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Track List

1 Steeplechase 03:04
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
2 Marmaduke 02:43
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
3 Perhaps 02:34
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
4 Merry-Go-Round 02:26
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
5 Overtime 03:08
    by Pete Rugolo
6 Victory Ball 02:39
    by Lennie Tristano (Sony/ATV Music Publishing)
7 Cardboard 03:09
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
8 Segment 03:20
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
9 Passport 02:58
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
10 Star Eyes 03:29
    by Gene de Paul, Don Raye (EMI Feist Catalog Inc., Red Cape Songs)
11 An Oscar for Treadwell 03:24
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
12 Bloomdido 03:26
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
13 My Melancholy Baby 03:25
    by Ernie Burnett, George A. Norton (Theron C. Bennett)
14 Mohawk 03:36
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
15 Leap Frog 02:31
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)
16 Relaxin' with Lee 03:57
    by Charlie Parker (Atlantic Music Corp.)

Total Time: 49:49

About Sessions 1948-1950

The years 1948 through 1950 capture Charlie Parker at a fascinating point in his development. Bebop had already changed the language of jazz, but Parker was still exploring what that language could become. During these years he moved between small-group sessions, large all-star encounters, studio experiments and, eventually, the first recordings of the celebrated Charlie Parker with Strings project.

The recordings gathered here bring together several of those worlds.

The earliest performances in this collection were recorded in New York in September 1948. Parker was joined by Miles Davis, John Lewis, Curley Russell and Max Roach for a series of Savoy sessions that produced “Perhaps,” “Marmaduke,” “Steeplechase” and “Merry-Go-Round.” The personnel represent one of the central combinations of the postwar bebop era: Parker's alto, Davis's trumpet, Lewis's increasingly sophisticated piano language, Russell's bass and Roach's exceptionally precise drumming.

“Steeplechase” is particularly revealing. Parker constructed a new melodic line over the harmonic framework of “I Got Rhythm,” turning familiar chord changes into a vehicle for a characteristically modern theme and improvisation. The tune illustrates one of his fundamental compositional methods: reducing an established harmonic structure to its essential elements and creating a new melodic identity over it.

Only a few months later, on January 3, 1949, Parker participated in one of the most extraordinary all-star recording sessions of the period. The Metronome All-Stars assembled an exceptional cross-section of modern jazz: Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro on trumpet; J. J. Johnson and Kai Winding on trombone; Buddy DeFranco on clarinet; Parker and Charlie Ventura on saxophones; Ernie Caceres on baritone saxophone; Lennie Tristano on piano; Billy Bauer on guitar; Eddie Safranski on bass; and Shelly Manne on drums.

“Overtime,” arranged by Pete Rugolo, and “Victory Ball,” associated with Lennie Tristano, are especially significant because they bring Parker into direct contact with Tristano's highly individual conception of harmony, line and rhythm. The meeting was not merely a gathering of famous musicians. It was a meeting between different branches of the emerging modern-jazz language.

“Overtime” has an amusing history. Rugolo had written the piece specifically for the session, and Parker reportedly pretended to have difficulty with it, prolonging the rehearsal while the musicians were being paid by the hour. The resulting title, “Overtime,” became part of the history of the recording itself.

The next stage of the collection takes us into Parker's 1949 Verve period. “Cardboard,” recorded with Kenny Dorham, Tommy Turk, Al Haig, Tommy Potter, Max Roach and Carlos Vidal, comes from a February–March session. “Segment” and “Passport,” recorded in May, return Parker to the quintet format with Dorham, Haig, Potter and Roach.

These sessions demonstrate how naturally Parker could move between different musical environments. He could function within a tightly arranged all-star ensemble, as on the Metronome recordings, yet remain equally compelling in a small group where the rhythm section gave him greater freedom.

The March 1950 recording of “Star Eyes” presents another side of Parker. Here he is heard in a quartet with Hank Jones, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich. The absence of a trumpet leaves the harmonic and melodic space almost entirely to Parker, whose treatment of the standard demonstrates how deeply his improvisational language had become integrated with the repertoire of American popular song.

The final six performances in this collection come from the extraordinary June 6, 1950 session with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Curley Russell and Buddy Rich complete the quintet.

“Bloomdido,” “An Oscar for Treadwell,” “Mohawk,” “My Melancholy Baby,” “Leap Frog” and “Relaxin' with Lee” document an important reunion of three musicians who had been central to the development of bebop: Parker, Gillespie and Monk. The presence of Monk is particularly significant. His highly distinctive piano language provides a different harmonic environment from that of the earlier Parker recordings with Duke Jordan, John Lewis or Al Haig.

The session also has a remarkable historical place in the relationship between Parker and Gillespie. Although the two had been among the principal architects of bebop in the mid-1940s, their careers had developed along different paths. The June 1950 session brought them together again in a studio setting, with Monk at the piano and Buddy Rich on drums.

These recordings also lead directly toward another important chapter in Parker's career: his work with strings.

Norman Granz had already begun developing the idea of presenting Parker in new instrumental settings. The first major Charlie Parker with Strings recordings were made on November 30, 1949, with arrangements by Jimmy Carroll and a small string section combined with Parker's jazz rhythm section. The project was subsequently expanded in July 1950 with arrangements by Joe Lipman. The recordings were successful, and “Just Friends” became one of Parker's best-known recordings.

The transition was therefore not a sudden abandonment of bebop. Parker himself described his interest in strings as an attempt to find new musical combinations and new ways of expressing himself. The string recordings can be understood as part of the same continuing search for new sounds that is already evident in the recordings presented here.

Nor should this period be reduced simply to the question of Parker's personal struggles. His life remained affected by addiction and instability, and his circumstances were often difficult. At the same time, the surviving recordings show a musician whose creative curiosity remained remarkably wide-ranging. The evidence does not support treating 1948–1950 as a simple story of decline or recovery. Rather, it was a period in which Parker continued to perform at an extraordinarily high level while simultaneously exploring new musical settings.

From the Miles Davis–John Lewis quintet of 1948, through the remarkable Metronome All-Stars encounter with Tristano, Davis, Gillespie and Navarro, to the Dorham-Haig quintet and finally the Parker–Gillespie–Monk reunion of 1950, these recordings document a musician continually testing the boundaries of his own language.

They also document something larger: the rapid transformation of modern jazz itself.

By 1950, the musical vocabulary that Parker had helped create only a few years earlier was no longer a radical experiment. It had become a foundation on which musicians with very different conceptions — Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Lennie Tristano, Thelonious Monk and many others — could build their own musical worlds. Charlie Parker was at the center of that transformation. And he was not finished exploring it.

EU Public Domain Notice
The historical sound recordings included in this release are in the public domain in the European Union. Blue Music Group has created a new digital restoration and mastering of these historical recordings. The digital restoration and mastering by Blue Music Group are protected by applicable copyright and related rights. Rights may differ in other territories, including the United States. This release is not intended for distribution in the United States.

Cover artwork: The original photographic image has been legally assessed as being in the public domain in the EU following the expiry of the applicable 50-year term under Section 49a. The image has been restored, enhanced and colourized by Blue Music Group. © Blue Music Group. All rights reserved.

Credits

Tracks 1–4:
Recorded September 24, 1948 — Harry Smith Studios, New York City
Miles Davis – trumpet
Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
John Lewis – piano
Curly Russell – bass
Max Roach – drums

Tracks 5-6:
Recorded January 3, 1949 — RCA Studios, New York City
Miles Davis – trumpet
Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet
Fats Navarro – trumpet
J. J. Johnson – trombone
Kai Winding – trombone
Buddy DeFranco – clarinet
Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
Charlie Ventura – tenor saxophone
Ernie Caceres – baritone saxophone
Lennie Tristano – piano
Billy Bauer – guitar
Eddie Safranski – bass
Shelly Manne – drums
Pete Rugolo – arranger/conductor

Track 7:
Recorded February–March 1949 — New York City
Kenny Dorham – trumpet
Tommy Turk – trombone
Charlie Parker – alto sax
Al Haig – piano
Tommy Potter – bass
Max Roach – drums
Carlos Vidal – bongos

Tracks 8-9:
Recorded May 5, 1949 — New York City
Kenny Dorham – trumpet
Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
Al Haig – piano
Tommy Potter – bass
Max Roach – drums

Track 10:
Recorded March 1950 — New York City
Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
Hank Jones – piano
Ray Brown – bass
Buddy Rich – drums

Tracks 11-16:
Recorded June 6, 1950 — New York City
Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet
Charlie Parker – alto saxophone
Thelonious Monk – piano
Curly Russell – bass
Buddy Rich – drums