It would be impossible to put all of Charlie Parker's significant recordings on one album, but Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Charlie Parker Collection comes close. This two-CD set contains most of Bird's 1945 bebop sessions, as well as "Ko-Ko," one of NPR's "100 Most Important Works of the 20th Century."

Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Tiny's Tempo
2. I'll Always Love You Just the Same
3. Romance Without Finance
4. Red Cross
5. Warming up a Riff
6. Billie's Bounce
7. Now's the Time
8. Thriving on a Riff
9. Meandering
10. Koko
11. Diggin' Diz
12. Moose the Mooche
13. Yardbird Suite
14. Ornithology
15. Night in Tunisia
16. Max (Is) Making Wax
17. Lover Man
18. Gypsy
19. Bebop
20. This Is Always
21. Dark Shadows

Disc 2:

1. Bird's Nest
2. Cool Blues
3. Relaxin' at Camarillo
4. Cheers
5. Carvin' the Bird
6. Stupendous
7. Donna Lee
8. Chasin' the Bird
9. Cheryl
10. Buzzy
11. Milestones
12. Little Willie Leaps
13. Half Nelson
14. Sippin' at Bells
15. Dexterity
16. Bongo Bop
17. Dewey Square
18. Hymn
19. Bird of Paradise
20. Embraceable You
21. Bird Feathers
22. Klact-Oveeseds-Tene

Disc 3:

1. Scrapple from the Apple
2. My Old Flame
3. Out of Nowhere
4. Don't Blame Me
5. Drifting on a Reed
6. Quasimodo
7. Charlie's Wig
8. Bongo Beep
9. Crazeology
10. How Deep Is the Ocean?
11. Another Hair Do
12. Bluebird
13. Klaunstance
14. Bird Gets the Worm
15. Barbados
16. Ah-Leu-Cha
17. Constellation
18. Parker's Mood
19. Perhaps
20. Marmaduke
21. Steeplechase
22. Merry-Go-Round

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12271 in Music
• Brand: Parker
• Released on: 2002-09-24
• Number of discs: 3
• Dimensions: .41 pounds

Amazon.com
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

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Customer Reviews

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!

Bird Lives Again
About 25 years ago, I was just a kid of 19 in a funky record store in Carbondale, IL checking out the latest releases on vinyl of some of the usual suspects of that era. I barely had begun to broaden my tastes beyond rock, into folk, reggae, blues with a hint of jazz. The owner of this store, for a reason I can't remember now, told me I could pick out any lp in the house and take it home free. Like a kid in a candy store, I dashed about from bin to bin until a double lp of The Very Best of Bird (on Dial I later learned) jumped out at me. It was put out by WB and had some very informative liner notes by Ross Russell, the producer of some of his greatest works. Well, I won't surprise anyone by saying what a revelation this music was and still is. Now I have just purchased this 3-disc CD with not only the Dial but also the Savoy master takes. The sound is the best I've ever heard of these historic recordings (kudos to the CD remastering team) and the music, well, there are almost no words sufficient to do it justice. This man has to be in my top five of the all-time most influential American musicians and this music makes the case. Thanks to the folks responsible for packaging and rereleasing this miraculous body of work. Almost makes me want to invest in the complete studio sessions...maybe one day. Get this one in the meantime. Be astounded all over. Bird Lives Again!

Outstanding Player, Outstanding Music, Outstanding
I've been a Charlie Parker fan, almost since I started playing the alto sax in high school in the early 70's.

Much of Parker's recorded work has been of substandard sound quality or released, then out of print. The Dial recordings, included here, were among those seminal recordings of Bird at his peak, but availability has been limited for years.

This recording puts together in one compilation a number of his best recordings: Cool Blues, Bird's Nest, Ornithology, Parker's Mood, and much, much more. The application of 21st century recording techniques results in a package of sound quality that enhances, rather than detracts from the music.

I recommend this to any fan of Bird, any fan of jazz and any saxophone player.