Search - Charlie Parker :: Bird's Best Bop on Verve

An excellent introduction to the artist

Scott Austin | Rochester, New York United States | 06/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Let's face it: at this point in jazz history, there is little chance that a seasoned Charlie Parker listener will find much freshness in any new recording. This CD will probably not have much value to a listener who already has a working collection of Bird's music.Yet this "best of" collection is an excellent introduction to Charlie Parker and the style that came to be known as bebop. Phil Woods was right when he wrote in the liner notes that "these tracks are the bop canon-as laid down by the master forty-five years ago." These sixteen tunes are essential to an understanding of Parker's style and repertoire, and the personnel includes some jazz greats such as Miles, Dizzy, Monk, and Buddy Rich. Furthermore, the sound of this recording is of a much higher quality than many others. If you are just starting out a jazz collection and want to have some basic Charlie Parker, this CD would be a fantastic choice.Additionally, this would be a good choice for a young player trying to play Parker tunes. How I wish someone had given me this CD before I opened the Omnibook!"