Session details: Mutual Studios (September 13, 1947)

Charlie Parker session details

September 13, 1947 (17 items; TT = 29:29)

Mutual Studios, New York NY

WOR-AM radio broadcast (B)

Show chatter

Charlie Parker (as); J.B. "Dizzy" Gillespie (tpt); John La Porta (cl); Lennie Tristano (p); Billy Bauer (g); Ray Brown (b); Max Roach (d); Bruce Elliott (ann); Barry Ulanov (ann)

1	Announcement (Bruce Elliott)	0:05
	"United States Savings Bonds and the Mutual Network present Bands for Bonds... "
2	Theme + introduction of Rudi Blesh's All-Star Stompers (Bruce Elliott)	0:30
	"Yes, it's Rudi Blesh's All-Star Stompers with Wild Bill Davidson [sic], cornet; Edmond Hall, clarinet; Jimmy Archey, trombone; Ralph Sutton, piano; Baby Dodds, drums; Danny Barker, guitar; and Pops Foster, bass. Yes sir, it's New Orleans jazz in a battle of jazz against..."
3	Ko Ko + introduction of Barry Ulanov's All-Star Jazz Moderns (Bruce Elliott)	0:53
	"Yes, it's Barry Ulanov and his All-Star modern jazz musicians with such stars as Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet; Charlie Parker, alto sax; John LaPorta, clarinet; Billy Bauer, guitar; Lennie Tristano, piano; Max Roach, drums; and Ray Brown on the bass."
4	Introduction (Elliott, Blesh)	1:35
	Elliott: "Whew! I'm doin' the shoutin', and my name's Bruce Elliott. Well, just think of it -- two great bands compiled into one program, matching different styles in a head-on battle of jazz. You the listening audience will be the sole judges of this battle, so listen in and decide for yourself. Right now I want to r..., I want to introduce, uh, Rudi Blet -- Blesh, author, critic, and jazz critic for the Herald-Tribune, and the writer/narrator of This is Jazz. Come in, Rudi." Blesh: "Thanks, Bruce Elliott. Well, here we are for the long-heralded battle between two kinds of music. Ah, the last band that you heard was not my band. The, ah, that was the first band, the band that has been playing for about nine months now, on the program This is Jazz, ah, featuring real New Orleans improvised jazz, which I believe, and the ones in my camp believe, to be a truly modern music itself. Um, it's as timeless as Bach -- it goes back in years, but every time that these great players get to work on a tune, new or old, it's a fresh creation: in harmony, in melody, and in rhythm. And it doesn't strain to be novel, it doesn't strain to be fantastic or new, it doesn't bring any of what I call the week... ah, what I call, ah, the lost weekend harmonies. Every time I hear those I see a mouse crawling out of a hole in a [undecipherable], and I get the shakes. No, we bring you real melody, American ele... [dropout] always treated in a creative way, by great artists. And we think that is modern. So we're gonna dip right back into the past for a number which is just as new now as when it was written in 1917, the famous 'Sensation Rag'..."
5	Sensation Rag	3:27
6	U.S. Savings Bonds commercial (Elliott)	1:04
	"Boy, that's only the beginning -- you ain't heard nothin' yet. Yeah, but right now I got a message. You know, everybody thinks of the future, and everybody thinks of being comfortable in the future. But does everybody think of saving for the future? Do you think about it? Well, if you don't, you should. Start thinking about savings -- and more important, start saving. The Payroll Savings Plan where you work is an easy automatic way of saving for the future. Easy, because what you save each payday, you hardly feel. And automatic, because the money is saved for you, no fuss or bother. Besides that, the money you save in the payroll savings plan is invested in U.S. Savings Bonds. Meaning that you get four dollars back for every three saved, in just ten years. And that can make you nice and comfortable in the future. So, ah, if you're on a payroll, ask about the Payroll Savings Plan where you work. And if you're not -- if you're a farmer, lawyer, doctor, writer -- then look into the Bond a Month Plan where you bank. This too is an easy automatic way of saving. So join one -- the Payroll Savings Plan where you work, or the Bond a Month Plan where you bank. Buy Bonds, regularly. Rudi Blesh, you wanna talk now?"
7	Introduction (Blesh)	0:29
	"Thank you, Bruce. Yeah, but not very long because there's got... we're gonna give you a lot more New Orleans music in the time that we have left on our half of the program. Our next number was once featured by a man that, ah, is commonly acknowledged the greatest living trumpet player in jazz, a man who was a guest on This is Jazz a few months ago, a man who significantly enough has never been identified with the so-called modern music in jazz. Of course I'm referring to Louie Armstrong. We're gonna bring you his famous number, 'Save It, Pretty Mama'..."
8	Save It, Pretty Mama	4:12
9	Introduction (Blesh)	0:11
	"Now for our last number we're gonna bring you one of those famous old march tunes from New Orleans, and when you hear its title, I don't think you're going to agree, because its title is 'That's a-Plenty'..."
10	That's a-Plenty	2:54
11	Introduction (Blesh, Ulanov)	1:21
	Blesh: "And now with no further ado I'm going to bring you your narrator for the second half of this program, the editor of Metronome magazine, Barry... Ulanov. How are you, Barry?" Ulanov: "How are you, Rudi?" Blesh: "We're musical enemies but friends otherwise." Ulanov: "Exactly." Blesh: "And the big battle's coming up next Saturday, right, Barry?" Ulanov: "We're all looking forward to that World Series of jazz..." Blesh: "We're gonna get... in the mail, won't we?" Ulanov: "Absolutely." Blesh: "There's been so much discussion of the pro and con merits of the two kinds of music, now here's a chance for the public to be the judges." Ulanov: "And we'd like lots of samples of your judgment. Send us letters, let us know whether you like this music, this pitting of one music against the other in World Series fashion. We want the mail because we want to be back playing this music for you again." Blesh: "That's right, Now, um... uh, next Saturday is the payoff when the two bands are going to meet, alternating playing the same number." Ulanov: "That oughta be a choice item." Blesh: "So for the next half of the program, here's Barry Ulanov. Take it away, Barry." Ulanov: "Thank you, Rudi. Let me make one thing clear right away. That last last band was not my band. (Laughter) Elliott?: "Now look, don't you guys fight, willya, Barry?" Ulanov: "Oh, this is just verbal, we don't wanna raise any fists or anything like that, just lots of good music and let the pieces and beats fail, fall where they may. We have, I think, the choicest collection of modern musicians around, and I... Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker are of course the great men on their instruments, Lennie Tristano is a newcomer who has more to say on piano I think than anybody has ever said on that instrument. This isn't a lost weekend; this is Saturday, this is a found weekend. And let's show you how much we found with 'Hot House'..."
12	Hot House (T. Dameron)	5:07
13	Introduction (Ulanov)	0:37
	"And that, as the cognoscenti of this new music would say, was 'Hot House', which is 'What is This Thing Called Love?' gone over more than a little lightly and politely. And the soloists were Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet; Charlie Parker on alto, John LaPorta, clarinet; Billy Bauer, guitar; Lennie Tristano, piano; and Max Roach on drums and Ray Brown playing that fine bass with him. Now the number that was more instrumental I think than any other in making Bing Crosby the famous man that he is today, 'I Surrender Dear.' It's a lot more instrumental in the version that Lennie Tristano has prepared, with Lennie on piano of course; Billy Bauer, guitar; and Ray Brown on bass. A chorus and a half of 'I Surrender Dear'..."
14	I Surrender Dear (G. Clifford-H. Barris)	3:04
	Rhythm section only
15	U.S. Savings Bonds commercial (Elliott)	0:30
	"Barry Ulanov will be back in a minute but right now I have something else to say. Two may live as cheaply as one, but three can't. No sir, when the little one comes along, you need money, and plenty of it. From cribs to long pants to college -- yes, most of all, for college. That's why so many, many people are saving for their child's college education in U.S. Savings Bonds. There's nothing better. Every three dollars saved brings back four in just ten years. So remember, the Bond a Month Plan -- a wonderful way of saving for your future and your child's future. OK, Barry..."
16	Introduction (Ulanov)	0:05
	"We think this music speaks for itself, so we're not gonna do any more talking at this end. Here we go with 'Fine and Dandy'..."
17	Fine and Dandy (with closing announcement) (P. James-K. Swift)	3:25
	Incomplete (2:12) on Sounds 1206. Voiceover (2:05-2:49, 3:04-3:06). Ulanov: "Remember, if you like this kind of music, we want to hear from you. Letters to me, Barry Ulanov, or Rudi Blesh, or both, at your nearest Mutual station. Larry Dorn, who emcees this show usually, and we go into Bruce Elliott who has some more words for you..." Elliott: "Thanks, Barry. You've been listening to Bands for Bonds, which was produced by Larry Dorn, in cooperation with Wynn Goulden, and came to you from our Mutual Studios in New York. Today we featured Rudi Blesh's All-Star Stompers and Barry Ulanov's All-Star Modern Jazz Musicians. Presented by the Mutual Network and United States Savings Bonds, in cooperation with the American Federation of Musicians, James C. Petrillo, President. Hey, don't forget that big deal next week, another big fight between these two boys, Barry..., Barry Ulanov and Rudi Blesh. We'll see you all next week... If you can still hear me, this is the Mutual Broadcasting System."


3 Ko Ko + introduction of Barry Ulanov's All-Star Jazz Moderns (Bruce Elliott) 12" LP: Zim ZL 1001, Spotlite SPJ 107 CD: Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Volume 43 (W 874), Masters of Jazz MJCD 142, ESP-Disk 4050, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1334
12 Hot House 12" LP: Zim ZL 1001, Spotlite SPJ 107, Sounds 1206 CD: Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Masters of Jazz MJCD 142, Musica Jazz MJCD 1102, ESP-Disk 4050, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1334
14 I Surrender Dear 12" LP: Zim ZL 1001, Spotlite SPJ 107 CD: Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Definitive DRCD 11289
17 Fine and Dandy (with closing announcement) 12" LP: Zim ZL 1001, Spotlite SPJ 107, Sounds 1206 CD: Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Masters of Jazz MJCD 142, Definitive DRCD 11289, ESP-Disk 4050, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1334

This was a Saturday night Bands for Bonds radio broadcast (U.S. Treasury for Mutual network). It is the first recorded reunion with Gillespie, and Parker's first recorded collaboration with Lennie Tristano.

Thanks to James Accardi for help with this session.