•
Rating:
Charlie Parker can undoubtedly be considered among the most influential musicians in the history of jazz, as well as one of the greatest icons of a genre that until the mid-20th century (perhaps along with only delta blues) had represented the only "gift to humanity" purely made in the U.S.A from a musical perspective.
A pioneer of the Bebop style along with very few others, Parker was able, in just under three decades of a recording career as a band leader (from the early '40s until his premature passing in 1954), better than anyone else, to chart a new course where jazz was no longer merely entertainment or dance music conceptually linked to the big swing bands of the '30s, which were mostly composed of white musicians. With Bebop, African Americans reclaimed a music for which they held absolute parentage: suddenly, the jazz scene shifted from the opulent clubs of Harlem (then a sophisticated neighborhood intended for the entertainment of whites) like the Cotton Club to the tiny bars of 52nd Street where African Americans were allowed entry. Small venues such as the Three Deuces, the Downbeat, or Minton's in Harlem became the new stage for jazz, where for a few dollars one could witness the fiery sets and jam sessions of revolutionary bop musicians like Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, and indeed, Charlie Parker, who was considered a demigod by the many young musicians emerging on the New York music scene in the early '40s. Among them were future absolute geniuses of jazz worth mentioning like Miles Davis, Charlie Mingus, Thelonius Monk, and Max Roach, all of whom trained at Charlie Parker's "academy" (endless jams, late nights, and indulgences) and managed to collaborate with him.
Following Parker's example, Bebop musicians distanced themselves from the "tradition" of '20s and '30s jazz without renouncing it. While Parker & co. advanced the aesthetics of improvisation to the extreme in terms of virtuosity and vehemence in instrumental execution, on the other hand, the harmonic and metric structures of pieces composed by the major exponents of the bop movement remained more or less faithful to the "song format" of the '20s and '30s standards. Thanks to Charlie Parker, jazz would regain a dimension of popular music in the highest sense of the term, an instinctive music that was by no means easy to perform, destined for all yet cerebral and edgy at the same time. Hence, Bebop can be considered a forerunner, albeit a niche one, of the socio-cultural movements of black pride in the decades to follow. The boppers, through their angry solos played at dizzying speeds, sought to demonstrate their artistic superiority over whites; the black jazzmen of the '40s thus became cover stars of Time magazine but did not become wealthy.
There is much literature on the "adventurous" life and indulgences of Charlie Parker. Often, this aspect tied to his Dionysian view of life has partly overshadowed the crystal-clear talent of the Kansas City saxophonist. For example, the 1988 film Bird by Clint Eastwood is frankly not very reliable, as the screenplay seems too focused on extramusical stories and, in particular, on the rather dark final period of his career. And it is precisely during this period that Bird at St. Nick's was recorded. As the album title suggests, we are facing a live recording at the St. Nicholas Arena in Manhattan, exactly in February 1950, which would only be released years later thanks to the efforts of Charlie Mingus.
The lineup that accompanies Parker in the 13 tracks of the album, although far from the "all-stars" band of "Jazz at Massey Hall" in 1953 (an authentic swan song for Charlie Parker before his death), is quite respectable and includes musicians of the caliber of Red Rodney on trumpet as co-leader, Al Haig on piano (already with Parker and Gillespie in the early '40s) along with the rhythm section composed of Tommy Potter and Roy Haynes on bass and drums respectively. What is particularly striking when looking at the tracklist is the completeness of the musical offering, a genuine "Best of" in the form of a live. It ranges from some of the most famous episodes in Parker's career such as Ornithology, Scrapple from the Apple, Confirmation, Now's the Time to very successful reinterpretations of famous standards like Embraceable You by Gershwin or Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Jerome Kern; as well as Out of Nowhere and What's New? already stable in the saxophonist's repertoire and known to many especially through his interpretations. Almost all of the solo performances are reserved for Parker and, to a much lesser extent, Red Rodney; however, the rhythm section and piano are by no means marginalized, still providing a solid rhythmic foundation suitable for Parker's grandiloquent and effective solos, with particularly noteworthy drum fills by Haynes on the faster tracks.
However, it's important to note that this live has a major flaw: the poor audio quality of the recording, which brings it closer to a bootleg (in some respects it is) than to an official live album. It's a real shame considering that at times, the music on the record reaches very high qualitative peaks; however, the proportion of individual instrument volumes remains almost always poor, with the piano accompaniment being barely perceptible and the drums too often overshadowing the soloists' performances. However, the interactions with the audience are interesting, in the form of many "yeahs!" and the constant applause in the background, along with the characteristic "vinyl noise."
In conclusion, "Bird at St. Nick's" can be defined as an album intended particularly for Charlie Parker enthusiasts. Expecting it to be fully appreciated by someone listening to this genre for the first time would be truly pretentious. I repeat, not because it's a product lacking in content but due to the extremely poor audio quality, which does not allow one to adequately grasp the richness of the nuances present in Parker's music.
Best regards and until next time.
Loading comments slowly
