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Charlie Parker session details

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July 1951 (7 items; TT = 23:48)
Phil Baxter's house, Kansas City MO
Private recording (Wire) (B-)

Charlie Parker (as); Unknown (b); Unknown (d)

1 Bird Song #1 (C. Parker) 1:38
2 Bird Song #2 (C. Parker) 4:45
3 Bird Song #3 (C. Parker) 3:42
4 Cherokee (R. Noble) 3:33
5 Body and Soul (J.W. Green-E. Heyman-R. Sour-F. Eyton) 3:28
6 Honeysuckle Rose (A. Razaf-F. Waller) 2:54
7 Perdido (J. Tizol) 3:48


1 Bird Song #1
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

2 Bird Song #2
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

3 Bird Song #3
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

4 Cherokee
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

5 Body and Soul
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

6 Honeysuckle Rose
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735

7 Perdido
12" LP: Verve 06024 6804734
CD: Verve 06024 6804735


These tunes were recorded by Ray Crawford, a friend of Phil Baxter's, during a jam session at a party in Baxter's home on the east side of Kansas City. The recordings were never released, though open-reel copies were made as backups.

At various points in "Bird Song #1" (a blues in C) Parker quotes "Twisted," "Buttons and Bows," and "Pick Yourself Up." During "Bird Song #2" (a blues in B-flat) he quotes "Adeste Fidelis," "Kim," "Moose the Mooche," and "Lullaby of Birdland." "Bird Song #3" is based on the changes of "Lady Be Good." All of the tunes conclude with a cadence that John Griffin has aptly called the "Three Stooges ending" (two of the songs that occur frequently in their short film end with this melody). "Body and Soul" concludes with the familiar "Country Gardens" tag.

Parker is very fluent and inventive on all these tunes. The tempos vary widely; e.g. "Bird Song #2" begins at a jaunty tempo (ca. 178 bpm) but by the end it has slowed to about 144 bpm.

I am grateful to John Griffin for help with this session.

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