Today is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Charlie Parker. Immortalized in jazz history as one of the progenitors of bebop, more to the point for his listeners is the virtuosity, invention, and soul he brought to his playing.
This album was a little bit of a curveball for Bird, but it works marvelously. Here Parker performs with an ensemble made up of members of the NBC Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestras, joined by Stan Freeman (piano), Ray Brown (bass), and Buddy Rich (drums). The arrangements were by Ray Carroll, and the album was produced by Mitch (“Sing Along…”) Miller, who played oboe and English horn.
Laura
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmm9u8dPU4A
Summertime
Stella by Starlight