Although a restless and brilliant improviser like Charlie Parker's true home will always be the stage--as evidenced by the literally dozens of exciting live recordings still being recovered decades after his death in 1955--there are those who feel, with some justification, that his late-'40s recordings for Savoy Records are the essence of bebop.
Certainly Parker's backing groups at the time, starring such up-and-comers as trumpeter Miles Davis, vibraphonist Milt Jackson, and drummer Max Roach, were among the greatest in jazz history, but throughout THE BIRD RETURNS, the focus is always on Parker's endlessly questing alto sax.
Not for nothing is the opening track called "Chasin' the Bird," because when Parker was in the midst of one of his fluid, breathtaking improvisations, all the band could do was catch up.
The only fault with THE BIRD RETURNS is that its 30 minutes leave listeners longing for more.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chasin' the BirdCharlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 06:31 | 14 MB | 20 MB |
| 2 | Thriving on a RiffDizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 16 MB |
| 3 | KokoDuke Ellington, Charlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 02:32 | 5 MB | 7 MB |
| 4 | Half NelsonMiles Davis | Charlie Parker | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 10 MB |
| 5 | Scrapple From the AppleCharlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 04:39 | 10 MB | 14 MB |
| 6 | CherylCharlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 03:27 | 7 MB | 11 MB |
| 7 | BarbadosCharlie Parker | Charlie Parker | Play | 03:51 | 8 MB | 11 MB |
| 30 mins | 69 MB | |||||
| 30 mins | 93 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miles Davis | Composer, Guest Artist, Trumpet |
| 2 | Kenny Dorham | Guest Artist, Trumpet |
| 3 | Duke Ellington | Composer |
| 4 | Dizzy Gillespie | Composer |
| 5 | Al Haig | Piano |
| 6 | Harvey | Artwork |
| 7 | Milt Jackson | Guest Artist, Vibraphone |
| 8 | Charlie Parker | Composer, Primary Artist, Sax (Alto) |
| 9 | Tommy Potter | Bass |
| 10 | Max Roach | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 11 | Lucky Thompson | Guest Artist, Sax (Tenor) |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |