The Dial Recordings of Charlie Parker: A Discography

by Edward Komara

Overview

Dial Records catered to jazz musicians and record collectors. Charlie Parker was one of the major jazz artists to record with Dial. His Dial sessions occurred at the personal depths and artistic peaks of his career during which he introduced a number of such jazz staples as Ornithology and Scrapple from the Apple. His ten sessions associated with Dial are presented in detail and include the repertory, original issues and reissues, titles and notated transcriptions, and analyses of performances. Commentary explains many of the titles to Parker's pieces and collates the various recordings in which he performed his Dial repertory outside the confines of the Dial studios; these celebrated performances helped to shape modern jazz.

In addition to the catalogue of Parker's Dial recordings, jazz historians and scholars alike will appreciate the historical narrative detailing the evolution of Dial Records, its owner Ross Russell, and its business relations with Charlie Parker. This examination of the 1940's jazz record business sheds light on the dissemination of jazz via records. Five appendices complete this well organized and thorough study of Charlie Parker and his legendary Dial recordings.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313291685
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	06/10/1998
Series:	Discographies: Association for Recorded Sound Collections Discographic Reference , #76
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.69(d)

About the Author

EDWARD M. KOMARA is a music librarian and director of the blues archive at the University of Mississippi.

Table of Contents

Preface
Historical Narrative
Structure of the Catalogue
List of Record Issues by Label
Transcription Sources with Sigla
Catalogue
Commentary
List of Performance Sources with Sigla
Appendix 1: Dial Issues of Charlie Parker
Appendix 2: Titles Suggested by Tempo Music Shop Customers
Appendix 3: Titles Suggested by Charlie Parker
Appendix 4: The Dizzy Gillespie Dial Session
Appendix 5: Grand Prix du Disque Honors for Charlie Parker
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Titles
Index of Transcriptions

Editorial Reviews

Offers discographical descriptions, historical narratives, and repertorial collations for the sessions alto saxophone legend Charlie (Bird) Parker (1920-55) recorded for Dial Records from June 1945 to December 1947. Includes the Dial recordings and pressings and the subsequent reissues, and notated transcriptions of Parker's solos from eight Dial sessions, a Comet session later bought by Dial, and a set of private recordings now known as the Kopely Home Cooking session. Extensive notes comment on musical details such as sources and variants. Indexed by name, title, and transcription. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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