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A Selected Discography
- University of Minnesota Press
- Chapter
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151 THE DISCOGRAPHY in the original edition of Celebrating Bird consisted entirely of long-playing vinyl albums and has little value today as a guide, though the general observations and breakdown still hold true. It is reprinted here as the catalog of music available at the time the book was first written and as a reminder that the legal rights (or lack thereof) to performances produced for legitimate record companies as well as those privately captured (or stolen) by fans and pirates regularly change corporate hands, creating rival editions of the same material and wholesale confusion for consumers. The confusion has increased exponentially in the intervening years, thanks to legal and technological developments that have combined to all but destroy copyright sanity and the recording industry along with its now quaint infrastructure of shops, franchises, clubs, producers, engineers, annotators, and collectors, to say nothing of musicians to whom it once contributed a respectable livelihood. The updated discography that follows the a SElECTEd diSCOgraPhy A SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 152 original attempts to penetrate the fog regarding the current state of the Charlie Parker reissue parade. Discography from 1987 Many sessions are available, whole or in part, on competing labels; I chose editions that duplicate as little material as possible. Of the numerous Parker tapes that remain unreleased, two of unusual historical importance (marked with asterisks) were unissued as of publication. Each listing begins with the title of the album and the catalog number, followed by a few principal musicians who play on it and information regarding locations, dates, and circumstances, such as whether the music was recorded in a studio, in radio or television broadcasts, or privately. Entries for Parker’s three important label affiliations (Savoy, Dial, and Verve) begin with inclusive editions, followed by anthologies culled from them. THE APPRENTICE YEARS: SIDEMAN RECORDINGS *“Honeysuckle Rose/Body and Soul.” Unaccompanied. Missouri; c. 1937–39; private. First Recordings! (Xanadu ORI 221). With Jay McShann and His Orchestra, Clyde Hart’s All Stars, the Cootie Williams Sextet. Kansas, New York; 1940–45; broadcast, private, studio. Jay McShann: The Early Bird (MCA 1338). With McShann’s Orchestra (and quartet without Parker). Texas, Illinois, New York; 1941–42; studio. Birth of the Bebop (Stash ST 260). With Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Pettiford, Don Byas, Miles Davis, Roy Haynes, the Chet Baker Quartet. Illinois, New York, California; 1943–53; private. Dizzy Gillespie: In the Beginning (Prestige 24030). Two discs. With the Dizzy Gillespie Sextet, Quintet (and other bands without Parker). New York; 1945; studio. Every Bit of It / Charlie Parker 1945 (Spotlite SPJ-150D). Two discs. With Clyde Hart’s All Stars, Cootie Williams [44.200.27.175] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 14:38 GMT) A SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 153 Sextet and Orchestra (no Parker solos), Sarah Vaughan, Sir Charles Thompson and His All Stars, Slim Gaillard and His Orchestra. New York, California; 1945; studio, broadcast. Red Norvo: Fabulous Jam Session (Spotlite 127). With Norvo, Dizzy Gillespie, Teddy Wilson, Flip Phillips, Slam Stewart, Specs Powell. New York; 1945; studio. Miles Davis: Collector’s Items (Prestige 7044). With Davis, Sonny Rollins, Walter Bishop, Percy Heath, Philly Joe Jones. New York; 1953; studio. THE SAVOYS The complete Savoy studio recordings consist of thirty master takes and seventy-six false starts and alternate takes. Except for a few scraps of “Marmaduke,” they are collected in a boxed set of five discs. The Complete Savoy Studio Sessions (Savoy SJ5 5500). Five discs. With the Tiny Grimes Quintet, the Miles Davis All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, John Lewis, Duke Jordan, Sadik Hakim, Curly Russell, Tommy Potter, Max Roach. New York, Detroit; 1944–48; studio. Bird / The Savoy Recordings (Master Takes) (Savoy SJL 2201). Two discs. Thirty master takes. Encores (Savoy SJL 1107). Sixteen alternate takes. Encores Vol. 2 (Savoy SJL 1129). Fifteen alternate takes, including four false starts on “Marmaduke” inadvertently omitted from the “complete” edition. THE DIALS As issued by Spotlite, Warners, and Stateside, the most complete editions of the Dial recordings consist of thirty-five master takes, forty-eight alternate takes, three home recordings, and an alternate take from the Sideman recording of Red Norvo’s Dial session (see Spotlite 127 above). They are collected on six discs. A SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY 154 Charlie Parker on Dial, Vol. 1 (Spotlite 101). With Miles Davis, Lucky Thompson, Dodo Marmarosa, Arv Garrison, Dizzy Gillespie, Howard McGhee. California; 1946; studio. Charlie Parker on Dial, Vol. 2 (Spotlite 102). With Erroll Garner, Earl Coleman, Red Callender, Doc West. California; 1947; studio. Charlie Parker on Dial...