Charlie Parker - The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Takes

As Ornette Coleman said, "Charlie Parker was blessed with the eternal quality of existing forever." The brief trajectory of Parker's career has directly or indirectly affected all saxophonists who have followed him. Sadly, the machinations and pressures of fame were more than this basically fragile man could bear, and he died at age 34 in 1955.

The Savoy imprint, after being acquired by an assortment of companies over the years, has been reinvigorated to celebrate its 60th anniversary. This three-disc set includes all of Parker's work for the Dial and Savoy labels (excluding alternate takes--hence the title). It starts off with his appearance as a sideman with the Tiny Grimes Quintette, at which time the 24-year-old's alto saxophone playing bears his unmistakable stamp of fluidity and daring aplomb. The stellar lights of bebop are heard throughout this set, as Parker plays with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Max Roach, creating the enduring shape of contemporary jazz. --David Greenberger Amazon.com

Perfect for the Non-Completist Who Wants More Than The Hi-lights

I picked this up because I only had 2 Charlie Parker CDs in my collection and I call myself a jazz lover. I had the Best of The Live Sessions on Savoy and an older Best of Bird on Verve. As something of a Miles Davis collector I felt I needed more in order to get the full Miles Davis perspective, so I picked this collection. Anyone who knows jazz knows that the really good stuff by Parker happened during the Savoy years between 1945 and 1948. The Complete Savoy Master Takes gives the collector everything Parker released as a leader plus a Miles Davis session and a Tiny Grimes session. I don't need to hear everything that Bird did so I didn't want to shell out the bucks to get every single note he laid down for Savoy. Again, this is all of the stuff that was picked by the artist and producer for release to his adoring public back in the day and that's plenty for me. If there is one disappointment it is that there are no sessions here that include Milt Jackson. I have Jackson playing with Parker on some Royal Roost recordings. Maybe Jackson never recorded in the studio under Bird's leadership? I dunno. Other than that, it's splendid!

This set is attractively packaged and comes with a nice booklet with the usual liner notes and pictures.

The 20bit remaster is superb but one word of warning, it's impossible to remove all of the crackles from some of this stuff that was pulled from 78rpm acetate. Just keep that in mind when listening.

Buy this if you don't want everything but want more than a "best of" collection. January 29, 2007

Bible ''o'' Be-Bop

In 1945, Charlie Parker, along with Dizzy Gillespie got tired of the poppy swing of the early 40's and loosened up. They started playing faster than swing and soloed more. The result: a type of fiery jazz known as Be-Bop. It turned off swing audiences and the boys coming back from WWII, but the other jazz musicians who heard this new sound could understand what Diz and Bird were doing and soon audiences did too. These three discs showcase the legendary Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie at their best and a young Miles Davis. When most people think about jazz saxophone, they think John Coltrane. Well if there wasn't a Bird, there would not be a Trane. It's too bad that Bird self destructed in the 50's and died from Heroin related problems in 1955. In the big book on jazz released recently, it said that Bird was laughing, then choked and fell over and died. What a humorous way for a guy who was a jokester and always had a happy, laughing sound in his playing to pass into heaven. This great set documents the first steps of modern jazz...and the legend of Bird.


Charlie Parker
1920-1955 March 24, 2005

Careful!

I just purchased this set, thinking that I was getting the best available compilation of Bird's early work. But, two days after getting it in the mail (and loving it), I discovered that JSP has out a Charlie Parker box set titled "Studio Chronicle 1940-1948," also available here on Amazon, which by all appearances is a far superior purchase. For only $28, you get 5 full discs worth of material, including a wealth of early recordings not included here, as well as a number of recording sessions not led by Parker (notably those under Dizzy Gillespie's name). Apparently some of these rarer recordings are hard to find elsewhere. Everything included on the present set is on that set as well. All in all you get almost twice the number of tracks (125 to 65) for nearly half the price. And, from what I've read, the sound quality on that set is actually marginally better. So, check out the JSP so you don't have to kick yourself like I am right now! August 13, 2004

Essential Charlie Parker!

There is probably no such thing as a "definitive" Charlie Parker
collection, without collecting EVERYTHING, but this comes awfully
close. These master takes of Bird's sessions as a leader for
the Savoy and Dial labels contain rich examples of his genius, and virtually every important title he did not record with Dizzy
Gillespie. Even before we get to the joys of "Billie's Bounce,"
"Warming Up a Riff," "Now's the Time," and "Ko-ko," we are treated to Bird's mastery on "Romance Without Finance." Besides
being one of the most politically INCORRECT songs ever recorded,
"Romance Without Finance" provides an excellent example of Parker's ability to rein in his prodigious abilities in the service of the song. Beyond that, everything here is just pure, unbridled inventive genius! The amazing thing about Bird's
playing is the way every phrase is a complete, perfect, self-contained musical idea, unique and independent to itself. Then,
suddenly in the last four bars of his solo, Bird comes up with something that makes all of it cohere, magically, brilliantly
and LOGICALLY. There's plenty of that kind of playing going on
throughout this entire collection! October 14, 2003

Bird

In a perfect world, this would be one of the 5 best selling jazz albums of all time. Why? Because Bird is one of the most influential and best jazz artist of all time and this collection includes every reason why. For a long time, it was a pain trying to collect these sides; and now, they all are in one place, with great sound in a nice package. It does not get any better than this, 50 years have passed and no one can touch Bird. June 9, 2003

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