Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 01/24/1995
Run Time: 75:06
When producer
Norman Granz decided to let
Charlie Parker record
standards with a full string section (featuring
Mitch Miller on oboe!), the purists cried sellout, but nothing could be further from the truth. There's a real sense of involvement from Bird on these sides, which collect up all the master takes and also include some live tracks from
Carnegie Hall that -- judging from the sometimes uneasy murmurings of the crowd -- amply illustrate just how weirdly this mixture of
bop lines against "legit" arrangements was perceived. The music on this collection is lush, poetic, romantic as hell, and the perfect antidote to a surfeit of
jazz records featuring undisciplined blowing. There's a lot of
jazz, but there's only one Bird.
~Cub Koda, All Music Guide
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