Charlie Parker – Charlie Parker Story On Dial Vol. 1 (1986)

Th[is first volume of Charlie Parker's recordings] for Dial contains a superior session and a tumultuous one. The former features Charlie Parker and trumpeter Miles Davis with a top-notch West Coast septet playing definitive versions of "Moose the Mooche," "Yardbird Suite," "Ornithology," and "A Night in Tunisia... In addition, there is a slightly earlier recording of "Diggin' Diz" that teams Parker with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. However, this LP concludes with the scary "Lover Man" session during which Bird was in terrible physical shape. He stumbles through ridiculously rapid versions of "Max Making Wax" and "Bebop" with a quintet led by trumpeter Howard McGhee, and visibly struggles through the two ballads "Lover Man" and "The Gypsy" ; it's debatable whether this music should ever have been released. Still, collectors will want to get all six volumes in the Dial series...
Scott Yanow

Tracks:

1 Diggin' Diz (Gillespie) 2:51
2 Moose the Moche (Parker) 3:01
3 Yardbird Suite (Parker) 2:38
4 Ornithology (Parker, Harris) 2:57
5 Famous Alto Break [A Night in Tunisia (excerpt)] (Gillespie, Paprelli) 0:47
6 Night in Tunisia [aka "Interlude"] (Gillespie, Paparelli) 3:01
7 Max Making Wax [aka "Chance it"] (Parker) 2:29
8 Loverman (Davis, Ramirez, Sherman) 3:18
9 The Gypsy (Reid) 3:01
10 Be-Bop (Gillespie) 2:51
11 This is Always (Warren, Gordon) 3:09
12 Dark Shadows (Henry) 3:04
13 Bird's nest (Parker) 2:42
14 Hot Blues [Cool Blues] (Parker) 1:57
15 Cool Blues [Hot Blues] (Parker) 3:07
16 Relaxing at Camarillo (Parker) 3:05
17 Cheers (McGhee) 3:03
18 Carvin' the Bird (McGhee) 2:44
19 Stupendous (McGhee) 2:54

Personnel:

Cd. 1, # 1] Dizzy Gillespie Jazzmen
Dizzy Gillespie - tp
Charlie Parker - as
Lucky Thompson - ts
George Handy - p
Arvin Garrison - g
Ray Brown - b
Stan Levey - dr
Recorded at Electro Broadcast Studios, Hollywood ; February 5, 1946
[Cd. 1, # 2-6] Charlie Parker Septet
Miles Davis - tp
Charlie Parker - as
Lucky Thompson - ts
Dodo Marmarosa - p
Arvin Garrison - g
Vic McMillan - b
Roy Porter - dr
Recorded at C. P. MacGregor Studios, Hollywood ; March 28, 1946
[Cd. 1, # 7-9] Charlie Parker Quintet
Howard McGhee - tp
Charlie Parker - as
Jimmy Bunn - p
Bob Kesterson - b
Roy Porter - dr
Recorded same place as above ; July 29, 1946
[Cd. 1, # 10-14] Charlie Parker Quartet
Charlie Parker - as
Erroll Garner - p
George "Red" Callender - b
Harold "Doc" West - dr
Earl Coleman - vcl
Recorded same place as above ; February 19, 1947
[Cd. 1, # 15-18] Charlie Parker All Stars
Howard McGhee - tp
Charlie Parker - as
Wardell Gray - ts
Dodo Marmarosa - p
Barney Kessel - g
George "Red" Callender - b
Don Lamond - dr
Recorded same place as above ; February 26, 1947