[light] [dark]

Charlie Parker session details

[Return to main page]

June 23, 1951 (17 items; TT = 51:52)
Eastern Parkway Ballroom, Brooklyn NY
Private recording (Tape) (B-)

Charlie Parker (as); Benny Harris (tpt); Walter Bishop Jr. (p); Teddy Kotick (b); Roy Haynes (d)
1 52nd Street Theme (incomplete) (T. Monk) 1:54

Begins with Parker solo, splice at 0:49 (as trumpet solo begins) into exchanges and closing theme
2 Ornithology (incomplete) (C. Parker-B. Harris) 3:40

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice (2:20) to closing solo and theme
3 Embraceable You (G. Gershwin-I. Gershwin) 2:50
4 Steeplechase [Merry-Go-Round] (C. Parker) 4:50
5 52nd Street Theme (T. Monk) 0:34
6 Now's the Time (incomplete) (C. Parker) 4:14

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice (2:32) to exchanges and closing theme
7 Be My Love (S. Cahn-N. Brodszky) 2:29

Opening theme, segue at 2:29 to "April in Paris"
8 April in Paris (V. Duke-E.Y. Harburg) 1:07

"Country Gardens" tag (1:01-1:06)
9 Dance of the Infidels (incomplete) (B. Powell) 2:50

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice (1:32) to exchanges and closing theme, into "52nd Street Theme"
10 52nd Street Theme (T. Monk) 0:38
11 Wee [Allen's Alley] (D. Best) 4:08
12 This Time the Dream's on Me (incomplete) (H. Arlen-J. Mercer) 4:25

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice (2:13) to exchanges and closing theme
13 Don't Blame Me (incomplete) (D. Fields-J. McHugh) 3:27

"Country Gardens" tag (3:19-3:26)
14 A Night in Tunisia (incomplete) (D. Gillespie-F. Paparelli) 3:25

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice at 2:45 (as trumpet solo begins) to closing Parker solo and theme
15 All the Things You Are [Bird of Paradise] (J. Kern-O. Hammerstein) 4:06

Opening theme, Parker solo, splice at 1:47 (after several bars of trumpet solo) to closing Parker solo (he quotes "Kerry Dancers" at 3:16-3:22) and closing theme
16 Cool Blues (C. Parker) 3:18

End of opening theme, Parker solo, splice (2:15) to exchanges and closing theme
17 52nd Street Theme (incomplete) (T. Monk) 3:57

Fragment of Parker announcement at 1:52-1:57, splice at 2:00 to exchanges and a chorus of "There's No Place Like Home" at 2:34-3:13; out chorus

1 52nd Street Theme (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846)

2 Ornithology (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18), Volume 59 (W 890)

3 Embraceable You
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

4 Steeplechase
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

5 52nd Street Theme
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846)

6 Now's the Time (incomplete)
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

7 Be My Love
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

8 April in Paris
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

9 Dance of the Infidels (incomplete)
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

10 52nd Street Theme
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

11 Wee
CD: Philology Volume 7 (W 57)

12 This Time the Dream's on Me (incomplete)
12" LP: Philology Volume 5 (W 19)
CD: Philology Volume 1/4 (W 5/18)

13 Don't Blame Me (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846)

14 A Night in Tunisia (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846), Volume 57 (W 888)

15 All the Things You Are
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846)

16 Cool Blues
CD: Philology Volume 7 (W 57)

17 52nd Street Theme (incomplete)
CD: Philology Volume 16 (W 846)

This is a poor recording with lots of crowd noise and echo, as if the recorder were well back in a large crowded hall. It is edited to Parker solos and exchanges throughout. Another hour of music from this date (these dates?) is rumored to exist.

The music issued on Philology is consistently about a half-step flat. Timings above are from a speed-corrected recording. Thanks to Bruno Leicht for confirming the pitch discrepancies.

The trumpet player is listed as unknown on Philology, but Benny Haris was a regular member of Parker's Quintet at this time. The trumpet solos (e.g. on "Steeplechase" and "Wee") sound like a bit like Red Rodney, but it is probably Harris.

Philology Volume 16 lists three versions of "52nd Street Theme" from this date, plus another which is listed as from April 21, 1951 but which belongs here (item 17). Only the version following "Dance of the Infidels" is connected to what precedes it.

I'm grateful to John Griffin, Jen-Kuang Chang, Chieo Yamada, and Leif Bo Petersen for help with this session.

All original content on this website is licensed by Peter Losin under a Creative Commons License