Charlie Parker › Confirmation: The Best of the Verve Years (2-CD)

Personnel includes: Charlie Parker (alto saxophone); Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Willie Smith, Harry Terrill, Murray Williams, Benny Carter, Johnny Hodges (alto saxophone); Flip Phillips, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Manny Albam, Danny Banks (baritone saxophone); Red Rodney, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Kenny Dorham, Charlie Shavers, Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet); Tommy Turk, Bill Harris, Lou McGarity (trombone); John Lewis, Hank Jones, Walter Bishop, Al Haig, Oscar Peterson, Thelonious Monk (piano); Freddie Green, Barney Kessel (guitar); Ray Brown, Teddy Kotick, Percy Heath, Tommy Potter, Charles Mingus, Curly Russell (bass); Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach, Lee Young, Don Lamond, J.C. Heard, Roy Haynes, Shelly Manne (drums).

Machito And His Afro-Cuban Orchestra: Machito (maracas); Gene Johnson, Fred Skerritt (alto saxophone); Jose Madera (tenor saxophone); Leslie Johnakins (baritone saxophone); Mario Bauza, Paquito Davilla, Bobby Woodlen (trumpet); Rene Hernandez (piano); Roberto Rodriguez (bass); Luis Miranda (congas); Jose Mangual (bongos); Ubaldo Nieto (timbales).

The Dave Lambert Singers: Butch Birdsall, Jerry Parker, Annie Ross (vocals).

Recorded between 1947 and 1953. Includes liner notes by James Patrick.

This is part of Verve's Take 2 series.

This generous and carefully-documented compilation provides a wide overview of Parker's work from the late 40's and early 50's. It includes well-recorded material that previously appeared on the GENIUS OF CHARLIE PARKER LPs, tunes from concept albums like SOUTH OF THE BORDER (with Machito's orchestra) and CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS (cooler than you'd expect, at times), and cuts from various JAZZ AT THE PHILHARMONIC releases on the Clef label. The main unifying element besides Parker's work is the touch of impressario Norman Granz, the man who created Jazz At The Philharmonic, and founded Clef records and the Verve label. Granz's faith in the idea of spontaneity--and thus the concept of the jam session as concert or recording event--was tempered by a desire to challenge Parker into going beyond the finite possibilities of the small bebop group. Parker wails with quartets and quintets on the GENIUS tunes, but we also hear him in orchestral settings (one of Parker's own ambitions) on the WITH STRINGS material and bumping up against swingsters like Hodges and Eldridge on the PHILHARMONIC sessions.

Genre:

• Jazz

Music Categories:

• Jazz Instrument: Alto Sax