Customer Reviews

Charlie Parker With Strings: Complete Master Takes

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What Parker did on this album isn't so different from what Miles Davis and Gil Evans did years later with "Sketches of Spain"- and come to think of it, that album was panned by critics who couldn't understand it, either.

When the string intros start up, the casual listener might assume that this album sisn't terribly different from the easy-listening music that pours of of elevators and "mellow jazz" radio stations that it's easy to ignore it. But there's something much more complex going on; Parker has created something very rare here; he's taken a music form that few really listened to and framed it in a way that made it more accessible while not compromising his musicality in any way. This isn't the boring and innoffensive harmonies of a Kenny G.; this is Charlie Parker, and he's playing for all it's worth. And it comes through.

This album is very important in that it shows Bird's ability to lead a large ensemble, albeit an ensemble playing relatively standard arrangements, and it demonstrates Bird's unparalleled ability with improvisation, unmatched to this day. Since this orchestra was not really pushing Bird to further heights via reharmonizations, comping chords or frantic solos, Bird had to create his improvisations all on his own, without a Dizzy or Bud Powell to play off of. And this he does with alarming precision, as the first bars of 'Just Friends' will attest to- he probably suggests 7 or 8 chord changes within 10 seconds and over essentially a 3 chord opening sequence.

Bird himself was overjoyed to work with a string ensemble, as he felt that it would lend credibility to his status as a serious musician, even though by the time this was recorded he has already produced works that would put him easily in the top 5 of 20th century musicians along with Stravinsky and Louis Armstrong. As amazing as Bird was, it's important to note that he really only worked within two song forms, blues and popular song standards like 'Cherokee' and 'How High the Moon', which he put his own indelible stamp upon. It is for this reason that I find this album so important beyond just enjoying the music, as it demonstrates a massive extension to Bird's repertoire, which before this was limited primarily to smaller groups, not including his sideman work with Jay McShann and Billy Eckstein. Had he lived longer, he would have undoubtedly ventured into modern classical music, as he was hoping to collaborate with Edgar Varese through formal instruction.

I think I was most surprised upon hearing this album for the first time that it was considered a sell-out commercial farce upon its release. Yeah- you could really see today's commercial music populous being interested in this album. This is complex, harrowing music and is romantic as all hell. Anyone could appreciate this if given the chance.

I just had to write a few words about this record. It is absolutelly beautiful... This is my favorite Jazz album (along with Brubeck's Time Out) and every time I listen to it is like meeting an old friend.

This CD comprises a 10" LP called "Charlie Parker with Strings", another LP called "Jazz Concert" and an EP called "Charlie Parker With Strings" (not related to the first one). So it contains recordings made in 1947 (only the last track), 1949, 1950 and 1952.

The music... pure genius. Here, Bird plays only standards. But when he plays them, all standards look like they were written just for Charlie. It looks like they were waiting to be played by him all along. Like no one else have ever played them before. He comes and goes, he improvises, he returns.. and he never gets too far... and he never gets too literal.

My favorite tracks are "Just Friends" (played with an eloquence seldon seen on any version of this song), "Laura" (simply the best version of this song ever played), "April in Paris" (in this cd you get TWO versions), "I didn't Know what Time It Was" and "I'm in the Mood for Love".

Listening to this record once more, I get to see how this troubled musician was capable of such beautiful feelings. And indeed he was a man of feelings.

But there is more. The orchestration is clear and quick to respond (the kind of orchestras we only see in the 50's). If there are records where everything is right... look no further. This is it.

It is also worth mentioning that these recordings were produced by a legend among Jazz producers: Norman Granz (if you are reading this, you probably know him already from other classic Jazz recordings).

Plus: the CD comes with new linear notes and nice reproductions of the original ones. By the way... in the Clint Eastwood movie "Bird", when Charlie Parker is in the hospital, a doctor holding one of these LPs asks for his autograph.

The sound quality is great, considering the age of these recordings...

A true moment of musical magic and art

This is definitely one of Charlie Parker's best albums. The vast majority of Bird fans out there seem to really like this album. But there are a few that look at this album as a cop-out on Bird's part because it is not in the fast-paced bebop style for which he is most well-known. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Bird is playing with a string section, everything he plays on here is in his own style. He plays a large selection of all standard tunes and plays every one of them with great feeling. I highly recommend this album to all fans of Bird's music. I also recomend this to fans of classical music as well. Everytime I meet a person who tells me they are into classical music I tell them to get this album and 80% of the time they tell me they already have it and how much they love it. So whether you're a jazz fan, a Bird fan, or just a fan of great music, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.

Art Critics have created some artificial wall between "popular" music, which they looked down their noses and "art". That, is to say, if a lot of people liked it, it HAD to be bad, or beneath the artists dignity to play. I don't agree. As is stated below, think of "Sketches of Spain" by Miles Davis or "Getz/Gilberto".

This recording was hugely popular when it came out, despite the naysayers (and fellow beboppers) saying it was a sellout. It probably introduced more people to Charlie Parker who had never heard him before than any other of his albums. Norm Granz, with his "Jazz at the Philharmonic" series was always trying to combine and recombine Jazz artists in unusual combinations, and Charlie Parker with a symphony orachestra is no execption.

Charlie puts a lot of soul along with his bebop stamp selling these Jazz standards. He floats and soars far above the occationally stiff or cloying arrangements. Listen to how he puts himself into "Laura" or "East of the Sun". It is a testament to the idea that great artists can be create popular music without sacrificing their art.

For those who have not heard, for M E , a great intro to Bird!

And well recorded, for the time, in the new Verve 20 bit release.

The point is, listen to Bird. Let the strings take their place behind him. If you concentrate on the strings, you're listening to the wrong music! The arrangements could be criticised as being "commercial" or easy-listening or dated or whatever, but where else can you hear Parker playing like this? It is such a joy to hear him play the standards, so freely and so melodically, that criticism of the setting of his playing is irrelevant. Plus, it was this very setting which enabled him to play like this, so give Granz credit and thanks for that. You don't look at Da Vinci painting and criticise the weave of the canvas. This release is beautifully presented, with generous extra tracks and sharply-written sleevenotes. What are you waiting for?

Charlie Parker's musical ideas were so complex that even for someone like me who has listened to a lot of jazz for a lot of years can get lost. But with string arrangements of familiar old chestnuts as a backdrop, a map is provided that allows the listener to keep track of the basic line that bird is flying over, under, around and through. It's a rare offering that appeals to both the jazz fan and the unintiated.

Update: I have become a lot more familiar with Bird since I wrote this thanks to Ted Kendall's brilliant Charlie Parker: A Studio Chronicle 1940-1948, sadly unavailable now. (Right now, I'm serious, go order it used before the price inevitably goes to the moon). I've come to love this 5CD set but one thing becomes clear vs. the strings CD: you get a lot more Parker per tune on the stings CD. On the classic bebop sides, Parker solos during maybe 30 seconds to a minute per song. But on this CD, he's wailing away most of the time.

It also occurred to me that this works as a gateway to Parker's more difficult sides if you are old enough, or otherwise musically savvy enough, to be familiar with these "standards", most of which were popular in the 30's through the 50's.

I bought this albbum when it was first issued on two 10" lp's.Wore them out and got it finally on cd.Fantastic cd

Analyzing this CD objectively, I'd say it's good work by Parker but hardly his best, a selection of old Tin Pan Alley chestnuts with predictable string arrangements, and sound quality typical of the era (not very good).

Put them all together though, and you have one superb and unique collection of mood music. "Mood music" has a negative connotation to many music afficianados, but this CD has a musical film noir quality to it that I find enchanting. Yes, it's a period piece, but an incredibly effective one that almost puts you in a time machine in a way that the great films of that era do.

This is not the CD for those who are new to Charlie Parker, or maybe not even for many of his jazz purist fans. But if you just take it for what it is, rather than what you think it should be, you'll find Charlie Parker with Strings to be a great late night CD that you can enjoy over and over again.

Call me crazy; call me a sentimentalist, whatever. I'm going to tell you that anyone who rates "Jazz At Massey Hall" higher than "Bird With Strings" knows absolutely JACK about this music. Which reviewer said these are a bunch of 'tin pan alley rehashes'? You have no clue. This is Bird at the height of his craft. You don't like the arrangements? OK - listen to how Bird flies over, around, and above them...cascading through his 16 or 32 bars with almost otherworldly brilliance. You think the arrangements are schmaltzy? Listen to how Bird plays off of them and makes them more relevant than they are. Do you think "East of the Sun" is a tin pan alley reject? How about "Laura", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", or "Dancing in the Dark"? These tunes define American music at that time, and it isn't coincidence that jazz masters continue to play them even today. If Parker were alive today I guarantee that he'd explain it to anyone who didn't get it. He LOVED these recordings, and had every reason to be proud of his contributions to them. These comprise some of his best work, ever.