2 July 1942. Of the eighteen sides by the Jay McShann orchestra where Charlie Parker is present, Sepian Bounce is the one that made Bird the toast of a whole generation of musicians searching for new frontiers. Although his solo work (audible here after McShann’s piano chorus) does not give much indication of his phenomenal later technique, he had already forged a wholly individual style. The particular way that he chose to make his instrument sing broke completely with the melodic thinking of other soloists of the period, with the possible exception of Lester Young.
September 1942. According to critic Alain Tercinet, "Cherokee" is “the birth certificate of a genius”, and one can only agree. It is one of four private recordings that Bird made with a couple of old friends on a trip home to Kansas City. As has often been pointed out, he decided to use Ray Noble’s tune to build a sort of parallel universe within jazz, but without rejecting what other pioneers had already achieved. Using the chord changes of "Cherokee" (cf. "KoKo" and his sketch, "Warmin’ Up A Riff") he managed to establish a stylistic difference that, while certainly raising a few hackles, was indisputably his own. From now on this difference was to make him either revered or reviled, proof positive that Parker had reached the goal that at the outset he had had trouble defining, even to himself.
6 June 1945. Parker’s meeting with John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie in Kansas City one autumn day in 1939 was a decisive moment for both men. They produced the first recorded evidence of their teamwork in Room 305 of Chicago’s Savoy Hotel, on 15 February 1943, for the exclusive benefit of one Bob Redcross, an avid collector who owned a recording machine. After working in the Earl Hines band, they turned up again on a session with Clyde Hart’s All Stars in January 1945, with Sarah Vaughan in March and then with Red Norvo’s “Selected Sextet” in July, by which time Diz and Bird had a regular small-band gig at the Three Deuces on 52nd Street. Two sides from the highly informal Norvo date, Hallelujah and "Congo Blues", are featured on the Frémeaux album, Dizzy Gillespie. Here we include "Slam Slam Blues", a conventional twelve-bar format being quite enough room for Parker to show what poetic heights he could reach. Meanwhile the controversial Red Norvo produces one of the most thoughtful, solid vibes solos of his entire career...
Alain Tercinet (English adaptation by Tony Baldwin)
Source : https://www.fremeaux.com/fr/489-charlie-parker-quintessence-vol-1-3700368458815-fa225.html#livret
Charlie Parker
The Quintessence
New York-Hollywood
(1942-1947)
Tracks
Cd. 1
1 Sepian Bounce (Hall ) 3:14
2 Cherokee (Noble) 3:11
3 Slam Slam Blues (Norvo) 4:20
4 Billie's Bounce (Parker) 3:10
5 Now's the Time (Parker) 3:16
6 Koko (Parker) 2:55
7 Slim's Jam (Parker) 3:18
8 Oh, Lady Be Good (Gershwin, Gershwin) 11:06
9 Cherokee (Noble) 2:55
10 Moose the Mooche (Parker) 3:04
11 Yardbird Suite (Parker) 2:56
12 Ornithology (Harris, Parker) 2:59
13 A Night in Tunisia (Gillespie, Paparelli) 0:49
14 A Night in Tunisia [The Famous Alto Break] (Gillespie, Paparelli) 3:03
15 Bird's Nest (Parker) 2:44
16 Cool Blues (Parker) 2:48
17 Relaxin' at Camarillo (Parker) 3:07
18 Carvin' the Bird (McGhee) 2:42
*
Cd. 2
1 Donna Lee (Davis, Parker) 2:38
2 Chasing the Bird (Parker) 3:01
3 A Night in Tunisia (Gillespie, Paparelli) 5:10
4 Dizzy Atmosphere (Gillespie) 4:03
5 Groovin' High (Gillespie) 5:15
6 Confirmation (Parker) 5:37
7 Koko (Parker) 4:14
8 Dexterity (Parker) 3:00
9 The Hymn (Parker) 2:29
10 Bird of Paradise (Parker) 3:12
11 Embraceable You (Gershwin, Gershwin) 3:48
12 Embraceable You (Gershwin, Gershwin) 3:25
13 Klact-Oveedseds-Tene (Parker) 3:04
14 Scrapple from the Apple (Parker) 2:59
15 Out of Nowhere (Green, Heyman) 3:07
16 Don't Blame Me (Fields, McHugh) 2:49
17 Bluebird (Parker) 2:51
18 Klaunstance (Parker) 2:46
*
Personnel
Featuring Charlie Parker, Jay McShann, Bud Powell, Dodo Marmarosa, Arnold Ross, Howard McGhee, Lester Young, Buddy Rich, Nat King Cole, Erroll Garner, Barney Kessel, Wardell Gray, Red Callender, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Max Roach, Lucky Thompson, Little Phil Philips, Red Norvo, Teddy Wilson, Dizzy Gillespie, etc.
Recorded in various locations ; between July 2, 1942 & December 20, 1947