''Charlie Parker with Strings'' is the name of two separate

albums An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records col ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

musician

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 ...

, released in

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 crashes in a snowstorm. All 19 ...

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

. It is also the name of a 1995 compilation album released by

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

, containing all the tracks from both the 1950 albums, as well as additional material. The sessions place Parker in the context of a small classical string section and a jazz rhythm section, rather than his standard

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

quintet. They were Parker's most popular sellers during his lifetime, and were admitted to the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 1988.

Content

Under the auspices of producer

Norman Granz Norman Granz (August 6, 1918 – November 22, 2001) was an American jazz record producer and concert promoter. He founded the record labels Clef, Norgran, Down Home, Verve, and Pablo. Granz was acknowledged as "the most successful impres ...

, Parker fulfilled a long-held desire to record in a string setting. Plans were made to release the results of the sessions as a ten-inch LP. Sessions from November 30, 1949, yielded the first ''Charlie Parker With Strings'' album (''Mercury MG-35010''), consisting of six songs total, all of which were standards. The success of the first album led to additional sessions on July 5, 1950, resulting in another long-playing album also entitled ''Charlie Parker With Strings'' (''Mercury MGC-109''), consisting of eight tracks, also all standards. In 1995,

reissued these fourteen recordings for

compact disc The compact disc (CD) is a digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then released in Oc ...

, including an additional ten tracks with Parker also accompanied by strings. Five date from a Carnegie Hall concert on September 17, 1950; four more from an additional studio session in January 1952, and the last from Granz's ''The Jazz Scene'' limited edition

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

s recorded in Carnegie Hall in December 1947 with

Neal Hefti Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series. He began arranging professionally in his ...

Legacy

There is some controversy regarding the impetus for Parker to record standards, rather than his original compositions, in settings of this kind as a bid for greater commercial exposure. Certainly Mercury Records did not object to this idea, although biographical sources indicate Parker himself instigated the sessions. However, they were instrumental in creating a vogue among jazz musicians for recording in a similar fashion: see '' Clifford Brown with Strings'' in 1955, and ''

Focus Focus, or its plural form foci may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in South Australia Film *''Focus'', a 1962 TV film starring James Whitmore * ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based ...

'' by Stan Getz in 1961, among others. In 2014, in New York, saxophonist and bandleader Aaron Johnson produced an historically accurate recreation of the ''Charlie Parker with Strings'' albums.

Original album track listings and personnel

''Charlie Parker with Strings'' (Studio recordings of Nov. 30, 1949)

''Released on 10" as Mercury MG-35010, reissued as MG C-501 and then MG C-101'' *''

- alto saxophone;

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

; Bronislaw Gimpel, Max Hollander, Milton Lomask - violins; Frank Brieff -

viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

; Frank Miller -

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

; Myor Rosen - harp; Stan Freeman -

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

; Ray Brown - bass;

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

- drums; Jimmy Carroll - arranger and conductor'' # "

Just Friends ''Just Friends'' is a 2005 American Christmas comedy film directed by Roger Kumble, written by Adam 'Tex' Davis and starring Ryan Reynolds, Amy Smart, Anna Faris, Chris Klein and Christopher Marquette. The plot focuses on a formerly obese high ...

" (

John Klenner John Klenner (24 February 1899 – 13 August 1955) was a German-born American pianist and composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are compos ...

, Sam M. Lewis) – 3:30 # " Everything Happens to Me" (

Tom Adair Thomas Montgomery Adair (June 15, 1913 – May 24, 1988) was an American songwriter, composer, and screenwriter. Biography Adair was born on 15 June 1913, in Newton, Kansas, where his father owned a clothing store: he was the only child of Willi ...

, Matt Dennis) - 3:15 # " April in Paris" (

Vernon Duke Vernon Duke ( 16 January 1969) was a Russian-born American composer/songwriter who also wrote under his birth name, Vladimir Dukelsky. He is best known for " Taking a Chance on Love," with lyrics by Ted Fetter and John Latouche (1940), "I Can' ...

, E.Y. Harburg) – 3:12 #

" Summertime" (

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

, Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 2:46 # "

I Didn't Know What Time It Was "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1939 musical '' Too Many Girls''. Introduced by Richard Kollmar and Marcy Westcott in the stage musical, early hit versions were r ...

" ( Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:12 # " If I Should Lose You" (

Ralph Rainger Ralph Rainger ( Reichenthal; October 7, 1901 – October 23, 1942) was an American composer of popular music principally for films. Biography Born Ralph Reichenthal in New York City, United States, Rainger initially embarked on a legal career, ...

Leo Robin Leo Robin (April 6, 1900 – December 29, 1984) was an American composer, lyricist and songwriter. He is probably best known for collaborating with Ralph Rainger on the 1938 Academy Award for Best Original Song, Oscar-winning song "Thanks for t ...

) - 2:46

''Charlie Parker with Strings'' (Studio recordings of July 1950)

''Released on 10" as Mercury MGC-509, reissued as MGC-109. *''Charlie Parker - alto saxophone; Joseph Singer -

french horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

; Eddie Brown - oboe; Sam Caplan, Howard Kay, Harry Melnikoff, Sam Rand, Zelly Smirnoff - violins; Isadore Zir - viola; Maurice Brown - cello; Verley Mills - harp; Bernie Leighton - piano; Ray Brown - double bass; Buddy Rich - drums;

Joe Lipman Joseph P. Lippman (April 23, 1915 - January 21, 2007) was an American composer, arranger, conductor, pianist, and songwriter working in jazz and traditional pop. His musical career was over five decades long, having started at age 19 with the Ben ...

- arranger and conductor; unknown

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

and

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

'' #

" Dancing in the Dark" (

Arthur Schwartz Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz. Biography Early life Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on Nov ...

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. Biography Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...

) - 3:10 # " Out of Nowhere" ( Johnny Green,

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

) - 3:06 # " Laura" (

David Raksin David Raksin (August 4, 1912 – August 9, 2004) was an American composer who was noted for his work in film and television. With more than 100 film scores and 300 television scores to his credit, he became known as the "Grandfather of Film Music ...

, Mercer) - 2:57 # "

East of the Sun (and West of the Moon) "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" is a popular song written by Brooks Bowman, an undergraduate member of Princeton University's Class of 1936, for the 1934 production of the Princeton Triangle Club's production of Stags at Bay. It was pub ...

" (

Brooks Bowman Brooks Bowman (October 21, 1913 – October 17, 1937) composed the song "East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)" which has become a jazz standard. Biography A native of Cleveland, Ohio, he graduated from University School in that city, but had ...

) - 3:37 #

They Can't Take That Away from Me "They Can't Take That Away from Me" is a 1937 popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by Ira Gershwin. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1937 film ''Shall We Dance'' and gained huge success. Overview The song is performed b ...

" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) - 3:17 # " Easy to Love" ( Cole Porter) - 3:29 # "

I'm in the Mood for Love "I'm in the Mood for Love" is a popular song published in 1935. The music was written by Jimmy McHugh, with the lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song was introduced by Frances Langford in the movie ''Every Night at Eight'' released that year. It ...

" (

Jimmy McHugh James Francis McHugh (July 10, 1894 – May 23, 1969) was an American composer. One of the most prolific songwriters from the 1920s to the 1950s, he is credited with over 500 songs. His songs were recorded by many artists, including Chet Baker, Ju ...

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

) - 3:33 # " I'll Remember April" ( Gene de Paul, Pat Johnston, Don Raye) - 3:02

1995 reissue bonus track listing and personnel

Along with above released as ''Charlie Parker with Strings: The Master Takes'', Verve 314 523 984-2 * ''Charlie Parker - alto saxophone; Tommy Mace - oboe; Sam Caplan, Ted Blume, Stan Karpenia - violins; Dave Uchitel - viola; Wallace McManus - harp;

Al Haig Alan Warren Haig (July 19, 1922 – November 16, 1982) was an American jazz pianist, best known as one of the pioneers of bebop. Biography Haig was born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in nearby Nutley. In 1940, he majored in piano at Obe ...

- piano;

Tommy Potter Charles Thomas Potter (September 21, 1918 – March 1, 1988) was an American jazz double bass player, best known for having been a member of Charlie Parker's "classic quintet", with Miles Davis, between 1947 and 1950. Born in Philadelphia, Penn ...

- double bass;

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer. He is among the most recorded drummers in jazz. In a career lasting over 80 years, he has played swing, bebop, jazz fusion, avant-garde jazz and is considered a pioneer of jaz ...

- drums; unknown cello'' #

What Is This Thing Called Love? "What Is This Thing Called Love?" is a 1929 popular song written by Cole Porter, for the musical '' Wake Up and Dream''. It was first performed by Elsie Carlisle in March 1929. The song has become a popular jazz standard and one of Porter's most ...

" (Porter) - 2:55 # " April in Paris" (Duke, Harburg) - 3:13 # "Repetition" (

) - 2:48 # "

You'd Be So Easy to Love "(You'd Be So) Easy to Love" is a popular song written by Cole Porter for William Gaxton to sing in the 1934 Broadway show '' Anything Goes''. However Gaxton was unhappy about its wide vocal range and it was cut from the musical. Porter re-wrote ...

" (Porter) - 2:25 # " 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 ...

) - 3:00 * ''Charlie Parker - alto saxophone; Al Porcino,

Chris Griffin Christopher “Chris” Cross Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series, '' Family Guy''. He is the second of three children of Peter and Lois Griffin and is also the older brother of Stewie Griffin and the younger b ...

, Bernie Privin -

trumpets The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

;

Will Bradley Wilbur Schwichtenberg (July 12, 1912 – July 15, 1989), known professionally as Will Bradley, was an American trombonist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. He performed swing, dance music, and boogie-woogie songs, many of them written b ...

, Bill Harris -

trombones The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

; Murray Williams,

Toots Mondello Nunzio (Toots) Mondello (August 14, 1911 in Boston, Massachusetts – November 15, 1992 in New York City, New York) was an American swing jazz alto saxophonist. Mondello played with Mal Hallett from 1927 to 1933, where he also simultaneously p ...

- alto saxophones; Hank Ross -

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

; Stan Webb - baritone saxophone; Artie Drelinger -

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and reed ...

; Sam Caplan, possibly Sylvan Shulman and Jack Zayde - violins; Verley Mills - harp;

Lou Stein Lou Stein (April 22, 1922 – December 11, 2002) was an American jazz pianist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stein joined Ray McKinley's band in 1942. He played with Glenn Miller when the latter was stateside during World War II. Afte ...

- piano; Bob Haggart - double bass;

Don Lamond Donald Douglas Lamond Jr. (August 18, 1920 – December 23, 2003) was an American jazz drummer. Biography Born in Oklahoma City, Lamond attended the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore in the early 1940s, and played with Sonny Dunham and Boyd ...

- drums;

- arranger and conductor; unknown woodwinds, violins, violas, and cello'' #

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

" (

Nacio Herb Brown Ignacio Herbert "Nacio Herb" Brown (February 22, 1896 – September 28, 1964) was an American writer of popular songs, movie scores and Broadway theatre music in the 1920s through the early 1950s. Amongst his most enduring work is the scor ...

Arthur Freed Arthur Freed (September 9, 1894 – April 12, 1973) was an American lyricist and Hollywood film producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture twice, in 1951 for '' An American in Paris'' and in 1958 for '' Gigi''. Both films were musicals. ...

) - 3:31 # " Lover" ( Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 3:06 # " Autumn in New York" (

) - 3:29 # " Stella by Starlight" (

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

) - 2:56 * ''Charlie Parker - alto saxophone; Vinnie Jacobs - french horn; Porcino, Doug Mettome, Ray Wetzel - trumpets; Harris, Bart Varsalona - trombones; John LaPorta - clarinet; Williams, Sonny Salad - alto saxophones; Pete Mondello,

Flip Phillips Joseph Edward Filippelli (March 26, 1915 – August 17, 2001), known professionally as Flip Phillips, was an American jazz tenor saxophone and clarinet player. He is best remembered for his work with Norman Granz's Jazz at the Philharmonic conce ...

- tenor saxophones;

Manny Albam Manny Albam (June 24, 1922 – October 2, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, record producer, and educator. Early life A native of the Dominican Republic, Albam grew up in New York City. He was attracted to jazz at an ea ...

- baritone saxophone; Sam Caplan, Zelly Smirnoff,

Gene Orloff Gene Orloff (June 14, 1921 – March 23, 2009) was an American violinist, concertmaster, arranger, contractor and session musician. Background The son of a Russian immigrant violin maker, Orloff would try and get his father's violin down from the ...

, Manny Fiddler, Sid Harris, Harry Katzmann - violins; Nat Nathanson, Fred Ruzilla - violas; Joe Benaventi - cello; Tony Aless - piano; Curly Russell - double bass;

Shelly Manne Sheldon "Shelly" Manne (June 11, 1920 – September 26, 1984) was an American jazz drummer. Most frequently associated with West Coast jazz, he was known for his versatility and also played in a number of other styles, including Dixieland, sw ...

- drums; Diego Iborra -

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

;

- arranger and conductor'' #

"Repetition" (Hefti)- 2:57

Other releases on vinyl

The history of the vinyl releases is a complex one. Other early vinyl releases besides those on Mercury were on Clef Records (Norman Granz's label, later absorbed into Verve) and Verve Records (also founded by Norman Granz, and the predecessor of Mercury). Besides the 10" 33 RPM records, there were releases on 10" 78 RPM (box set) and on 7" 45 RPM records. For a reference to other releases of the songs on Mercury MG-35010 see https://web.archive.org/web/20160107195934/http://bird.parkerslegacy.com/CPws/ws491130.html and for Mercury MGC-109 see https://web.archive.org/web/20120825171441/http://bird.parkerslegacy.com/CPws/ws5008_09.html (missing a reference to MGC-109). MG-35010 was reissued as Mercury MGC-501 and Clef MGC-501; and Mercury MGC-109 as Mercury MGC-509 and Clef MGC-509. The cover of the MGC-109 and MGC-509 releases is not always the same, sometimes it is identical with MG-35010, and sometimes it shows birds. Clef Records MGC 675 was an early (or the earliest) 12" release and had the same cover as MG-35010 but the following, differing content: Just Friends
Everything Happens To Me
April In Paris
Summertime
I Didn't Know What Time It Was
If I Should Lose You You Came Along From Out Of Nowhere
East Of The Sun
They Can't Take That Away From Me
Easy To Love
I'm In The Mood For Love
I'll Remember April The same songs, but in a different order were released on Verve MGV 8004 (also Verve V6-8004) "The Genius Of Charlie Parker, #2 - April In Paris" Other songs are on Verve MGV 8003 "The Genius Of Charlie Parker, #1 - Night And Day", and on MGV 8000, "The Charlie Parker Story #1". In 1974, Verve Records (MV 2562) released a live version called "Charlie Parker With Strings – Midnight Jazz At Carnegie Hall". Other later live and studio releases exist, most of them on compilation albums. A special ''Charlie Parker With Strings: The Alternate Takes'' was released on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

2019. This edition, available in record stores only on April 13, 2019, contained numerous alternate takes not used on the previous vinyl releases, and was presented on a bright blue vinyl LP.Rough Trade
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlie Parker With Strings Charlie Parker albums Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Orchestral jazz albums 1995 compilation albums