The Washington Concerts

Last updated
The Washington Concerts
The Washington Concerts.jpg
Live album by
Charlie Parker
Released1983
RecordedOctober 18, 1952
February 22, 1953
March 8, 1953
Venue Howard Theatre
Club Kavakos
Genre Jazz
Length68:24 (re-release)
Label Elektra
Blue Note
Charlie Parker chronology
Inglewood Jam
(1978)		The Washington Concerts
(1983)		 The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
(1990)

The Washington Concerts is an album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, first released in 1983 by Elektra [1] and re-released in its full form by Blue Note in 2001. [2] The album's content is drawn from two live performances at the Howard Theatre and one at Club Kavakos. [2]

Contents

Critical reception

Allmusic noted, "Bird relied entirely on instinctual 'bop logic' to navigate with ease as he formulated solos of remarkable prismatic complexity." [2] Michael Fortuna, writing for All About Jazz, commented that Parker "gave a jaw-dropping performance with Joe Timer's orchestra at the Club Kavakos in Washington, D.C. in 1953." [1]

The Penguin Guide to Jazz praised the album, noting that Parker "doesn't miss a cue all evening and indeed plays as if inspired in places, using the band voicings to trigger off some of his most inventive solos." [3] Doug Ramsey of JazzTimes estimated that the rendition of "Anthropology" was performed at roughly 310 beats per minute, and stated: "At that velocity, rather than fall back on the clichés and stock phrases that would permit most players to survive the tempo, Bird cranks up his imagination for some of the most original improvisation of the early 1950s." [4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Track listing

  1. "Fine and Dandy" (Paul James, Kay Swift) – 3:26
  2. "These Foolish Things" (Harry Link, Holt Marvell, Jack Strachey) – 3:22
  3. "Light Green" (Bill Potts) – 3:35
  4. "Thou Swell" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) – 3:51
  5. "Willis" (Potts) – 5:22
  6. "Don't Blame Me" (Dorothy Fields, Jimmy McHugh) – 2:21
  7. "Something to Remember You By" (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwartz) / "Blue Room" (Rodgers, Hart) – 3:13
  8. "Roundhouse" (Gerry Mulligan) – 3:12
  9. "Ornithology" (Benny Harris, Parker) – 4:21
  10. "Out of Nowhere" (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman) – 4:37
  11. "Cool Blues" – 4:13
  12. "Anthropology" (Dizzy Gillespie, Parker) – 4:58
  13. "Scrapple from the Apple" – 5:19
  14. "Out of Nowhere" (Green, Heyman) / "Now's the Time" – 12:38
  15. Red Rodney interview – 3:56 [2]

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Jazz, All About (2001-07-01). "Charlie Parker: The Washington Concerts album review @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2024-01-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Charlie Parker - The Washington Concerts Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2024-01-06
  3. 1 2 Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2006). The Penguin Guide to Jazz (8th ed.). Penguin. p. 1020.
  4. ↑ Ramsey, Doug (August 2001). "Charlie Parker: The Washington Concerts". JazzTimes. p. 135 – via Google Books.
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