Ken Burns Jazz

1	Sepian Bounce 3:09
2	Salt Peanuts 3:15
3	Hot House 3:13
4	Koko 2:56
5	Anthropology 2:56
6	Now's the Time 3:17
7	Ornithology 3:01
8	Yardbird Suite 2:55
9	Lover Man 3:20
10	Relaxin' at Camarillo 3:01
11	Embraceable You 3:46
12	Scrapple from the Apple 2:57
13	Parker's Mood 3:04
14	Just Friends 3:32
15	Star Eyes 3:37
16	Confirmation 2:56

Barnes & Noble

He hoboed his way east from Kansas City, his demeanor unpolished and his solo style brilliant yet frantic. It took a couple of stabs at the Apple before he settled in; he and his fellow Harlem-based innovators took some time getting used to each other. But by the mid-Forties, Charlie Parker, New York, and bebop were popping. In no more than a decade of small-group explorations in clubs and on records, Parker established the greatest musical revolution in jazz since Louis Armstrong's innovations of the mid-Twenties. Parker's unprecedented virtuosity on alto saxophone enabled him to create three-minute masterpieces seemingly spontaneously and at will. By the time of his death, his influence had spread way beyond his instrument and jazz, to the point where he had become an icon of twentieth-century creativity.

All Music Guide

With cooperation from the Verve and Columbia Legacy catalogs, the Ken Burns Jazz series on CD individually spotlights the musical excellence of 22 jazz originators whose careers and influence are explored in Burns' PBS documentary Jazz. Even though alto saxophonist Charlie Parker didn't record as much material as other legends in this series, it's still impossible on a single disc to achieve a thorough picture of Bird's influence. However, you can't go wrong with "Ko-Ko," "Ornithology," "Anthropology," "Now's the Time," "Lover Man," and "Yardbird Suite," all classic Parker mid- to late-'40s bebop sides on Savoy and Dial. Also highlighted are "Just Friends" from the controversial release with strings, and early performances as a member of Dizzy Gillespie's All Star Quintet and Jay McShann's Orchestra. While it's impossible to sum up the history of Parker on a single disc and aficionados will find nothing new, the highlights here keep the novice listener interested enough to continue searching out more material. Les Campbell