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Written by Geoff Grantham on . Posted in Related music.

John Coltrane and Charlie Parker - Saxophone

Jazz classics

John Coltrane  & Charlie Parker

Arguably the greatest jazz sax players of the 20th century

... a classic

Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes and was one of the players at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions and appeared on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk.

"Coltrane was a true virtuoso. Unlike Mozart, though, he wasn’t born a musical genius. Instead, he practised, practised, practised. On the bus during road trips, he would shadow exercise his fingering on the sax for hours on endlessly. Endlessly curious, his musical career changed jazz and popular music’s  trajectory like no other artist—encompassing Be Bop/Hard Bop, Blues, Pop, Avant-Garde, Free Jazz, and Ballads."
Lonnie Freedman

John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.

Beebop and Birdland

Charlie "Bird" Parker

Charlie "Bird" Parker

Reissued in 1957 as The Genius Of Charlie Parker, Vol.3: Now’s The Time, with alternate takes of the original 10” LPs eight tracks, the original Verve album simply called Charlie Parker, released in 1953, is a gem among Parker’s work. The original LP had eight tracks, the first four recorded at Fulton Recording in New York City, on July 28, 1953, while the following four tracks date from a session at the same studio, seven months earlier.

The original 10” album, with its exquisite David Stone Martin album art, is a collector’s item today, and the music inside is brilliant too. Bird is joined by pianist Hank Jones on the December 1952 sides and Al Haig on the July 1953 session, plus drummer Max Roach and bassists Teddy Kotick (on the December 1952 cuts) and Percy Heath (on the July 1953 sides).

On the 1957 The Genius Of Charlie Parker, Vol. 3 reissue, there are alternate takes and false starts from four of the tracks, giving a fascinating insight into Bird’s recording technique. If you’re wondering where the titles for some of the Parker originals come from, he wrote “Laird Baird” for his son Laird Parker and “Kim” for his stepdaughter of the same name. Other bonus cuts on the reissue include the beautiful “Ballade,” which was originally recorded in October 1950 and features Coleman Hawkins on tenor saxophone, Hank Jones on piano, and a rhythm section featuring bassist Ray Brown and the great Buddy Rich on drums.

Check it out on Spotify

Charlie Parker, byname of Charles Parker, Jr., also called Bird or Yardbird, (born August 29, 1920, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.—died March 12, 1955, New York City, New York), American alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, a lyric artist generally considered the greatest jazz saxophonist.

Something different ... something classic(al)

Austin School Saxophone Studio plays Jupiter from The Planets (Holst)
... the sax can sound like a n y t h i n g!

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