One of the first CDs I bought was Audio Archives Collectors Edition – Charlie Parker - 18 Reflective Recording. It was a super cheap disc I found at Tower Music not long after I started playing the saxophone that was comprised of studio and live recordings featuring Charlie Parker. Aside from the track listing, that was it... no other information. I later found out that some of the tracks that had really stood out to me we’re live recordings that Columbia had released as One Night at Birdland. The mystery musicians alongside Bird were Fats Navarro, Bud Powell, Curley Russell and Art Blakey – quite the line up. I eventually got that LP while I was in New York City studying with Richard Tabnik... and it just happened to be one of his favourites and we listened to examples from it during my lessons on more than one occasion (Hi Richard!). That LP got plenty of air time when I got home until my turntable packed up shortly before I moved back to the US and the LPs were left in a box at the folks place until my return. I eventually found it on CD and ordered it only to discover two copies of disc 1 and the Birdland session was on the missing disc 2 (or the other way round... I forget). I still haven’t replaced my turntable (I know, it will happen ), so I’ve resorted to listening to online ever since. Recently Hatology/Ezz-Thetics reissued it and last month and Charlie Parker At Birdland 1950 Revisited arrived in the mail. So it’s been getting a spin or two. It’s a must for fans of Bird, Fats, and Bud - great live energy and simply some of the very best on record from all three. I think I’ll leave it there. Just do yourself a favour and check it out. I washed it down with a Riggwelter.
