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1547



Previously Unreleased Live Recordings of Charlie Parker And Dizzy Gillespie Out

Now Date: September 1, 2008 Written By: Jeff Tamarkin



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Uptown Records has announced the release of two new additions to its Flashback

Series, featuring two of the jazz world's most immortal figures: Charlie Parker,

Washington, D.C., May 23, 1948 and Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Showtime at the

Spotlite. The Parker, Washington release is from a live concert produced by

Willis Conover, whose Voice of America broadcasts promoted good will and

captivated millions of jazz fans all over the world for more than 40 years. The

CD features the bebop segment of a concert entitled "Jam Session #3: Dixieland

vs. Bebop," a somewhat provocative title that, despite its inaccuracy in

context, offers an interesting perspective on the aesthetic controversy existing

within jazz at the time. This recording offers Parker accompanied by some of

Washington's finest local bop musicians and, most importantly and rewardingly,

drummer Buddy Rich.

Parker (pictured) is featured on six of the eight tracks. A tiny humorous

segment of Rich responding to the audience's request for Gene Krupa hits offers

a palpable sense of "being there" that adds to the CD's charm. The opening track

features the ensemble (without Parker and Rich) offering "Tiny's Blues," with

Earl Swope on trombone, trumpeter Charlie Walp, tenorman Ben Lary, drummer Joe

Theimer, Mert Oliver on bass and pianist Sam Krupit. That ensemble, with Rich

and bassist Art Phipps instead, accompanies Parker on three tracks: "Bernie's

Tune," "These Foolish Things" and "Scrapple from the Apple ." Two quartet

performances follow: Parker's "Ornithology" and his classic "KoKo,."



A 52-page booklet, filled with more than three dozen photos and original

posters, and extensive, informative essays by Ira Gitler, Ron Fritts and Ross

Firestone, is included.



The Dizzy Gillespie Big Band CD captures the seminal days of Gillespie's big

band in mid-1946. The17-man ensemble is heard on 100+ minutes of music contained

on two CDs.



An array of future heavyweights is on board, including Thelonious Monk, Ray

Brown and Kenny Clarke as the rhythm section, along with Milt Jackson on vibes

and longtime Gillespie tenor cohort James Moody. Most of the arrangements were

provided by Gil Fuller, one of Jazz' most notable and respected

composer/arrangers. In addition to the groundbreaking Fuller/Gillespie

composition "Things to Come," selections include some of Gillespie's most

popular compositions, many of which remained longtime staples of not only

Gillespie's, but of the general contemporary Jazz repertoire: "Woody'n You,"

"Shaw Nuff," "One Bass Hit," "Groovin' High" and "Oo-Bop Sh'Bam" (the last two

arranged by Gillespie). There is also a beautiful Fuller treatment of Monk's

gorgeous "'Round Midnight" and two arrangements by Tadd Dameron of his own "Our

Delight" and "Cool Breeze."



Dave Burns, Elmon Wright, Johnny Lynch and Talib Dawud comprise the rest of the

trumpet section; Slim Moore, Leon Comegys and Gordon Thomas are the trombonists;

and the reed section includes Howard Johnson and John Brown on altos, tenorman

Ray Abrams and Sol Moore on bari.





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

There was a Musician/Elektra CD of Bird in Washington...any connection.?

No connection.



Per Pete Losin's website:



The Blue Note release is:



October 18, 1952

Howard Theater, Washington DC



1  Scrapple from the Apple   5:22

2  Out of Nowhere   4:02

3  Now's the Time   8:00

4  52nd Street Theme  0:03

5  Cool Blues (incomplete)  4:14



February 22, 1953

Club Kavakos, Washington DC



1  Fine and Dandy   3:25

2  These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)   3:21

3  Light Green  3:34

4  Thou Swell   3:50

5  Willis   5:21

6  Don't Blame Me   3:12

	 Incomplete (2:19) on Blue Note. The edit point is at 1:57, at which

point a half-chorus or so of Parker's solo is excised.

7  Something to Remember You By  1:02

8  Blue Room  2:10

9  Roundhouse   3:10



March 8, 1953

Howard Theater, Washington DC



1  Ornithology  (incomplete)  4:20

2  Out of Nowhere   4:36

3  Cool Blues   4:13

	 Blue Note 22626 and Philology Volume 32 (Revised) omit the first 0:10.

4  Anthropology   4:56



The Uptown Records release is:



May 23, 1948

Washington Music Hall, Washington DC



1  Tiny's Blues  7:02

2  Introduction   1:26

3  Bernie's Tune   7:37

4  These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You) (incomplete)  8:36

5  Introduction   0:06

6  Scrapple from the Apple   10:16

7  Stage chatter and introduction  0:30

8  Ornithology   4:54

9  Introduction 1:37

10  Ko-Ko (C. Parker)  6:14

11  C Jam Blues   3:14



The Uptown Records is the only complete version of the show. Also, as

usual, the Uptown Records version has the best sound, the best liner

notes, etc, etc - in a word, essential.



Both the Bird and the Diz have been out for awhile (since June), the

jazztimes article notwithstanding. Both are outstanding and I am still

playing them regularly.



Bryan







On Thu, Sep 4, 2008 at 1:22 PM,  <bobvl@...> wrote:

> There was a Musician/Elektra CD of Bird in Washington...any connection.?

>

I was wondering about that too. I have the vinyl recording of that for years.

Hopefully it is a different concert.

The Elektra is a different concert according to Lord, from Feb 23,

1953, five years after the Uptown release, parts of which were put out

on Italian Philogy W847-2. The Uptown has 3 additional tracks.



ron

humblephoenix@... writes:



No connection.

==================

Music to my ears....a definite must-have, even without hearing samples..



bobvl=

I have the 5 songs from this show on Philology and the contrast in

sound quality really hits you.



I freely confess a bias for Uptown Records. I think they do a

superlative job of remastering and their scholarship is second to

none. I will buy any release they put out sight unseen. I consider

them to be on a peer level with Mosaic.



Bryan

Just received copies of both the Bird and Diz Uptown CDs in today's mail.



Looking forward to listening to them.



Peter F