''Bird Is Free'' is an album by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

that documents a concert given at Rockland Palace, New York City, on 26 September 1952.

Reception

The '' DownBeat'' reviewer,

Leonard Feather Leonard Geoffrey Feather (13 September 1914 – 22 September 1994) was a British-born jazz pianist, composer, and producer, who was best known for his music journalism and other writing. Biography Feather was born in London, England, into an u ...

, identified limitations of the audio quality, and added: "When Parker begins to play, however, you will forget all about distractions. ... There is brilliant, boiling, poetic Bird in a variety of attitudes here." The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

review concluded: "Throughout, Parker plays with inimitable style and good humor and his quartet, featuring the great drummer Max Roach, swings effortlessly".

Track listing

;Side 1 # Rocker (

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

) # Sly Mongoose (Jamaican trad.) #

Moose the Mooche "Moose the Mooche" is a bebop composition written by Charlie Parker in 1946. It was written shortly after his friend and longtime musical companion Dizzy Gillespie left him in Los Angeles to return to New York City. Parker had been a long time hero ...

(Parker) # Star Eyes ( Gene de Paul, Don Raye) ;Side 2 #

This Time the Dream's on Me "This Time the Dream's on Me" is a song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was written for the 1941 film '' Blues in the Night'' when it was sung by Priscilla Lane. 1941 recordings Hit versions in 1941 were by Glenn Miller ...

( Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) # Cool Blues (Parker) # My Little Suede Shoes (Parker) #

Lester Leaps In "Lester Leaps In" is a jazz standard originally recorded by Count Basie's Kansas City Seven in 1939. The composition, credited to the group's tenor saxophone player Lester Young, is a head arrangement based on the chord progression of " I Got Rhyt ...

(

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

) # Laura (Raksin, Mercer)

Personnel

*Charlie Parker – alto sax * Mundell Lowe – guitar *

Walter Bishop, Jr. Walter Bishop Jr. (October 4, 1927 – January 24, 1998) was an American jazz pianist. Early life Bishop was born in New York City on October 4, 1927.Greene, Philip; Kernfeld, Barr"Bishop, Walter Jr." ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed ...

– piano *

Teddy Kotick Teddy Kotick (born Theodore John Kotick; June 4, 1928 – April 17, 1986) was an American jazz bassist, who appeared as a sideman with many of the leading figures of the 1940s and 1950s, including Charlie Parker, Buddy Rich, Artie Shaw, Horace Sil ...

– bass *

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

– drums *unidentified strings on "Rocker" and "Laura"

References

External links

''Bird Is Free'' at jazzdisco.org
{{Charlie Parker Charlie Parker albums 1961 live albums

Reception

Track listing

Personnel

See also

References

External links