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Charlie Parker session details

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May 8-15, 1949 (15 items; TT = 65:30)
Salle Pleyel, Paris (France)
Private recording (Tape) (B-)

Charlie Parker (as); Kenny Dorham (tpt); Al Haig (p); Tommy Potter (b); Max Roach (d)
1 Salt Peanuts (D. Gillespie-K. Clarke) 3:40

Parker (voc) -- he sings the final "Salt Peanuts" of the opening chorus in French
2 Barbados (C. Parker) 5:31

Parker and Roach exchanges following Haig's solo (4:07-4:55). At one point Parker plays a weird "Woody Woodpecker"-like quotation (4:28-4:34). The opening theme and last few bars of the closing theme are missing on Philology
3 52nd Street Theme (T. Monk) 3:27

During his solo Parker briefly quotes "Country Gardens" (0:46-0:47)
4 Out of Nowhere (E. Heyman-J.W. Green) 5:07

During his solo Parker briefly quotes "Country Gardens" (0:36-0:38); he breaks in at the end of Potter's solo with "Happy Birthday" (4:33-4:36); closing "Country Gardens" tag with prolonged trill (4:59-5:07)
5 Salt Peanuts (incomplete) (D. Gillespie-K. Clarke) 3:56

Opening measures missing. Parker (voc). Very sloppy ensemble, and Parker has intonation problems throughout
6 Scrapple from the Apple (incomplete) (C. Parker) 5:03

During his solo Parker quotes "Buttons and Bows" (1:10-1:17) and "Woody Woodpecker" (1:46-1:48); Parker and Dorham exchanges following Haig's solo (4:07-4:36); cut off during closing chorus
7 Out of Nowhere (incomplete) (E. Heyman-J.W. Green) 4:09

During his solo Dorham quotes "Country Gardens" (3:24-3:28); cut off during Haig's solo
8 Wee (incomplete) [Allen's Alley] (D. Best) 3:56

Opening measures missing, and cut off during closing theme. During his solo Parker briefly quotes "Over There" (1:00-1:03); Parker and Roach exchanges following Haig's solo (3:30-3:56)
9 52nd Street Theme (incomplete) (T. Monk) 3:24

Begins toward the end of Parker's solo
10 Out of Nowhere (E. Heyman-J.W. Green) 5:27

During his solo Dorham quotes "Country Gardens" (2:58-3:02), and the tune ends with the "Country Gardens" tag with prolonged trill (5:18-5:27)
11 A Night in Tunisia (D. Gillespie-F. Paparelli) 4:15
12 Moose the Mooche (C. Parker) 4:23

Parker and Roach exchanges following Dorham's solo (3:23-3:50)
13 I Got Rhythm (incomplete) (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin) 2:54

Begins in the middle of Parker's solo, just as he quotes "Over There" (0:02-0:06); Parker and Roach exchanges following Haig's solo (2:35-2:55). Cut off during the exchanges. Listed as "Blues" on Bird Box
14 52nd Street Theme (T. Monk) 4:40

During his solo Parker quotes "Moose the Mooche" (1:47-1:53)
15 Hot House (T. Dameron) 5:38

1 Salt Peanuts
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 10 (W 200), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

2 Barbados
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 10 (W 200), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

3 52nd Street Theme
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 10 (W 200), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

4 Out of Nowhere
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 10 (W 200), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

5 Salt Peanuts (incomplete)
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

6 Scrapple from the Apple (incomplete)
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

7 Out of Nowhere (incomplete)
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

8 Wee (incomplete)
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

9 52nd Street Theme (incomplete)
12" LP: Spotlite SPJ 118
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

10 Out of Nowhere
12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 2
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

11 A Night in Tunisia
12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 3
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), Volume 57 (W 888), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

12 Moose the Mooche
12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 2
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

13 I Got Rhythm (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658

14 52nd Street Theme
12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 3
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

15 Hot House
12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 2
CD: Philology Volume 11 (W 622), New Sound Planet JUTB 3002, Sound Hills SSCD 8018, Rare Live Recordings RLR 88658, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

This is a private recording from the Festival International 1949 de Jazz. The festival included many traditional acts from the United States -- Sidney Bechet, Russell Moore, Oran "Hot Lips" Paige -- but it also introduced bebop groups like the Charlie Parker Quintet and the Miles Davis-Tadd Dameron quintet. Also on the bill were musicians from England (Vic Lewis' big band), Belgium (Toots Thielemans Trio), Switzerland (Hazy Osterwald's quintet), Italy (Armando Trovajoli), and of course many from France (including Aimé Barelli, Hubert Rostang, the Django Reinhardt Quintet). [roster front] [roster back] [program cover] [Jazz Hot Nr. 22 (Mai 1949)]

Parker arrived in Paris on Friday, May 6, with Sidney Bechet, Kenny Clarke, and several other American musicians. The following day rehearsals were scheduled at the Salle Pleyel (Parker was AWOL and missed this one) and the Club St. Germain, and in the evening the festival promoters threw a cocktail party for the musicians at the Pavilion de 'Elysee. The Parker Quintet was in France for nine more days (May 8-16), booked at the following venues:

May 8-9: Salle Pleyel, Paris (Festival International de Jazz -- opposite Sidney Bechet, Hot Lips Page, the Miles Davis-Tadd Dameron Quintet, and others)
May 10: Rex Theatre, Club Martinez et Christera, Marseilles
May 11: evening jam session at Cité Universitaire, Paris
May 12: Colisée Movie Theatre, Roubaix
May 14: Salle Pleyel, Paris
May 15: Salle Pleyel (two concerts, including closing All-Star jam session)

Or, as the liner notes to Spotlite SPJ-118 have it,

Bird and his men -- Kenny Dorham, Al Haig, Tommy Potter, and Max Roach -- played evening concerts on the Sunday and Monday, then did a concert the following Saturday, winding up with afternoon and evening shows on Sunday, May 15, the final day of the festival. From Tuesday to Friday the group undertook a short tour playing concerts in Roubaix and Marseille before returning to Paris.

André Hodier reviewed the festival in his essay "Le Festival 1949" in Jazz Hot No. 34 (Juin 1949), pp. 7-10.

Thanks to Pascal Garnier for sharing the Juin 1949 issue of Jazz Hot, and to Leif Bo Petersen for help with the itinerary.

All original content on this website is licensed by Peter Losin under a Creative Commons License