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Charlie Parker: Be Bop Live

By Mark Corroto
February 6, 2021
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The name of the record label is ezz-thetics, which was also a composition by

George Russell

composer / conductor
1923 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">George Russell and an album of the same name (which featured

Eric Dolphy

woodwinds
1928 - 1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Eric Dolphy) released by Riverside Records in 1961. Maybe a better moniker for the label is "Lest We Forget." Not that we could ever abandon

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Parker, but today when streaming services replace CDs and LPs, which also replaced 78s and live radio broadcasts (the streaming service of its day), Parker has the possibility of being neglected. Don't believe it? When was the last time you listened to or summoned the music of Parker,

Howard McGhee

trumpet
1918 - 1987

" data-original-title="" title="">Howard McGhee,

Pepper Adams

saxophone, baritone
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Pepper Adams, or

Tony Fruscella

b.1927

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Fruscella? Among others the music of Parker devotee

Frank Morgan

saxophone, alto
1933 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Morgan is sadly out of print. Maybe that is why the ezz-thetics remastered releases are so vital. We need to be reminded of the genius that was Parker and also

Archie Shepp

saxophone, tenor
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Archie Shepp,

Cecil Taylor

piano
1929 - 2018

" data-original-title="" title="">Cecil Taylor,

Marion Brown

saxophone, alto
1931 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Marion Brown,

Jimmy Giuffre

clarinet
1921 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Giuffre, and

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler. On the heals of ezz-thetics' rerelease of the Dial studio recordings The Birth Of BeBop: Celebrating Bird At 100 Vol. 1 (2020) and Savoy sessions The Birth Of BeBop: Celebrating Bird At 100 Vol. 2 (2020), these 30 tracks on two discs celebrate Parker's live music from 1945-49. These radio broadcasts were recorded from dates at the Royal Roost, Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York City with an array of artists including

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet
1917 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Dizzy Gillespie,

Miles Davis

trumpet
1926 - 1991

" data-original-title="" title="">Miles Davis,

Max Roach

drums
1925 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Max Roach, and

Roy Haynes

drums
1926 - 2024

" data-original-title="" title="">Roy Haynes, all of whom survived Parker (1920-1955) and carried forward the torch of bebop.

You may ask, who needs five versions of Parker's "Be Bop," five of Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts" or four takes of "Scrapple From The Apple"? The answer is, we all do. The multiple takes reinforce the feeling of ferocity which the musicians deliver on these compositions. Played at near breakneck speeds, you can compare takes of "Salt Peanuts" with trumpet chair swapped between Miles Davis,

Kenny Dorham

trumpet
1924 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Dorham, and Dizzy Gillespie, who is credited along with

Kenny Clarke

drums
1914 - 1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Clarke with authoring the tune. Parker's performances here are truly amazing, as he was on top of his revolutionary sound in this period. By remastering the tapes, this 139 minutes of music is like manna from heaven. Unlike the Biblical food supplied to the Israelites in the wilderness, this music is more urbane, but just as nourishing.

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Track Listing

CD 1:
Groovin' High; Big Foot; Ornithology; Hot House; Salt Peanuts; Chasin' the Bird; Out of Nowhere; Scrapple from the Apple; Be Bop; Hot House; Oop Bop Sh'bam; Scrapple from the Apple; Barbados; Salt Peanuts.
CD 2:
Scrapple from the Apple; Barbados; Be Bop; Groovin' High; Confirmation; Salt Peanuts; Ornithology; Cheryl; KoKo; Bird of Paradise; Now's the Time; Be Bop; A Night in Tunisia; Salt Peanuts.

Personnel

Charlie Parker

saxophone, alto

Don Byas

saxophone, tenor

Dizzy Gillespie

trumpet

Miles Davis

trumpet

Kenny Dorham

trumpet

Red Rodney

trumpet

Al Haig

piano

Tommy Potter

bass, acoustic

Curley Russell

bass, acoustic

Max Roach

drums

Roy Haynes

drums

Album information

Title: Be Bop Live | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Ezz-thetics

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