Track 15 of Arpeggio ARJ 012 is supposed to be a 4:37 version of "Ornithology,"
but it is rather the closing 0:47 of the preceding tune. I'm not sure whether such
a version exists or whether this is just an error by Robert Bregman and the producers
of this CD. All of the issues I have heard (Bird Box, Arpeggio, Philology) duplicate
the concluding 1:29 of the third fragment of "Body and Soul."
This performance was recorded by Yngve Neglin on a Luxor Magnefon wire recorder. The
Restaurang Sjöcrona was located on the grounds of the Folkets Park where Parker
had performed earlier on this date.
This whirlwind Swedish tour was organized by Parker's manager Billy Shaw. Parker
and Roy Eldridge had been invited by Nils Hellström, publisher of the journal
Estrad, to play a number of Swedish venues accompanied by Swedish rhythm sections.
The various groups involved in this tour were:
- Charles Norman Orchestra: Leppe Sundewall (tpt); Gösta Theselius (ts); Charles Norman (p);
Thore Jederby (b); Andrew Burman (d);
- Roy Eldridge with the Norman group;
- Rolf Ericson/Arne Domnerus Orchestra: Rolf Ericson (tpt); Arne Domnerus (as); Rolk Blomquist (ts);
Lars Gullin (bs); Gunnar Svensson (p); Yngve Ackerberg (b); Jack Norén (d);
- Charlie Parker accompanied by Ericson and the rhythm section of the Ericson/Domnerus group
The American musicians arrived at Bromma airport on Sunday Novemeber 19th, where
Parker was met by a large group of enthusiastic fans. The itinerary for the tour
was as follows:
November 20: Konserthuset, Stockholm (two concerts)
November 20 (after the Konserthuset concerts): basement of Von der Lindeska Huset, Stockholm (jam session)
November 21: Göteborg Koncerthus, Gothenburg (two concerts)
November 22: Amiralen Dance Hall, Malmö
November 22 (after the Malmö concert): Akademiska Föreningen, Lund (jam session)
November 23: KB Hallen, Copenhagen (two concerts)
November 24: Folkparken (Folkets Park), Helsingborg (two concerts)
November 24 (after the Folkets Park concerts): Restaurang Sjöcrona, Helsingborg (jam session)
November 25: Jönköpings Idrottshus, Jönköping (two concerts)
November 26: Folkparken, Gävle (two concerts)
November 27: Nalen, Stockholm (jam session with Toots Thielemans, Putte Wickman Orchestra, and Cab Kaye Orchestra)
Parker left Sweden on November 28, stopping in Paris to record with the Maurice
Moufflard Orchestra. The Paris visit, which was supposed to include a concert organized
by Charles Delaunay, was aborted because of objections by Hellström, who wanted Delaunay to
pay for Parker's return to Sweden. Delauney refused, and Billy Shaw ordered Parker to return to
New York.
Parker's playing on these Swedish dates is relaxed and inventive, and he sounds
like he's having a blast. The audiences are very appreciative.
The Dragon CD reissue of this material is a dramatic improvement over previous editions. The
pitch has been corrected throughout. The tunes performed by the Swedish group (with Arne Domnerus
in place of Parker) are included. The tunes are in the correct order. The notes by Martin
Westin are informative, supplemented with several contemporary ads and photographs.
I am grateful to Niels Therp for alerting me to Martin Westin's book
Charlie Parker i Sverige: med en Avstickare till Köpenhabn (Premium Publishing, 2014)
and for help with the details of this session. For further details check out Martin
Westin's blog post: http://martinwestin.blogspot.dk/2007/07/charlie-parker-in-sweden.html. I am
also grateful to Leif Bo Petersen for his help with the Swedish sessions.
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