December 2024
Verve Records 602468047353.1
Format: CD
Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment
Few jazz musicians have been as exhaustively documented on recordings as Charlie Parker, known to his contemporaries as “Bird.” We are some distance from the aura of magic and romanticism that surrounded his very real accomplishments, which makes it hard to grasp how much he influenced other musicians and how revolutionary his music was. Jimi Hendrix’s impact and enduring place in rock music is perhaps a more recent parallel.
Much of Parker’s massive discography was released after his death in 1955, and, in response to listeners’ interest in his music and desire to understand his genius, many releases consisted entirely of his solos, outside of the context of the original performance, such as The Complete Dean Benedetti Recordings of Charlie Parker. Even his most important recordings, those released by Dial Records and Savoy Records in the pre-LP era, are found on many compilations, which often have some crossover and repetition.
Parker’s recordings for producer Norman Granz originally appeared under several labels Granz oversaw, including Verve Records. Those recordings have also been exhaustively anthologized, but the newly released Bird in Kansas City consists of previously unavailable recordings he made on visits to his hometown at different stages of his career.
The album opens, somewhat puzzlingly, with the latest recordings on the set. In July 1951, Parker played a jam session with a drummer and a bass player (whose names are lost to history) at his friend Phil Baxter’s house. Another friend got a hold of a wire recorder and documented the trio for posterity. In “Bird Song #1,” Parker, accompanied by the bass, weaves witty quotes from other tunes into his improvisation, impressively entwining them with his own inspired melodic ideas.
A drummer joins Parker and the bassist for “Bird Song #2” and “Bird Song #3” and the remaining four tunes from the session. The drums are often lost in the mix, but the bassist holds the structure of the composition together as Parker goes off on a lengthy improvisation that never flags in intensity or interest. He plays “Cherokee,” a favorite of many jazz players and the basis for Parker’s own “Koko,” at breakneck speed but never loses his place or runs out of ideas.
Hearing Parker in this trio session, without a piano or guitar providing a harmonic framework, provides a glimpse of his creative process as he considers the harmonic possibilities behind the implied progression of chords; one can almost sense what’s to come. Jazz listeners probably know “Perdido” and “Honeysuckle Rose” well enough to follow Parker’s spins on the tunes. He bases his ideas on the original compositions, expanding on them liberally but always keeping them in sight.
“Body and Soul” is another favorite of jazz musicians, especially saxophonists. Parker played it at the 1951 Phil Baxter jam session, as well as on another session recorded in 1944 in Kansas City at a studio run by Vic Damon. Parker takes a lyrical approach to the tune in the Damon session, in contrast to the more aggressive rendition in the later performance. Parker is in strong form on both performances as he transitions through the changes in tempo. He plays “Cherokee” at a more relaxed pace too on the 1944 session. Efferge Ware’s rhythm-guitar adds much to the four tunes from the Damon session.
The two closing tracks on Bird in Kansas City feature Parker in 1941 with Jay McShann and His Orchestra. The group was getting ready to record for Decca Records and went into a Kansas City studio to prepare for the sessions. Parker had played with McShann just a couple of years earlier. When he returned to the band, he brought with him a distinctive style and musical ideas, arrived at through jamming and long practice sessions, that would help revolutionize jazz. His solo on “Margie” is straightforward and contains few flourishes; but on “I’m Getting Sentimental over You,” he gets to cut loose, and his variations on the melody balance leisurely lines with quick bursts of rapid notes that never feel rushed or showy.
Co-producer John Haddix, author of Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker, wrote the liner notes for Bird in Kansas City. Included in the notes is the historical and biographical context for the sessions, as well as an insightful appraisal of Parker’s playing. Given the age and methods of the recordings, don’t expect audiophile sound. The 1951 sessions are somewhat muffled, but Parker and the bassist come through clearly. The 1941 and 1944 recordings both have background noise, but Seth B. Winner’s restoration work renders them entirely listenable.
For me, the audio anomalies on Bird in Kansas City reinforce how long ago it was that Parker plied his transformative approach to jazz and, at the same time, how modern it still sounds. Bird in Kansas City opens a time portal into the past and is a worthwhile addition to Charlie Parker’s discography. Verve has released the album on vinyl and on a CD as well as digital download.
. . . Joseph Taylor
josepht@soundstagenetwork.com
