Bird 'n Diz: Live in NYC, 1945

Right. So, these two dudes have pretty much defined the way in which to play their individual instruments. I’ve heard tell of Maynard Ferguson having an enormous range – trumping Diz, who I don’t believe was ever touted for such talents. But considering that no one in their right mind cares about Maynard, save for a few drunken trumpet majors, we’ll consider Diz tops. As for Bird – well Coltrane, at this point is probably more important - but without the Charlie Parker style check at the beginning of his career, who knows where Coltrane would have wound up.

That’s not the point, though. I hope not at least. Listening to music at times becomes an overindulgent intellectual exercise burdened by names, players, sidemen and dates. But when all of that’s stripped away, what’s left is pure emotional fervor. And it doesn’t matter who’s playing what, as long as it sounds good. And for just that reason when Diz and Bird sat down and figured out some tunes, what resulted was and is some of the best music – jazz, bop or otherwise – in the American cannon. It could be argued that some of this stuff at or around 1945 wasn’t has advanced as the music would become. And Diz hadn’t really worked in all of his rhythmic ideas yet, but this stuff is plainly expressive.

A show from the summer of ’45, recorded at Town Hall in New York, might not be the high point of these players’ careers, but some of the solos come off as well as anywhere else. My biggest problem with live Charlie Parker, though, is that generally the sound isn’t all too great. And while this date isn’t recorded in anything approaching hi fidelity, it’s better than a lot of stuff out there.

The most notable player, apart from the pair out front is Max Roach on drums. And even as he doesn’t figure into most of the high points on the disc, he does get a playful solo on “Hot House,” which has one of the funniest intros to anything every recorded apart from “Cocaine in My Brain” from Dillinger.

But again, what actually counts here are the individual solos – versions of whatever was properly laid down in a studio – of what is basically a group of bop standards. “Salt Peanuts” is pretty basic in comparison to other versions out there. Parker rips a good one, but other places on the disc find both him and Gillespie in better form.

The version of “Groovin’ High” is probably the most staid offering here. But since it’s preceded by an interesting version of “A Night in Tunisia,” listeners should forgive it. The latter track finds Parker playing in what sounds like a pretty relaxed manner. His solos come off effortlessly, but still it’s difficult to fully grasp every idea that he’s getting out. At this point in bop, all these concepts are still firmly related in sensible progressions, but his ability to move from chord to chord is still wondrous. There’re probably better recordings – fidelity and quality wise – but this disc is still, front to back, classic. Cop it.