Session details: Royal Roost Club (January 29, 1949)

Charlie Parker session details

January 29, 1949 (3 items; TT = 4:52)

Royal Roost Club, New York NY

WMCA-AM radio broadcast (B+)

Show chatter

Charlie Parker (as); Kenny Dorham (tpt); Al Haig (p); Tommy Potter (b); Max Roach (d); Symphony Sid Torin (ann)

1	Jumpin' with Symphony Sid (with introduction) (L. Young)	0:57
	Voiceover from 0:10: "And so ladies and gentlemen, once again we take our WMCA microphones right down to the Royal Roost, the Metropolitan Bopera House, on Broadway between 47th and 48th Street, and bring you the gonest. Where you can sit back and relax from 9:30 in the evening until four in the morning and dig the greats of all time. All we do is ask you to come down and see if you don't have a wonderful time. And to start our 3:03 to 4:00 edition of the show, as we do every Friday night, Saturday morning, we bring you the great Bird, Charlie Parker and the All-Stars, Charlie Parker, let's give him a great big hand... Charlie Parker and the All-Stars, featuring Max Roach on drums, Al Haig at the piano, Tommy Potter on bass, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, and without wasting too much time, let's all have a gang of fun with 'Groovin' High'..."
2	Groovin' High (D. Gillespie-F. Paparelli)	3:36
	Parker plays miserably on this number -- unstable and halting in the ensemble, and after an aborted solo (0:35-0:39), Dorham enters. Dorham and Roach exchanges before the out chorus (2:33-3:02)
3	Closing announcement (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:19
	"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we've been telling you about the great and wonderful Harry Belafonte. We're gonna bring you the great Harry Belafonte and the new sounds, the wonderful sound, the new discovery here at the Royal Roost, featuring Al Haig at the piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and the wonderful and sensational Max Roach on drums..."


1 Jumpin' with Symphony Sid (with introduction) 12" LP: Savoy SJL 2260 CD: Savoy ZDS 4411/4, K30Y 6241/4, Nippon Columbia COCY 75791/8, COCB 50407 (= COCB 53442), Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336
2 Groovin' High 12" LP: Savoy SJL 2260 CD: Savoy ZDS 4411/4, K30Y 6241/4, Nippon Columbia COCY 75791/8, COCB 50407 (= COCB 53442), Savoy SVY 17021/4, Definitive DRCD 11153, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336
3 Closing announcement (Symphony Sid Torin) 12" LP: Savoy SJL 2260 CD: Savoy ZDS 4411/4, K30Y 6241/4, Nippon Columbia COCY 75791/8, COCB 50407 (= COCB 53442), Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336

This abbreviated broadcast shows Parker at a low point, barely able to get through the theme of "Groovin' High" and completely unable to solo. Mercifully, Symphony Sid closes out after only one number.