This is not a video, but it is essential, a live recording of Charlie Parker playing “Well, You Needn’t” with Monk as accompanist. This is one of the “famous” Dean Benedetti recordings. Benedetti was a passionate fan of Parker and surreptitiously recorded many of Bird’s nightclub performances. To save tape (or “wire”—the earliest taping machines used wire), Benedetti only ran his machine when Parker was actually playing, so we don’t get to hear Monk’s solo. However, since Benedetti was clearly sitting close to Monk, we do get to hear his accompaniment. As a commenter at the Youtube site remarks, even Parker seems to be struggling with Monk’s chords, while Monk’s accompaniment is stunningly percussive. (Many musicians did not at all enjoy being accompanied by Monk). It’s a tribute to Parker, rarely described as a generous man, that he hired Monk (rarely described as a reliable man) and played his compositions.
Monk’s sole date with Parker in the recording studio was for four three-minute sides released by Verve in 1950—also “featuring” Dizzy Gillespie (his last studio date with Parker)—released on lp as Bird and Diz, padded with out-takes, though, thanks to Parker’s and Gillespie’s genius, the out-takes are well worth hearing. (Monk does not get much solo space.) A subsequent cd gives the whole session, with no complaints from me.
In his liner notes for the original lp, Verve founder Norman Granz, who idolized both Parker and Gillespie, can scarcely conceal his lack of enthusiasm for Monk and of course cannot conceal his complete failure to appreciate Monk’s own genius. It is, remarkably, Monk who takes the palm among the three with the brilliant spatter of notes that introduces his solo on Parker’s “Bloomdido” (he’s third in line, of course). Monk supposedly said of Parker, “No one could really keep up with him,” yet here it is Monk who outdistances the pack (though not by much; Parker is phenomenal).
Posted by thug swag jazz
Go here for the Parker/Gillespie/Monk recording of “Bloomdido”. Go here for an animated transcription of Parker’s solo (you know you want it).
According to what I’ve found online, “Bloomdido” is a modified b-flat blues, possibly related to Juan Tizol’s “Perdido” (Spanish for “lost” or “damned”), written for the Ellington orchestra. I’ve never seen anyone attempt to explain the title, which might be related to “Perdido”.
