Search - Charlie Parker :: Complete Savoy Masters

I have to disagree...

Michael Carlon | Centerville, MA USA | 08/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This double cd package should be part of any jazz collection. Rejoice! We finally have all the Savoy masters in one place on cd without all the distracting false starts/45 second alternate takes.I have to disagree with the gentleman above. The session on which Bird plays tenor is the first session that Miles Davis ever led (in 1948) and it's MAGNIFICENT music from first to last. Plus, it's fascinating to hear Bird on tenor. Admittedly the Slim Gaillard session has dated but it's still good fun. However, the Tiny Grimes session is fantastic; you haven't lived until you've jived to "Romance Without Finance."Again, this cd is a gift to those who were tired of Denon's four-song-with-endless-alternate-takes cds. BUY THIS TODAY!"

Good for the budget minded

Michael Carlon | 11/21/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Charlie Parker's work on Savoy is masterful and astonishing, and while the Dial recordings surpass them in terms of breadth and range, the Savoy sessions recorded under Parker's own name are a bit more consistant; furthermore, unlike the Dial sessions, the Savoy recordings are consist mainly of Parker's own compositions.For a brief time, this set was the best way to obtain the complete Savoy master takes in one shot; now with the monumental box set "The Complete Savoy and Dial Recordings 1944-1948," this set has been rendered obsolete, suitable only to those with a limited budget.For one thing, when you listen to the alternate takes on the box set, you'll realize how essential they actually are. For the most part, the master takes captured the best band performances, but there are more than a handful of alternate takes that capture better Bird solos.While this set has 24-bit remastered sound, the box set outshines it, utilizing superior ORIGINAL sources (this set is actually unauthorized, and from the sound of some tracks, the source material is very questionable). Furthermore, the annotation is pretty cheap and sparse.In response to the previous reviews, I'll have to meet halfway with them. The Slim Gaillard stuff is pretty bad, but the Tiny Grimes stuff is very uneven. Grimes can't sing very well, and halfway into the session his voice was shot. Parker's playing is good on these tracks, but with the exception of the instrumental "Red Cross," it's not as startling as his other work. As for the Miles Davis sessions, it's interesting to hear Bird on tenor (which he hadn't played in a long time), but the sessions are more notable in mapping out Davis's development as an artist. Everything else is pure gold."

Some great stuff, but a little too much

Michael Carlon | 08/13/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I got the Yardbird Suite, which is fantastic, so I figure I'd try this one out. The sound doesn't have as much noise reduction, so it's a lot livelier. However, while most of it is classic, some of the music should have been left off. The stuff with Slim Gaillard is terrible, he makes the mistake of playing tenor for a few tracks, and the stuff with Tiny Grimes isn't as good as his own music. I know it's the COMPLETE Savoy masters, so if you're interested in getting it all, you'll probably like this more than I did. What they should do is get rid of the inferior tracks and fit the stuff on one disc."