Customer Reviews

Bird at St Nick's

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album suffers from the same problems as its' "companion", "Bird on 52nd Street". Those are all derived from the fact that the performance was recorded in a bootleg fashion and the recorder was often turned off as soon as Parker stopped playing. This cd benifits from a slightly better over all sound quality, Parker is much more robust and clear, however, he and the Max Roach drown out the rest of the band almost entirely. The plus? Well, Parker is in fantasic form. His soloing is in its prime and he absolutely burns. His playing simply overwhelms all of the technical shortcomings. Newcomers should check out one of the many collections of parker material before tackling this cd. Longtime fans will want to hear this and add one star just because most everything on record from this period of Parker's music is vital!

While hardly state-of-the-art in terms of sonics, this recording does, as the liner notes suggest, reveal another side of Parker for those only accustomed to his more finished studio work. There is a fierce energy and harmonic intelligence on display here, and, despite the rough edges, the music is exciting and "alive" in the best sense. While this would not be a wise place to begin one's exploration of Parker, it is far from a completists-only cd.

Some of the other reviews for this album were dissapointing for me to read because this has been one of my favorite records since I bought it 3 years ago. It is recorded by tape when the technology was brand new. It is also edited so you hear nothing but Bird's solos and Melodys. However, he sounds absolutely incredible! Any Bird fanatic would agree. Charlie Parker fans aren't listening to him for the great recording quality, we're interested in what he's going to come up with next. Buy this album now, hear why people are still transfixed by his melodys. The shinning tracks are Visa, I Didn't Know What Time it Was and Embraceable You. Disregard everything anyone else says about this record; if you're into Bird just buy it. And contrary to what Mr. Texas said Bird definately soars.

There have been many comments about the recording quality of this disc and they're all true!! But the brilliant music that emanated from Bird's horn compensates for everything. In a Saxophone Journal interview, saxophonist Bert Wilson called Bird the first avant garde musician and after listening to this disc--I totally agree!! Even before Ornette arrived on the scene, Bird was already playing some far out s**t and this recording proves it!!! He is still light years ahead of anyone playing now except perhaps Ornette or Roscoe Mitchell.

Despite the raw quality of the recorded sound, Bird is doing some of his most brilliant playing. He couldn't get the notes out fast enough. Completely on fire. Rather than complaining about the quality and circumstances of the recordings, I thank the guy who showed up on this live date for having the presence of mind to get Bird on tape in the first place and capture something that could never be captured in the studio. No one could touch Bird at St. Nicks. His flawless playing was from the gods!

It's with regret that I must rate this Charlie Parker CD at less than 1 star. The material here was "recorded" live on 2/18/50 at St. Nicholas Arena in NYC. The producers acknowledge the low fidelity and pointedly do not apologize for it. Although it's claimed that this set was recorded on tape, it sounds more like a wire recording or (if available in 1950) a telephone answering machine. The great Charlie Parker deserves better than this. The crowd noise is louder than the music, and not all of the instruments can be heard. The producers of this CD and retailers owe it to potential purchasers to point out that this is audio recording at it's very worst and is intended only for collectors who must have every known recording of Charlie Parker's work.