Charlie Parker Bird & Diz CD

Additional Tracks

Personnel: Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Thelonious Monk (piano); Curly Russell (bass); Buddy Rich (drums).
Producer: Norman Granz.
Reissue producers: Michael Lang, Ben Young.
Recorded in New York, New York on June 6, 1950. Includes liner notes by Norman Granz and James Patrick.
Digitally remastered by Steven Fallone and Ben Young (Polygram Studios).
This is part of the Verve Master Editions series.
Personnel: Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Thelonious Monk (piano); Curly Russell, Buddy Rich (drums).
Liner Note Authors: James Patrick; Norman Granz; Phil Schaap.
Recording information: N.Y.C., NY (06/06/1950); New York, NY (06/06/1950).
Illustrator: David Stone Martin.
Photographer: Duncan P. Schiedt.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Nichell Delvaille; Herman Leonard; Peter Pullman.
This collection of 78 rpm singles, all recorded on June 6, 1950, was originally issued in album format in 1956 (this CD reissue adds three alternate takes to make what was originally a very skimpy program slightly more generous). Several things distinguish this from numerous other quintet recordings featuring these two bebop pioneers. It was recorded during the period that Parker was working under the aegis of producer Norman Granz, whose preference for large and unusual ensembles was notorious. The end result in this case is a date that sounds very much like those that Parker and Gillespie recorded for Savoy and Dial, except with top-of-the-line production quality. Even more interesting, though, is Parker's choice of Thelonious Monk as pianist. Unfortunately, Monk is buried in the mix and gets very little solo space, so his highly idiosyncratic genius doesn't get much exposure here. Still, this is an outstanding album -- there are fine versions of Parker standards like "Leap Frog," "Mohawk," and "Relaxin' with Lee," as well as a burning performance of "Bloomdido" and an interesting (if not entirely thrilling) rendition of the chestnut "My Melancholy Baby." ~ Rick Anderson
Did you ever say "I sure would like to have been a fly on the wall for the recording of that album?" Now you can be, with Verve's Master Edition of BIRD AND DIZ, the final collaborative recording date by the two giants of bebop. This was also the only time the duo ever recorded with Thelonious Monk. Every utterance from the session is preserved here, including mistakes, false starts and studio chatter. The quicksilver bop lines of Parker's sax and Gillespie's trumpet ride over the angular piano punctuation of Monk and the bombastic drumming of Buddy Rich.