Bird and Diz

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Bird and Diz
Charlie Parker's studio album

Publication
(s)

1950

Label (s) verve

Format (s)

LP, compact disk

Genre (s)

jazz

Title (number)

24 (CD Verve Reissue)

running time

44:52 (CD Verve Reissue)

occupation

production

Norman Granz

Studio (s)

New York City

chronology
Apartment jam sessions Bird and Diz Ballads and Birdland

Bird and Diz is a jazz album by Charlie Bird Parker that was recorded on June 6, 1950 in New York City.

The album

It is the last studio album that the two jazz greats Parker and Dizzy Diz Gillespie recorded together and the only studio recording on which Parker, Gillespie and Monk played together.

The album was produced by Norman Granz , who, according to Curly Russell, put the band together with Monk on piano, Russell on bass and Rich on drums. Parker is named first on the album title and is considered the leader of the recordings; the band named Charlie Parker and His Orchestra . With the exception of My Melancholy Baby, the compositions are all by Parker. The studio conversations on the CD can be heard as Parker breaks off bad recordings and gives instructions to Monk.

The album with the cover drawing by David Stone Martin initially received good reviews, e.g. B. 4 stars from the Down Beat . However, Buddy Rich's role as a drummer was later criticized. Rich, actually at home in swing and not a big fan of modern jazz, was accused by Max Harrison of sabotaging the session.

Parker, who, as far as is known, no longer recorded the titles, was apparently not particularly interested in the naming of his compositions. When the DJ Symphony Sid Torin asked him who Relaxin with Lee was referring to, Parker replied that he had no idea and that the pieces would be named after he left the studio. In Mohawk is the nickname of bassist Ted Sturgis , Bloomdido was an allusion to Maury Bloom, the speaker of a jazz program on Radio WGR in Buffalo. With "An Oscar for Treadwell" Parker paid homage to radio host Oscar Treadwell .

Granz, who had already brought Parker together with Machito's Afro-Cuban Big Band , wanted to introduce Parker to a wider audience under his leadership. Therefore, he wanted a production in “fresh dimensions” and with “beautiful melodies, written by good songwriters”. Bird and Diz came up with two blues ( Bloomdido and Mohawk ) and standard bebop pieces such as An Oscar for Treadwell , Leap Frog , Relaxin 'with Lee and a ballad ( My Melancholy Baby ) in a standard bebop line-up (saxophone, Trumpet, piano, bass and drums) but contrary to Granz's original intention.

Track list

  1. Bloomdido (Charlie Parker) - 3:25
  2. My Melancholy Baby ( Ernie Burnett ) - 3:24
  3. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 2:47
  4. Leap Frog (Parker) - 2:29
  5. To Oscar for Treadwell (Parker) - 3:23
  6. Mohawk (Parker) - 3:35
  7. My Melancholy Baby (Ernie Burnett) - 3:17
  8. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 3:56
  9. Leap Frog (Parker) - 2:34
  10. Leap Frog (Parker) - 2:02
  11. Leap Frog (Parker) - 2:06
  12. To Oscar for Treadwell (Parker) - 3:21
  13. Mohawk (Parker) - 3:48
  14. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 0:17
  15. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 1:08
  16. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 0:04
  17. Relaxin 'with Lee (Parker) - 0:24
  18. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:26
  19. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:14
  20. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:40
  21. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:18
  22. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:20
  23. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:13
  24. Leap Frog (Parker) - 0:41

Editorial notes

In 1952 the tracks [1] - [6] were released on a 10-inch LP (the detailed list here refers to the Verve Master Edition from 1997). On the original LP the pieces Passport and Visa could be heard, but they did not come from the Bird & Diz session, but from 1949 (and were recorded with a different line-up). They were not published on the Re-Issue CD.

Tracks 8, 12 and 13 were first released on The Genius of Charlie Parker , tracks 7, 9 and 11 were first released on the Bird & Diz CD , and tracks 10 and 14 through 24 were released on The Complete Charlie Parker CD Verve .

Pieces 1–13 are complete, piece 16 is a wrong beginning, all other pieces were broken off. All titles are included in the Verve edition Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve .

swell

  1. ↑ Liner Notes of the Reissue CD

The main source was James Patrick's liner notes on Verve's Reissue CD.

Web links