Session details: Municipal Auditorium (July 22, 1951)

Charlie Parker session details

July 22, 1951 (23 items; TT = 50:36)

Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City MO

Private recording (Tape) (B)

Show chatter

Charlie Parker (as); Roy Caton (tpt); Don Fagerquist (tpt); Johnny Macombe (tpt); Doug Mettome (tpt); Urbie Green (tb); Jerry Dorn (tb); Fred Lewis (tb); Woody Herman (as, cl, cond); Dick Hafer (ts); Bill Perkins (ts); Kenny Pinson (ts); Sam Staff (bs); Dave McKenna (p); Lawrence "Red" Wootten (b); Sonny Igoe (d)

First set
1	Introduction (Unknown)	0:25
	"It gives me great pleasure at this time... the world-famous alto saxophonist from Kansas City, the Yardbird, Charlie Parker..."
2	How High the Moon (version 1) (N. Hamilton-M. Lewis)	3:03
	Parker solos 0:38-2:42 and alludes to "Ornithology" early in his solo (1:37-1:41)
3	You Go to My Head (H. Gillespie-J.F. Coots)	3:47
	The version on Bird Box and Philology Volume 23 (3:02) begins in the middle of Parker's solo; the version on Philology 27 begins with the ensemble
4	Leo the Lion (version 1) (W. Herman)	3:15
	Parker quotes "Cool Blues" near the beginning of his solo (1:29-1:31)
5	Announcement (Herman)	0:10
	"Ladies and gentlemen, Charlie will be right back just a little later and blow some more for you... [someone calls for a tune whose title I cannot decipher] All right, we'll have him blow that when he comes back, all right?" [same man calls for 'A Drop of Lemon'] We'll be right back with you..."

Second set
6	Introduction (Unknown)	0:05
	"...alto saxophonist, Charlie Parker..."
7	Cubop Holiday (W. Herman)	3:04
	At 1:49 someone (Herman?) shouts "Bridge!"
8	The Nearness of You (N. Washington-H. Carmichael)	3:39
	"One, two..."
9	Lemon Drop (W. Herman)	3:41
	"Hey, hey..." Various band members (voc). Parker quotes "Mean to Me" in his solo (1:12-1:14). He has some spirited sixteen-bar exchanges with the brass section before the theme returns at the end

Third set
10	Introduction (Unknown)	0:22
	"...I'd like to remind you also, ladies and gentlemen, of our coming attractions. August the fifth, [undecipherable] and Cab Calloway and his show, then on August the 19th, in this auditorium, Louie Jordan, the man who plays the most. So, come on out everybody and have a swell time. Now here's Charlie Parker, Kansas City's own Charlie Parker. Let's give him a great big hand for the [undecipherable] time to appear tonight... Charlie Parker!"
11	The Goof and I (W. Herman)	3:37
	Parker quotes "Adeste Fideles" in his solo (1:27-1:32), and the opening of "Move" in his exchanges with the brass (2:31-2:32)
12	Laura (D. Raskin-J. Mercer)	2:36
13	Four Brothers (J. Giuffre)	4:04
	"One, two..." During the closing applause someone asks, "Where you goin', Charlie?"
14	Leo the Lion (version 2) (W. Herman)	3:14
15	Leo the Lion (version 2 (inc, different source)) (W. Herman)	1:05
	After the applause dies down someone calls from the audience: "'Lemon Drop'... Hey, Woody, 'Lemon Drop'..."
16	Unknown Title (incomplete)	0:06
17	Sonny Speaks (set closer)	2:53
	"One, two..."

Fourth set (?)
18	Caldonia (F. Moore, arr. N. Hefti, R. Burns)	2:31
	Before the tune begins, the same guy calls for "Lemon Drop", and at the end he's still calling for it
19	Sweet Sue, Just You (W. Harris-V. Young)	2:58
	Gap at 1:35; several seconds missing from piano solo. Possibly another splice at 2:07. At the end of the tune, the guy is still requesting "Lemon Drop." After the fragment there's some audible chatter: "Everywhere, 'Lemon Drop', 'Four Brothers', let's go... And a theme..."
20	Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (H. Arlen-T. Kohler)	4:07
	After the tune there's some mostly-undecipherable chatter, and our man again requests, "Hey Woody, 'Lemon Drop'..."
21	You Go to My Head (incomplete) (H. Gillespie-J.F. Coots)	1:49
22	Announcement (Herman)	0:05
	"And now, ladies and gentlemen, there'll be a short intermission, then we'll have Charlie come back and blow some more. Thank you."


1 Introduction (Unknown) CD: Philology Volume 23 (W 853)
2 How High the Moon (version 1) CD: Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
3 You Go to My Head 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
4 Leo the Lion (version 1) 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
7 Cubop Holiday 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
8 The Nearness of You 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
9 Lemon Drop 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
11 The Goof and I 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
12 Laura 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
13 Four Brothers 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340
14 Leo the Lion (version 2) 12" LP: Bird Box 01-22 LP 15 CD: New Sound Planet JUTB 3012, Sound Hills SSCD 8028, Philology Volume 23 (W 853), Volume 27 (W 858), Synergie OMP no number, Frémeaux & Associés FA 1340

This is a fascinating recording of Bird thrown in with the seasoned Woody Herman band. The most interesting tune is Jimmy Giuffre's "Four Brothers," where Parker stops playing to figure out the difficult changes (listen at 0:52). It doesn't take him long to get his bearings, and by the next chorus he's ready to play through. He has a beautiful economical solo on "You Go to My Head."

A review in the Kansas City Call was enthusiastic:

Charley [sic] Parker, brilliant saxophonist, brought down the house when he appeared as a guest artist. Playing a forceful sax, with brilliant execution, 'Yardbird' was terrific. The crowd swung into motion as Charley riffed off in masterful style some of the be-bop numbers for which he won wide acclaim as a member of the Norman Granz' Jazz at the Philharmonic ensemble. The big Herman band fell in with Parker and turned out some really solid stuff, sending the crowd wild and arousing old Maestro Herman from his mood of thoughtfulness. (Kansas City Call, July 27, 1951, p. 9)

Philology Volume 27 purports to include two versions of "How High the Moon," but they are the same (although one begins with Herman counting off). Philology Volume 23 contains the one version of "How High the Moon" preceded by Herman's introduction and some stage chatter.

The version of "Laura" included on Bird Box and Philology is quite slow, and the time listed here is from a pitch-corrected version. Thanks to Masaya Yamaguchi for alerting me to the pitch discrepancy.

The division of tunes into sets, and the order within each set, are both very speculative.

I'm grateful to Marcel Gärtner for help with this session.