Search - Charlie Parker :: Best of The Complete Savoy & Dial Studio Recordings

A Gem in the Rough

Samuel Chell | Kenosha,, WI United States | 09/05/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This "Best Of" collection may just be the ticket for all of those Bird fans who were upset by the slip-shod packaging of "The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings." These are unquestionably the recordings upon which the Charlie Parker genius and musical legacy must primarily rest, and the listener will not have to wade through dozens of alternate takes and false starts to discover the real Bird. The sound mastering, while distorted on a few tracks (the price of introducing more "presence" into the alto saxophone's sound), is the best I've encountered--in fact, the CD definitely eclipses the Ken Burns' single-disc compilation in terms of audio quality as well as song selection. My disappointment at the omission of "Donna Lee" is compensated for by the inclusion of both "Embraceable You" (the celebrated version) and "Night in Tunisia" (but not the concert version with Diz containing the famous 4-bar break).



Unlike some collectors, I find the fold-out cardboard container, with large-scale photos and ample notes, preferable to another broken plastic jewel case.



One caveat: Producer Orrin Keepnews' notes are written neither for the neophyte nor this single-disc down-sized edition. Aside from factual matters such as dates and personnel, they're pretty useless. The music, on the other hand (even as I'm now listening to Bird's bracing and brilliant playing), is simply priceless."

Perhaps all you need

Julian46 | 10/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are interested in exploring Bird but are put off by the innumerable collections and packages, this might be the one for you. Most of the recordings are good quality or better, you get a flavor of CP's playing across forms that might surprise you, and the album has several gems that you'll want to listen to repeatedly. Culling a career, even a short one, into one meaningful disk is a thankless task but I feel Keepnews, who made this selection from his larger boxed set, has done a great job. If you start here, you may not stop, it's that good and it will let you appreciate why so many people keep pointing back to this player as a true musical giant."

Amust for Parker fans

Richard A. Hartline | Tucson, AZ USA | 01/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a "Bird" fan this album is a must. It contains his best early works; especially his recordings on the"Dial' label."