Session details: Royal Roost Club (January 15, 1949)

Charlie Parker session details

January 15, 1949 (10 items; TT = 19:55)

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); Joe Harris (d); Conti Candoli (tpt); Benny Green (tb); Charlie Ventura (ts); Flip Phillips [Joseph Filipelli] (ts); Dillon "Curley" Russell (b); Ed Shaughnessy (d); Shelly Manne (d); Symphony Sid Torin (ann)

1	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	1:00
	"...more things for you, I once again would like to remind you that if you'd like to pick up on that album, Jazz at the Philharmonic Volume 9, with the great and wonderful Flip Phillips and Illinois Jacquet, Bill Harris, and Howard McGhee and the rest of the gentlemen, just write us a letter, write a letter to your boy Symphony Sid, WMCA, New York 19, and here's how you start it: 'I like to call Circle-six-two-five-hundred because...' And if you happen to be one of the ten great ones, well, we'll send you that album, JATP Volume 9, that hasn't been released yet. And for a consolation prize we're giving away ten copies of 'No Noise' with Flip on one side and the great Bird on the other side. Say, talking about the Bird, let's give him a wonderful hand. Charlie Parker and the All-Stars, the great Charlie Parker and the All-Stars, Charlie Parker, Max Roach [sic], Al Haig, Tommy Potter, and Kenny Dorham. And right now, ladies and gentlemen, without wasting too much time, here's the wonderful side that everybody asks for, 'Scrapple from the Apple'..."
2	Scrapple from the Apple (C. Parker)	4:05
	Sid's talking is audible during Haig's solo (3:08-3:20); you can hear him say 'Max got married' at 3:19
3	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:26
	"Ah, on drums, ladies and gentlemen, you know we have Max Roach here every morning, but Max decided he'd get married this morning, so we don't have Max with us, and if he's listening, well, happy vudwit (?) to him. And instead it's Joe Harris on drums, and right now here's the... (laughter) Al Haig, play the fiddle... Right now, here's the Bird and the All-Stars once again, and 'Bebop'..."
4	Bebop (D. Gillespie)	3:22
5	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	0:08
	"That's right, it's Mr. Bop himself, the great Bird, Charlie Parker and the All-Stars, with a new sound in modern progressive jazz. And right now, one you all remember, one that Bird, Dizzy, and Al Haig made, and Curley Russell, long time ago for Guild, a thing called 'Hot House'..."
6	Hot House (T. Dameron)	5:06
	During his solo Parker quotes "Pop Goes the Weasel" (1:02-1:06); Parker and Harris exchanges after Haig's solo (3:52-4:28)
7	Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin)	1:04
	"Let's bring up Flip Phillips, Charlie Ventura, the Bird, Curley Russell, Al Haig, Shelly Manne, Joe Harris, Miss O'Shannessy [sic], Conti Candoli, and Benny Green. Let's blow one. C'mon fellas, let's all get up here... and really break it up doing a lot of wonderful things with a wonderful tune that's got a lot of meat in it. How 'bout a little bit of 'How High the Moon' for the next, uh, eight or ten minutes. Come on fellas, let's get the thing jumpin'. We got, uh, Flip Phillips coming up, Charlie Ventura, the Bird, Curley Russell, Al Haig, Shelly Manne, Joe Harris, and Shaughnessy. We got three... three horns, we've got three, ah... Oh, we'll go way over four o'clock this morning, who cares? The boss pays for it, what do we care? All right, fellas, let's go. This is gonna be an all-star, all-star session. Remember, once again, it's Flip on tenor, Ventura on tenor, Bird on alto, Curley Russell on bass, Al Haig on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, Joe Harris on drums, O'Shaughnessy on drums, Conti Candoli on trumpet, and Benny Geen on... Green on trombone. Come on fellas, let's start off with 'How High the Moon'... Let's go!" Unknown: "Lead off..."
8	How High the Moon (beginning) (N. Hamilton-M. Lewis)	3:28
	Solos: Parker (0:39-1:17) "And the first of our horns, ladies and gentlemen, the Bird, Charlie Parker. Go ahead, boy -- blow, Bird..."; Phillips (1:17-1:53) "And here comes the great Perdido himself, Flip Phillips..."; Green (1:53-2:27) "And here he is, out of the Charlie Ventura group, the great Benny Green..."; Ventura (3:03-3:28) "And here we have Charlie Ventura, Charlie Ventura coming up on tenor. We have two bass players, we've got Tommy Potter, we've got the other camp out of the great Charlie Ventura group -- come on, fellas, blow!"
9	How High the Moon (conclusion) (N. Hamilton-M. Lewis)	1:00
	Ventura's solo continues (0:00-0:19), then everyone joins in a chorus of "Ornithology"
10	Jumpin' with Symphony Sid (L. Young)	0:16
	"And so, ladies and gentlemen, we've done the greatest. We've brought Flip Phillips, Charlie Ventura, the Bird, Curley Russell, Al Haig, Shelly Manne, Joe Harris, Shaughnessy, Conti Candoli, Benny Green... We've have everybee, everybody here... on our broadcast. I hope you've had a lot of fun..."


1 Introduction (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
2 Scrapple from the Apple 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 Introduction (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
4 Bebop 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
5 Introduction (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), Savoy SVY 17021/4, Definitive DRCD 11153, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1336
6 Hot House 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
7 Introduction (Symphony Sid Torin) 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 1335
8 How High the Moon (beginning) 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 1335
9 How High the Moon (conclusion) 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 1335
10 Jumpin' with Symphony Sid 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 1335

This version of "Hot House" is one of the high points of Parker's Roost recordings. Despite some looseness in the horns, the Quintet has really come together after the hasty departure of Davis.

The jam session that concludes this broadcast combines the personnel of two groups booked at the Roost. Symphony Sid introduces Ed Shaughnessy as "Miss O'Shannessy" (and chuckles about it) -- this may be an allusion to the character Brigid O'Shaughnessy (played by Mary Astor) in John Huston's 1941 film of The Maltese Falcon. I am grateful to Steve Beck for discussion on this point.