The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings 1944-1948 [BOX SET] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Charlie Parker

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 24, 2000)
• Original Release Date: October 24, 2000
• Number of Discs: 8
• Format: Box set, Original recording remastered
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Atlantic / Wea
• ASIN: B00004Z455
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #276,369 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Charlie "Bird" Parker's perfect attack on alto saxophone, along with his crystal-clear phrasing and high-velocity improvisations, made him one of the 20th century's most imitated musicians. This eight-CD set, which represents the best remastering of Parker's fertile Dial and Savoy sides to date, was produced by veteran producer Orrin Keepnews. It includes the legendary roundtable of bebop knights: trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis; bassists Curly Russell and Tommy Potter; drummer Max Roach; and pianists Bud Powell, Duke Jordan, and John Lewis.

Disc 1 begins with Parker as a sideman for guitarist Tiny Grimes, which yielded the pre-bop jump-blues sides "Tiny's Tempo" and "Romance Without Finance." The other tracks are first-generation bop classics: "Groovin' High," "Salt Peanuts," "Koko," and "Hot House." The remaining seven discs feature Bird's genius in other musical dimensions. Bird's recompositions of the standards "All the Things You Are," "Whispering," and "Embraceable You" stand out, as do the zesty "Barbados," "Bongo Bop," and "Night in Tunisia" (with the famous alto break). Underrated baritone Earl Coleman sings the ebony-embered ballad "Dark Shadows." But above all, Bird was a blues player. Nothing illustrates this better than the memorable blues ballad "Parker's Mood," on which his soulful, wailing alto is matched by John Lewis's rich, lyrical accompaniment. These tracks contain other gems, including a young and nervous Miles Davis sputtering Fats Navarro-style trumpet solos on "Milestones" and "Now's the Time," with Gillespie playing piano. Although he died at the age of 34 in 1955, Parker, along with Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, formed the Holy Trinity that created bebop, and this set is Bird flying high. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Correction: Disc four is defective on some sets, November 17, 2000

By A Customer

The pitch correction/speed on disc four is incorrect. This mistake wasn't caught until some time after this box set was pressed. At this moment, corrected discs are being manufactured and should be made available some time soon. If you believe you have a defective disc, contact the retailer you bought it from and find out if they have received any corrected discs (this is important; some retailers won't have a clue about this and if you aren't specific and clear, they will simply exchange your set for another defective copy). They should be able to swap discs with you free of charge.

The problem is most noticeable on the session featuring "Donna Lee." Basically, if you listen carefully, you'll notice that the rhythm section sounds too high and things sound a bit too fast compared to other CD's containing the same material (such as Denon's "The Genius Of Charlie Parker").

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Corrections, December 19, 2000

By	byrdfan "byrdfan" (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews

As reported in the December 2000 issue of Ice Magazine, Savoy Entertainment will send buyers a corrected copy of Disc Four as well as corrected track lists for Discs Four, Seven and Eight to anyone who sends them the faulty Disc Four. It took about three weeks in my case. Send your faulty discs to --

Mr. Barry Feldman Savoy Entertainment Group 5 East 19th St., Second Floor New York, NY 10003

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Neophytes beware!, April 26, 2001

By	M.R. (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

Yes, the packaging is shoddy and user-unfriendly; yes, the pitch was off on my copy too; and yes, the presence of numerous alternate and partial takes will please collectors and jazz musicians alone. The first two points are just facts of life that shouldn't keep serious Parker fans from getting this essential set. But the last point is why neophytes should stay away. This is not the best way be introduced to Bird, and in fact it will likely rarely be listened to by beginners. They instead should get "Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Charlie Parker" (on Rhino), as soon as possible. It's a concise two-disc collection that hits most of the truly crucial Dial and Savoy masters from Bird's career--classic recording after classic recording--and even includes a number of Clef and Verve-era recordings for a fuller picture. The packaging is classy, the selection impeccable, and the dross nil. ANYONE even mildly interested in jazz will find "Yardbird Suite" a truly satisfying and compelling package. Even serious non-completist jazz fans will find that this set is almost all the Bird they need. Purists may disagree with me, but if you're on a budget, then "Yardbird Suite" will do you just fine.