection will continue thusly:5. "Tiny’s Tempo" - 1
6. "Tiny’s Tempo" - 2
7. "I’ll Always Love You Just the Same" - 1
8. "Romance Without Finance" - 1
9. "Romance Without Finance" - 2 (incomplete take)
10. "Romance Without Finance" - 3
11. "Romance Without Finance" - 4 (incomplete take)
12. "Red Cross" - 1
Even for completists, eight bonus tracks from this session are a bit much, especially when four of them are "Romance Without Finance." (I’ll note for you, since the Master Takes package does not, that the cuts that you here there are all final takes - 3, 2, 5 and 2, respectively.)
Parker’s solo on the first take of "Tiny’s Tempo" may be the most extraordinary thing recorded that day. He pauses for nearly two beats before he even begins, then begins flinging out ideas like crazy, flying over bars and changes like a crazed trapeze artist without a net. (I wonder if they asked him to tone it down after that - on the second take, he plays squarely within the sections, but he’s still incredible.) "I’ll Always Love You Just the Same" is even duller on the first take, which makes Bird stand out even more, although he plays a more mellow, straight-ahead solo here. "Romance Without Finance" just gets more and more irritating every time you hear it - thank God you get to hear more Parker solos. (Unfortunately, Grimes’ solos aren’t as good as on the master, and you just want to tell Jimmy Butts to "shut up!") Amazingly, Bird plays something completely different on every cut, a couple of times playing a single run over an entire section. The first take of "Red Cross" is even better than the master for everybody but Grimes, who starts out stumbling, but picks it up toward the end.
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