  |
|
|
 |
|
CD |
| 4.663 Ft
|
|
| 1. | Marmaduke
|
| 2. | Don't Blame Me
|
| 3. | Little Willie Leaps
|
| 4. | Star Eyes Ode To Bird
|
| 5. | Bird Of Paradise
|
| 6. | Out Of Nowhere
|
| 7. | Sweet Rosa
|
| 8. | Max, The Invincible Roach
|
| 9. | Laird Bird
|
| 10. | Visa
|
Jazz
Recorded: 12 and 13 March 1991, Studio 44, Monster, Holland
Tom Kirkpatrick - trumpet
Harold Jefta - alto saxophone
Walter Bishop Junior - piano
John Donnelly - bass
Akira Tana - drums
Charlie Parker. Bird. The genius. It was Charlie Parker (1920-1955) who influenced the entire course of modern jazz. His playing did not only affect the alto players but almost every instrumentalist and even vocalists. Yardbird was an extremely creative improviser. His style was forceful and highly original and his music rooted firmly in the tradition (the blues). A close look at Parker's repertoire shows that it consists of the twelve-bar blues, a number of popular songs and evergreens.
Parker wrote a number of compositions, often based on existing harmonies and chord progressions (famous is Ornithology, based on How High The Moon). His improvisations were outstanding. Everything he did sounded so easy, of an almost childlike simplicity; he played phrases that seemed technically impossible. There was always his drive and swing, even in the most complex sentences. Parker's tone on the alto sax had only a slight vibrato, it was aggressive, penetrating thick walls with great ease. His use of rhythm and pitch was subtle, his fantasy unlimited.
One of the most important periods in his life was the short period of 1945-1948 when he was at his top and recorded a number of compositions which are considered the greatest recordings he ever made. Half of all the recorded titles on this CD come from that period.
The story ended when drugs and alcohol rook their toll on Charlie Parker. He passed away on Saturday, 12 March 1955, suffering from bronchial pneumonia but his influence on jazz musicians is still present and at the time of writing a large group of young saxophonists tries to play like Charlie Parker. Often without any success; Parker's style is so difficult to master... But there is one musician who has almost become Parker's shadow, a rebirth, a musician not just playing along the Parker lines but also producing the same penetrating tone. His name: Harold Jefta.
Harold Jefta
Harold Jefta was born in Cape Town, South Africa on October 5, 1933. In his twenties he joined the show 'The Golden City Dixies shortly before they were going to tour Europe. When in Sweden with this group he was offered a study at a School of Music. Jefta sat on the music bench in Sweden for six years. He learned to play the bassoon and percussion and was a member of a number of symphony orchestras. While studying he played the alto saxophone in his spare time. He tried to play the music of his idol, Charlie Parker.
When Jefta left this School of Music he had made up his mind, he had decided to devote all his time to the music of Bird. He began studying Parker's music more intensely, feeling that was the only thing he wanted to do in his life. Jon Horner, a TV producer, heard Jefta on a tape and got into touch with him immediately. Horner was making a documentary film on Parker (The Charlie Parker Story). For this film Jefta was invited to play the saxophone that was used by Bird during his life. He played the instrument at Charlie Parker's house in France. When Chan heard Harold Jefta play she told the TV team that he sounded just like the early Bird.
The film offered the opportunity to play with pianist Walter Bishop Junior, who had worked
with Bird, and trumpetist Bill Hardman. The three formed a group called 'The Charlie Parker Memorial Quintet' and started to tour the world. Later Bill Hardman was replaced by Tom Kirkpatrick.
Walter Bishop Junior Walter Bishop Junior was born in New York, on October 4, 1927. This son of a Jamaican-born songwriter was an early disciple of Bud Powell. In the late 1940's he played with Art Blakey and in the 1950s with Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Oscar Pettiford and Kai Winding. After a black period in his life (being in the company of Parker all the time often had consequences...) he came back on the scene in 1960 playing with Curtis Fuller. He had his own trio, toured with the Terry Gibbs Quartet and started to study again. From time to time he teaches jazz theory. He composed a few 'jazz-poems' (two of them can be found on this CD), played with dark Terry s big band and formed the Charlie Parker Memorial Quintet, together with Jefta and Hardman.
Tom Kirkpatrick
Tom Kirkpatrick was born in Enon, in 1954. His first instrument was the piano but his interest in jazz led him to the trumpet. He worked with jazz greats like Cher Baker, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz, Junior Cook, Richard Groove Holmes, Jaki Byard and Milt Buckner. It was Chet Baker who, upon hearing Tom Kirkpatrick play at Gillys in Dayton, persuaded him to make the move to New York City. In NYC he worked with a.o. altoist Lou Donaldson and Charlie Parker compositions were often on the menu. Tom Kirkpatrick cites Kennv Dorham as his major influence and he shows a complete understanding and mastery of Dorham s style. Tom has a beautiful sound, a rhythmic ease that is only possible when you control your instrument for one hundred percent. His tone is rather full and especially effective in the middle register.
Marmaduke
The CD opens with Marmaduke, written bv Charlie Parker, recorded by him for the first time in 1948. This highly original Parker composition is based on the harmonies of Fats Wallers Honeysuckle Rose and named after Charlie Parker's cat. Marmaduke is not often played, so it is a delight that the band took this one on their repertoire. It is a typical be-bop composition with the musicians soloing at length, among these a fine bowed bass solo by John Donnelly.
Don't Blame Me
This ballad by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields was recorded by Parker for the first time in 1947. Parker loved this ballad, according to the fact that it can be found six times in Bird's Discography. Jefta's tone is here very close to Parker's, Tom Kirkpatrick shows how well he works with the mute.
Little Willie Leaps
Charlie Parker recorded and played this fast one for the first time in 1947, with the Miles Davis All Stars. This difficult composition showed the brilliance of Parker and of course it is hard to reach that same level. Especially Kirkpatrick is wonderfully well at home here and Walter Bishop reminds of Bud Powell. There are some fine drum chases by Akira.
Star Eyes - Ode To Bird
Star Eyes was played by Parker in 1950 and was on the repertoire when Walter Bishop joined Parkers quintet. Walter Bishop picks this one up as a written appreciation or Parker. When the group plays the Star Eyes theme Walter Bishop takes the mike and tells about Bird:
'Now he tried to swallow lire whole And spit it back out or his horn Now you know how be-bop was born The mother of be-bop Diz was his dad They gave us a child That was bad, bad, bad etc.
Bird Of Paradise
Parker composed this one in 1947, with in his mind All The Things You Are. Jefta has an intro a la Charlie Parker and plays partly in double tempo, Tom Kirkpatrick takes up the mute again.
Out Of Nowhere
This evergreen was played by Charlie Parker for the first rime in 1947. It is a composition with a well-structured set of chords, a set that is Tom Kirkpatrick's cup of tea.
Sweet Rosa
A calvpso written by Harold Jefta changes the mood. There are a lot or references to South Africa and the calypso is jusr right for Walter Bishop Junior (with his Jamaican-born rather).
Max, The Invincible Roach Walter Bishop tells about the birch or be-bop in this blues. There is Max Roach, the drummer:
'Well, he made his way to the big ciry, there he hooked up with some other insects. There was , Yardbug,, flew up all the wav from Kansas City. and brother, he could play blues on alto like you never heard, he made that thing sing just like a bird. Then he ran into a bad bug called Birks and this brother could play notes on trumpet so fast and so high, he would actually make you dizzv. Then there was the lonely one, to my mind he w-as the strangest bug or all, played piano and wrote music off the wall, now they s. he was born 'round midnight, I wouldn't doubt that at all.'
Laird Bird
Laird Bird or Blues For Laird was composed by Parker during one of his relaxed moods in 1952 The composition is based on the twelve-bar blues and dedicated to Birds little son. The members of the quintet play very well here and Donnelly takes up the bow again.
Visa
Charlie Parker composed this short theme in 1949 for a recording session supervised by Norman Granz who wanted to have trombonist Tommy Turk in the group. Ross Russell (the or who wrote a fine book on Charlie Parker) remarked: 'This is a Beethoven Quartet with tuba.' Fortunately for us, no tuba is present in this session.
Listen to this quintet and don't forget: 'Bird Still Lives!'
Wim van Eyle |
|
CD bolt, zenei DVD, SACD, BLU-RAY lemez vásárlás és rendelés - Klasszikus zenei CD-k és DVD-különlegességek |  | | Webdesign - Forfour Design |
|
|
