Bird and Diz is a studio album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. It was recorded primarily on June 6, 1950, in New York City.[7] Two tracks featured on the original pressing, "Passport" and "Visa", were recorded by Parker, without Gillespie and with different personnel than the other tracks, in March and May 1949.[8] The album was originally issued in 1952 in 10" format as a collection of 78 rpm singles on the Verve subsidiary label Clef Records.[9][10]
Although produced by Norman Granz, known for large ensembles at the time,[2] the album contains compositions performed with the standard bebop instrumentation of saxophone, trumpet, piano, bass, and drums.[11] In a 1952 four-star review of Bird and Diz, a DownBeat magazine columnist wrote of Granz's contribution to the album's sound, stating "Though there is no mention of bop in Norman Granz'[s] notes, we owe him a salvo for reminding us through this LP that this music is still very much alive."[3] It is the final collaborative studio recording by Parker and Gillespie,[7] and has been reissued several times by Verve and PolyGram Records.[11]
Track listing
Included on the original LP, "Passport" and "Visa" were omitted from the reissue because they were not recorded during the 1950 Bird and Diz session.
Personnel/recorded date/master numbers confirmed with the Ruppli's discography. Michel Ruppli, Ed Novitsky (1993). The Mercury Labels — A Discography. Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-27371-5.
Bird and Diz album liner notes by James Patrick, Norman Granz. PolyGram Records Inc.
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