Album Notes
Personnel: Charlie Parker (saxophone); Herb Pomeroy (trumpet); Red Garland, Sir Charles Thompson (piano); Billy Griggs, Jimmy Woode (bass); Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke (drums).
Recorded at Storyville, Boston, Massachusetts on September 22, 1953. Includes liner notes by Bob Porter and an interview with Charlie Parker by John McLellan.
Recorded at two 1953 Boston club dates, AT STORYVILLE is an album of loose, energetic and mightily swinging music. The first half of the record, which features the great pianist Red Garland in his only recorded date with Parker, is slightly peppier than the later session. Garland is still developing his style here, and his playing has a certain suaveness and bounce that reflects the influence of swing era pianists like Nat "King" Cole. Parker is loose and fiery, pushing the band ahead with a stream of energetic, serpentine solos.
On the second date, Bird's playing is somewhat more lyrical and subdued. He does seem to perk up on "Cool Blues," however, perhaps spurred on by the punchy, immaculately phrased trumpet work of Herb Pomeroy. While some have suggested that Parker's talents were in decline in the '50s, AT STORYVILLE was recorded less than two years before Bird's death and clearly demonstrates he was still capable of playing with his typical humor, pure tone and flawless feel.