Charlie Parker - Chasin' The Bird (2005) {4CD}

Tracklist

CD1 - Bird Takes Off

1 Cherokee
2 I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles
3 Sweet Georgia Brown
4 Groovin' High
5 Shaw'Nuff
6 Dizzy Atmosphere
7 Salt Peanuts
8 Anthropology
9 Billie's Bounce
10 Blue 'N' Boogie
11 All The Things You Are
12 Ornithology
13 A Night In Tunisia
14 Dizzy Atmosphere
15 Groovin' High
16 Confirmation
17 Ko Ko

CD2 - Bird At The Roost

1 52nd Street Theme
2 Ko Ko
3 Groovin' High
4 Big Foot
5 Ornithology
6 Slow Boat To China
7 Hot House
8 Salt Peanuts
9 Chasin' The Bird
10 Out Of Nowhere
11 Half Nelson
12 White Christmas
13 Little Willie Leaps
14 Bebop
15 East Of The Sun
16 Cheryl
17 Scrapple From The Apple
18 Barbados

CD3 - Bird In Flight

1 Wahoo
2 'Round Midnight
3 This Time The Dream's On Me
4 Dizzy Atmosphere
5 Move
6 The Street Beat
7 Out Of Nowhere
8 Little Willie Leaps/52nd Street Theme
9 Ornithology
10 I'll Remember April/52nd Street Theme
11 Cool Blues/52nd Street Theme

CD4 - Birdland And Elsewhere

1 Ornithology
2 Cheryl
3 Ko Ko
4 Bird Of Paradise
5 Now's The Time
6 Blue 'N' Boogie
7 Anthropology
8 'Round Midnight
9 Night In Tunisia
10 Hot House
11 Laura
12 This Time The Dream's On Me
13 Cool Blues
14 Lester Leaps In
15 How High The Moon
16 Embraceable You/52nd Street Theme
17 East Of The Sun

What sets apart the budget compilations on the Synergy label is their sound. Each track is remastered using a trademark process. The liner notes are workmanlike but offer helpful information to the novice (though there is no personnel listed). The material here comes from the fevered pitch of bebop's birth and covers the years 1946-48. Some of the classics on this collection are "Relaxin at Camarillo," "Yardbird Suite," "Parker's Mood," "Chasin the Bird," and "Moose the Mooche." For those seeking to have just a bit of Bird in their respective CD collections, this is a nice place to start.~Thom Jurek