MAY 15

               CHARLIE PARKER

          Live Birdland 1950

               Recording Date:
                  May 15-16, 1950

               Personnel:
                  Fats Navarro     TP
                  Charlie Parker   AS
                  Bud Powell         P
                  Curly Russell      B
                  Art Blakey         D

    





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Reviewby Scott Yanow

The recording date may be suspect (trumpeter Fats Navarro died of tuberculosis only a week later) and the recording quality is not state of the art but the music on this two-LP set is often quite brilliant. Charlie Parker is teamed with Navarro, pianist Bud Powell, bassist Curley Russell and drummer Art Blakey for extended (usually six- to ten-minute) versions of 13 songs including "'Round Midnight" (the only time that Bird ever recorded a Thelonious Monk tune), "Move," "Out of Nowhere" and "Ornithology." The all-star lineup clearly inspired each other, making this two-fer well worth searching for.