Fast Charlie

Charles "Charlie" Parker Jr., nicknamed "Bird" and "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Primarily a player of the alto saxophone, Bird's tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber.

Bad Heads And Bad Cats is the 1976 album by Embryo, who receives some help from American saxophonist Charlie Mariano. This is taken from a CD pressing released in 1999 on Disconforme SL and features a bonus track not on the original album.

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts returns to his jazz roots with the Danish Radio Big Band on this album, recorded live in 2010. Watts and the band rehearsed for four days before playing a concert at the newly opened Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen which was taped for broadcast by Danish National Radio. After several years, a souvenir of that historic gig is now available. Watts is one of the great ambassadors of jazz and while every jazz lover will relish the performance, his involvement may bring jazz to the attention of some Stones fans who are not even sure if they like jazz.

Charles "Charlie" Parker Jr, nicknamed "Bird" and "Yardbird", was perhaps the best remembered and important American jazz saxophonist of all. A highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Primarily a player of the alto saxophone, Bird's tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and sombre. Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career on the road with Jay McShann. This, and the shortened form "Bird", continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as Yardbird Suite , Ornithology , Bird Gets the Worm , and Bird of Paradise . Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer. This 4CD Collection features the very best of Charlie Parker s recordings made during his short life, many of which were originally released as 78RPM singles or on 10 albums. During his career Parker recorded largely for the Dial, Savoy and Verve labels, and this collection features selections from each of these tenures. Comprising eight albums largely released during his lifetime as collections from the various, legendary sessions and concerts in which he performed as leader or co-leader, this collection will satisfy any Charlie Parker fan, whether a new convert to the fold or a long-termer who s been flying the flag for decades.