Charlie Parker: His Finest Recordings (4 CDs)

Charles "Charlie" Parker Jr, nicknamed "Bird" and "Yardbird", was perhaps the best remembered and important American jazz saxophonist of all. A highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Primarily a player of the alto saxophone, Bird's tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and sombre. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career on the road with Jay McShann. This, and the shortened form "Bird", continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as 'Yardbird Suite', 'Ornithology', 'Bird Gets the Worm', and 'Bird of Paradise'. Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer. This 4CD Collection features the very best of Charlie Parker's recordings made during his short life, many of which were originally released as 78RPM 'singles' or on 10" albums. During his career Parker recorded largely for the Dial, Savoy and Verve labels, and this collection features selections from each of these tenures. Comprising eight albums largely released during his lifetime as collections from the various, legendary sessions and concerts in which he performed as leader or co-leader, this collection will satisfy any Charlie Parker fan, whether a new convert to the fold or a long-termer who's been flying the flag for decade


- Disc 1 -
1 A Night in Tunisia
2 Yardbird Suite
3 Moose the Mooche
4 Ornithology
5 Loverman
6 Bebop
7 The Gypsy
8 Max Making Wax
9 Relaxin' at Camarillo
10 Cheers
11 Carvin' the Bird
12 Stupendous
13 Cool Blues
14 Dark Shadows
15 Hot Blues
16 This Is Always
17 Bird's Nest
18 Don't Blame Me
19 Dexterity
20 Bird of Paradise
21 Bongo Bop
22 Embraceable You
23 Dewey Square
24 Quasimodo
25 Scrapple from the Apple

- Disc 2 -
1 My Old Flame
2 Air Conditioning
3 Crazeology
4 Bird Feathers
5 Out of Nowhere
6 Bongo Beep
7 Bird Feathers
8 Klactoveedsedstene
9 April in Paris
10 Summertime
11 If I Should Lose You
12 I Didn't Know What Time It Was
13 Everything Happens to Me
14 Just Friends
15 Dancing in the Dark
16 Laura
17 East of the Sun (West of the Moon)
18 They Can't Take That Away from Me
19 Easy to Love
20 I'm in the Mood for Love
21 I'll Remember April

- Disc 3 -
1 Now's the Time
2 Donna Lee
3 Chasin' the Bird
4 Red Cross
5 Koko
6 Warmin' Up a Riff
7 Half Nelson
8 Sippin' at Bell's
9 Billie's Bounce
10 Cheryl
11 Milestones
12 Another Hair-Do
13 Thrivin' from a Riff
14 Buzzy
15 Little Willie Leaps
16 Klaunstance
17 Bloomdido
18 My Melancholy Baby
19 Relaxin' with Lee
20 Passport
21 Leap Frog
22 An Oscar for Treadwell
23 Mohawk

- Disc 4 -
1 Temptation
2 Autumn in New York
3 Lover
4 Stella By Starlight
5 Dancing in the Dark
6 Night and Day
7 I Can't Get Started
8 What Is This Thing Called Love?
9 Almost Like Being in Love
10 Laura
11 Perdido
12 Salt Peanuts
13 All the Things You Are
14 Wee
15 Hot House
16 A Night in Tunisia