This material is from a jam session in the basement of the William Henry Apartments
at 136th and Broadway. Recorded by Gers Yowell, edited to include Parker solos and
exchanges. Even some of the exchanges are edited to include only Parker's fours!
Parker plays very fluently and imaginatively throughout, and despite the off-putting
cuts these are excellent examples of his playing in a relaxed jam-session context.
Isola plays drums on "Out of Nowhere" and "All the Things You Are," Bridgeford on
"Bernie's Tune," and Brown on the remaining titles.
In the notes to ZIM 1006, Gers Yowell writes, "Bird opened with 'Little Willie
Leaps' and 'All the Things You Are.' During a short break that followed, he contemplated
his horn, playing a few runs that made him recall Rudy Weidoeft and the similar
runs that were in the Weidoeft study book which most of the sax players studied
at one time or another. 'Bernie's Tune,' recalling the late Bernie Miller, followed.
Then the ensemble went to 'Indiana' by bus -- while Bird flew! 'Out of Nowhere'
and a superb 'Half Nelson' followed. The grand finale was 'Fine and Dandy,'
in a tempo set by Phil Brown."
This session is sometimes dated in June 1950, but John Williams, who participated
in the session, says that it took place on May 28. On that date he wrote in a postcard
to his parents, "My dear Mom and Dad, I just got home from a session at which I
blew three hours with Charlie 'Yardbird' Parker! What's more I have the whole
thing on wire recorder so I can prove it to my grandchildren. I am just fine now.
Too completely exultant to explain fully now. Lots of love, John." He adds "I've
consistently heard over the years that the sessions at the William Henry Apartments
were recorded on reel-to-reel tape. I've always know that they were in fact done
on Jimmy Knepper's wire recorder. I played at so many sessions and we were all
intrigued by Jimmy's recorder. Also, in 1950 reel-to-reel had barely emerged,
if indeed it had, and certainly none of us would have had the bread to be able
to afford one." These quotations are taken from Jazz Journal International,
May 2007, p. 15. Thanks to Jay Becker for bringing this to my attention.
I'm grateful to John Griffin for help with this session.
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