Back in 2016, when I heard Verve Records was releasing 'Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes', I cynically thought to myself, "Yeah, I've heard that before.", thinking they would be a rehash of .
It turned out, these newly discovered takes were found by Harry Weinger, the VP of Universal Music Enterprises, and former associate of Norman Granz. Not only that, but from Granz's 10-inch full-track reel-to-reel tape dubs of 16-inch acetates when Granz was consolidating his labels in the mid-1950s.
Weinger brought in Phil Schapp the world's foremost expert on Charlie Parker, and eminent jazz historian. Phil identified and analyzed the new material.
I like how these recordings allow us inside the private domain between Parker and Granz as they developed some of the most important music in jazz. Additionally, fans of between-song banter, who love hearing Bird's voice, will enjoy the brief highlights, including one where guests in the studio are called out by Bird and by Granz for getting too loud.
This set might be more of a boon to hardcore fans and scholars, but it does do more to show the human side of Charlie Parker. It sheds light on his work ethic and vision that helped shape a figure frequently reduced to a collection of myths and legends. Perhaps this is a 21st-century perspective, but if it provides a greater understanding of this complex man, and I think Bird would appreciate it.
BIRD LIVES!
For the freeload, tell us how have your musical tastes evolved over time.
Wrote a play set in 1952 Village NYC in a basement jazz joint. The production meticulously recreated something you'd actually find on say, Bleeker, complete with a message board at the bottom of the stairs where you could post ads to find a sax or bass player or to sell a piano, etc. In a long research phase before writing, I decided to listen only to jazz recorded before summer 1952, which is when I developed a lifelong love of Bird, Liz, Ben Webster, Prez, Mingus, all the rest. Had shown zero interest in jazz before that, and am such a mad fan now that my 22 year old son is getting ready to surpass me in his knowledge of the genre.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started on Sinatra, whom I couldn't bear until I hit the age of 50, soon after which I became a monster fan.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if my tastes have evolved, though they sure have expanded over the years. Whatever was on the radio as a child>Beach Boys>Beatles>Stones>Blues Soul R&B>Jazz (I mostly lost interest in "fusion" by the mid-seventies)and improvised music>Reggae>20th Century Classical>Javanese gamelan>"Americana"> and on and on.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say its evolved so much as expanded within a particular era (1955-1980) and slowly but surely I'm exploring as much of the music within that era as possible. I suppose within that period my taste grown to accept softer more generic pop sounds than when I was younger but its still focused primarily on the various arms of rock and soul music from that era and the later offshoots from it.
ReplyDeleteI suppose in many ways its based around the music that was subliminally imprinted on me as a child and teenager. So whether it by pop music, jazz or even classical it was already there and I've always been someone with fairly broad tastes anyway. I don't get people who have very particular dislikes of musical genres. Even with genres I am less drawn to there is still plenty of it I can happily listen to and many pieces I like.
The thing is the internet has made available basically the whole catalogue of recorded music going back to 1945 and before every part of the world. When you add all the research done and resulting tomes written by authors such as Vern Joynson and others about various styles of music its very easy for those of us interested in particular music styles of to immerse ourselves in that style for life.
The contrast to when I was young is massive. Then availability of music was basically determined by the charts, the current releases and reissues of the most popular music from the prior 10 to 20 years is. Now its like waking up in the sweetie shop everyday with everything you might want there to indulge in.
So if anything I've 'evolved' to realise how much is out there to be explored and my choice is no longer constrained by what the music industry want me to buy at any particular time which is how it was back in the day.
Link
ReplyDeletehttps://workupload.com/file/CstFX7QjDrU
I was definitely not a jazz listener (well, maybe some "fusion" guitarists like Pat Metheny now and then). At 31, I listened to a CD by flamenco guy called Niño Josele, doing Bill Evans tunes, and I though "there is something interesting here" and started digging into Bill's music. I was immediately sold... It is so wonderful to discover a different music style, particularly one so deep, with so many great musicians and traditions (and breakers of such traditions!).
ReplyDeleteNico, I have more Bill Evans in the "pipeline".
DeleteYessssss! Looking forward to it!. BTW, just in case someone is interested, the Niño Josele's album that led me into Evans is a masterpiece called "Paz" (Spanish for "Peace") and it is highly recommended. Not precisely flamenco, neither Jazz, but quite enjoyable.
DeleteI was lucky enough to be born into a family of music enthusiasts—especially my dad whose tastes were very eclectic. As to my own, they're even more varied thanks to the exponential increase in access to music from everywhere on the planet. On a given day my mix might include Baca pygmies in Cameroon rhythmically splashing on a river or Isaan music from Northern Thailand—a heady stew of western electronic sounds rooted in Eastern modes; I even hear strains of Nashville country in some of it. As a kid I grew up in South Africa where my dad was a devotee of the weekend programs on Springbok Radio aimed at the "native" audience. On Sunday mornings the sounds of Zulu choirs and cityfied kwela music from the Joburg Jazz scene poured out of our huge Grundig console radio. When Paul Simon released his Graceland more than three decades later, much of it seemed very familiar. Today, I glory in having more music on hand than I can possibly listen to in the life left to me, but nearly always able to find the next thing my ears hunger to sample.
ReplyDeleteAnd there's a fair hunk of that I've been gifted by fellow enthusiasts such as yourself, Babs, to whom I'm indebted. And I'm eager to hear any new Bird, particularly well recorded material, so once again, much thanks.
There's a certain something about "Bird", that just never ceases to amaze me.
DeleteReading a lot that echoes my own experiences, especially about how "expanding" is a better analogy than "evolving." I will admit that there have been some instances of punctured equilibrium (a reference for any followers of current modes of biological evolution). My dad had an LP of "Ionisation" by Edgard Varèse, as well as "Facade" (Sitwell/Walton) - both of which are slightly off-beat. Mostly, though, we listened to whatever the stations that sometimes played classical or folk music were playing - again, letting the slightly off-beat into the home.
ReplyDeleteMy father's parents did a lot of kid-watching (living much closer than my mother's mother did), and they allowed me to operate their record player. So, I have near-perfect recall of several popular soundtrack LPs from the 50s and 60s.
Now, rock FM radio upended all of that in the early 70s, and made me choose the low power FM station at my college as my main extracurricular activity. So, a lot of rock, but also some jazz, blues, funk, classical, and acoustic stringed music were my base. I guess the biggest expansion came when I heard the 70s wave of Scottish/Irish trad players who made it onto records.
Decades later, I completely missed the "Napster revolution" in file sharing, probably because I was the manager most in-charge of computers and tech at the place I worked. I did make cassette copies of LPs that came into my hands, but...
Then a friend said I would really enjoy a website called "Thoughts On The Dead," where a lone author made up jokes and stories about photos - many of which featured members of The Grateful Dead. A chance mention there of something called "Willard's Wormholes" lead me into the wonderful world of music blogs. Farq's "False Memory Foam" lead me here.
At least I'm enjoying the ride!
D in California
You're either in the bucket or out of the bucket…
DeleteEvolved musical tastes, so, when I was young my mom played jazz most of the time & mostly Bird, Miles & MJQ. I still love those cats. (Ocassionally Yma Sumac, no thanks) She also played am radio, so we knew what "the hits" were, as they were repeated so often. When I was a little older, I discovered FM radio, different, better, I liked it. More Rock'n'Roll, turbulent 60's & all that entailed. Changing sounds, evolving.
ReplyDeleteAfter leaving home, meeting others in other places - hearing what they listened to, that helped my musical tastes evolve as well. I do truly like all kinds of music, there is also some music that I don't care for as much, but, but, but I try to keep an open mind. I remember that Frank Zappa said, not sure that he coined the phrase, but he did use it - Minds, like parachutes work best when open. I don't think he was just refering to music. As always, thanks Babs
BIRD LIVES INDEED! Wow these outtakes & alternates sound so good, thank you Babs.
ReplyDeleteI associate my 50+ years of love of music with mentors; working in record stores; library collections; the mp3 wild west; and muso sites such as this one.
ReplyDeleteThree signal moments: first, as a teenager Flatt & Scruggs stuck me first to the bias that musicians should know how to play their instrument. This is the first principal behind my not loving all music just because its music! Second, Harvey Pekar turning me on to Art Pepper and the Monk Blue Notes and lots of other stuff. Third, being exposed to The Deep Listening Band and through that experience entering the realms of experimental and ambient music.
I also got buried in free records while managing record stores and working for chains at the same time I had a jazz radio show. I worked the distributors hard for the goodies. Finally, figuring out guitars and the sort exposed me to a ton of music.