Session details: Birdland (April 7, 1951)

Charlie Parker session details

April 7, 1951 (9 items; TT = 23:26)

Birdland, New York NY

WJZ-AM radio broadcast (B)

Show chatter

Charlie Parker (as); Walter Bishop Jr. (p); Teddy Kotick (b); Roy Haynes (d); Martin Sperber (oboe); Daniel Stern (cello); Unknown (other strings, harp); Symphony Sid Torin (ann)

1	What is This Thing Called Love? (C. Porter)	2:02
	Faded out during closing theme on Ember
2	Laura (D. Raskin-J. Mercer)	3:31
	During his solo Parker quotes "Cool Blues" (0:55-1:02)
3	Repetition (N. Hefti)	2:43
4	Interview	3:04
	SS: "What was this last thing, Bird?" CP: "The name of that last tune was 'Repetition'." SS: "Never heard of it." CP: "It was a tune that was released in the Jazz Scene album not long ago, a composition of Neal Hefti's." SS: "An original thing." CP: "An original thing." SS: "Jazz Scene album." CP: "That's correct." SS: "Who had anything to do with that?" CP: "Well, Neal Hefti, and there was quite a large band on it, with Neal Hefti listed as composer and arranger." SS: "Good. Ah, we also didn't play that because I saw that you had it on the list for this morning, and we had a lot of requests for it and, ah, it's a beautiful thing, Bird. We get so many calls for it, it's marvelous." CP: "Thank you, Sid." SS: "How about, I'd like to ask you about this new recording that you just made, 'Leap Frog' -- is that the old 'Leap Frog' that Les Brown made with..." CP: "No, it's another thing altogether, it's an original, something of mine that Norman Granz decided he wanted to call 'Leap Frog'." SS: "And the other side you call 'Relaxing with Lee' -- who's Lee?" CP: "I don't have the slightest idea. They name those tunes after I leave the studio." SS: "They name it af... Could be Lee Konitz, it could be Lee, ah, somebody, I don't know... You know I only did this, Bird, because you have such a wonderful speaking voice, and not everybody gets a chance to hear you, and I thought that, you know, just gettin' you to talk a little bit would make everybody feel fine. Um, your original... Where is your home by the way?" CP: "Kansas City." SS: "I was gonna say that. We reach that far." CP: "You do?" SS: "Uh-huh." CP: "There's a chance friends of mine in my home town are listening?" SS: "I wonder if there's a friend in Kansas City this morning who is listening to Charlie Parker and Strings, I wonder would they call Bob Garrity in the snake pit over there at Justin 6 5454. Who do you think might be listening this morning?" CP: "I don't know. I have a lot of friends in Kansas City." SS: "You have a lot of... You do have a lot of friends in Kansas City. Well, just for kicks -- we've stopped taking requests, you know -- but just for kicks, it'd be real wonderful if somebody from Kansas City... Hey Garrity! Hey, ah, Dick Lyons! Dick? You listening? Stop runnin' your mouth with Garrity. This is the free hour -- this is the hour you don't work. So listen, you may get a call from Kansas City. If you do, ah, would you sort of rush it out? Anybody from Kansas City who's listening in this morning, call Justin 6 5454. By they time they get in, I got news for you, we'll be off. But anyhow, if they can get the call through, call Justin 6 5454, and I'm sure that Bird would like to hear from his friends. Bird, what we gonna do next?" CP: "Well, this is a recent recording, a recent release on the Mercury label -- it was recorded in the last session, 'They Can't Take That Away from Me'." SS: "That's a beautiful tune, ladies and gentlemen, 'They Can't Take That Away from Me'...
5	They Can't Take That Away from Me (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin)	3:07
	Faded out during closing theme on Ember
6	Easy to Love (C. Porter)	2:15
	Faded out during closing theme on Ember
7	Easy to Love (incomplete) (C. Porter)	1:35
	End of Parker solo and closing chorus only
8	Rocker (G. Mulligan)	2:33
9	Jumpin' with Symphony Sid (with voiceover) (L. Young)	2:36
	Voiceover closing announcement (2:10-2:37): "Well, there's Bird and Strings with our theme, 'Jumpin' with Symphony Sid', and I hope you really enjoyed our 55 minute broadcast, our live broadcast here at Birdland, at the jazz corner of the world, Broadway at 52nd Street. And don't forget, if you're looking for musical entertainment, make it here at Birdland. I know that you'll have a lot of fun. Well, that's it, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you had a lot of fun, and for me, well, I cut out. See you at the Apollo Theatre this morning..."


1 What is This Thing Called Love? 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 13, Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Sony SRCS 7096, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
2 Laura 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 13, Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Sony SRCS 7096, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
3 Repetition 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 13, Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Sony SRCS 7096, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
4 Interview 12" LP: Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Sony SRCS 7096
5 They Can't Take That Away from Me 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 13, Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Sony SRCS 7096, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
6 Easy to Love 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 13, Columbia JC-34832 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3010, Sound Hills SSCD 8026, Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Philology Volume 52 (W 893), Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
7 Easy to Love (incomplete) CD: Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Volume 52 (W 893), Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901
8 Rocker 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 14 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3011, Sound Hills SSCD 8027, Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Volume 52 (W 893), Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339
9 Jumpin' with Symphony Sid (with voiceover) 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 14 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3011, Sound Hills SSCD 8027, Philology Volume 17 (W 847), Volume 52 (W 893), Ember/Fat Boy FBB 901, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1339

This is the second of two WJZ Saturday broadcasts of Parker and Strings from Birdland. The strings group began a three-week engagement at Birdland on March 22, and we have WJZ broadcasts from March 24 and April 7. During this time Parker also appeared at Birdland with his Quintet (with Gillespie, Bud Powell or Billy Taylor, Potter, and Haynes), and there are recordings from March 31 and April 1-3.

The last three items are often listed as from March 17 (or March 22, as in Ken Vail, Bird's Diary), but they belong here. In closing, Symphony Sid says, "See you at the Apollo Theatre this morning." Leif Bo Petersen tells me that Symphony Sid was on the bill at the Apollo the week beginning April 6 (according to an advertisement in New York's Amsterdam News, April 7, 1951, p. 13). I'm grateful to him for his help with this session.

Thanks to Meg Stafford for identifying the oboe player and cellist, Martin Sperber and Daniel Stern, who toured briefly with Parker and Strings in the spring of 1951.