Courtesy of Jazz-on-line.com, here are a selection of Charlie's music.
(You will need Real Player to listen to these tracks.)

The first sample, courtesy of Club Kaycee at the University of Missouri-Kansas City is the song that probably influenced Charlie more than any and jamming on this tune led to the creation of songs like 'Koko' and 'Thriving on a Riff'. The song 'Cherokee' was written by Englishman Ray Noble, with a rather obscure, hardly ever used, lyric about a man falling in love with a “Sweet Indian Maiden”. It was while jamming on this tune in 1939 with Biddy Fleet that Charlie experienced his 'epiphany' described in the section called 'Adolescence'. Charlie was in New York with the Jay McShann's Orchestra in Spring 1942 and this was recorded on paper disc at a jam session at Clark Monroe's Uptown with an unknown group. Charlie was 21 years old.

Cherokee

1944 Sept 15. WOR Studios, New York, Commercial for Savoy Records

Tiny Grimes Quintet: Tiny Grimes (g), Clyde Hart (p), Jimmy Butts (b), Doc West (d) and Charlie on Alto.

The first studio Parker following the 1942-44 recording ban, and the first small group studio recordings. Of this session, Scott DeVeaux in The Birth Of BeBop, University of California Press, 1997 p371, states: "Historians of bebop have often been discomfited by Parker's debut for Savoy in 15th September 1944. These recordngs serve as an embarrassing reminder that bebop was initially entangled in the mundane world of entertainment. Only two of the four tunes recorded on that day in the Nola Studios on 52nd and Broadway present Parker as we prefer to hear him - as the leader (in fact if not name) of a streamlined jam session ensemble."

However, Sutherland states: "...Parker achieves the alchemist's long standing dream of making gold out of lead in his solos, and generate controversy in the process."

1945 Feb 28. Unknown studio, New York. Commercial for Guild Records

Dizzy Gillespie Sextet: Dizzy (tpt), Clyde Hart (p), Remo Palmieri (p), Slam Stewart (b), Cozy Cole (d) and Charlie on alto.

The first commercial bebop recordings. Recorded for Guild Records who promptly went out of business. Picked up by Savoy and then Denon.

1945 May 11. Unknown studio, New York. Commercial for Guild Records

Dizzy Gillespie Sextet: Dizzy (tpt), Al Haig (p), Remo Palmieri (p), Dillon 'Curly' Russell (b), Sid Catlett(d), vocals on 'Loverman', Sarah Vaughn. Charlie on alto.

More classic bebop recordings, and some commentators ask why Sid Catlett on drums and not Max Roach?

1945 Nov 26. WOR Studios, New York, Commercial for Savoy Records

Charlie Parker's Reboppers: Miles (tpt), Dizzy (tpt,p), Sadik [Argonne Thorton] Hakim (p), Curley Russell (b), Max Roach (d) and Charlie on alto.

Arguably Charlie's finest recording session, the first under his own name: Charlie Parker Re-Boppers or sometimes Bee-Boppers. There has been a lot of myth and fable about this session but all is made clear in the booklet insert belonging to Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy Sessions, 1978. Savoy 5500: "A number of misunderstandings about the KoKo date persist and this is the place to clarify the record. Documents from the Savoy files and the recollections of Teddy Reig, who produced this session, indicate the following. A standard three hour/four side session was scheduled for November 26, 1945, at the WOR studios in New York for which Parker would supply original compositions. A Union contract was arranged the preceding week and Parker; Miles Davis, trumpet; Bud Powell, piano; Curly Russell, bass; and Max Roach, drums were booked for the date.

On the 26th Reig went to Parker's apartment to bring Bird to WOR and was informed that Powell had gone with his mother to Philadelphia where she was buying a house. No need to worry, however; Dizzy Gillespie was present and introduced to Reig: "Here's your piano player". Parker also had contacted Argonne Thornton (later a.k.a. Sadik Hakim), who had played on Dexter Gordon's September date for Savoy, and asked that he appear at the studio.

Lubinsky and Reig were installed in the recording booth and Parker, Davis, Gillespie, Russell and Roach in the studio. It had been agreed that four sides would be two new Parker blues and two 'heads' on "I Got Rhythm" and "Cherokee" that were familiar to the musicians Bird had been working with at the time. The proceedings began with three rather awkward takes of a Parker blues, Billie’s Bounce, which, according to Thornton, in the February 1959 Jazz Review, had been composed that morning.

Unaware they were being recorded, the musicians momentarily shifted gears with an unscheduled warm-up on the chords of "Cherokee". Originally titled "Savoy Tea Party" in the Savoy files, this performance was issued as "Warming Up a Riff". Two more tries at "Billie's Bounce" produced an acceptable master take (take 5) of the first contracted side. Four takes of another Parker blues "Now's the Time" followed. At this point, Dizzy relinquished the piano to Thornton who had been observing from the sidelines. Three takes of "Thriving on a Riff" (the "I Got Rhythm" head, later called "Anthropology") were logged before the session was halted temporarily. All during the session thus far Parker was having some very audible mechanical problems with his instrument. Upon completion of take three of "Thriving", Bird left WOR to get his horn repaired.

Parker returned shortly with a functioning instrument, but in the meantime Miles had vanished. "Meandering", another unscheduled warm-up (on the chords of "Embraceable You") was performed with Dizzy back on the piano. Miles was still missing, so Dizzy enlisted on trumpet for the session's last scheduled number. Two takes were made, as represented in 4&5 ("KoKo" sections shown).

1947 Feb 19, C.P. MacGregor Studios, Hollywood, California, Commercial for Dial Records

Charlie Parker Quartet: Errol Garner (p), Red Callander (b), Doc West (d) and Charlie on alto.

From the first recording session Charlie made after leaving Camarillo and his only session with Errol Garner.

1947 May 8, Harris Smith Studios, New York, Commercial for Savoy Records

Charlie Parker Quintet: Miles (tpt), Bud Powell (p), Tommy Potter (b), Max Roach (d) and Charlie on alto.

Charlie's first session back on the East Coast after the sojourn in California.

1947 Aug 14, Harris Smith Studios, New York. Commercial for Savoy Records

Miles Davis All-Stars: Kenny Dorham (tpt), John Lewis (p), Nelson Boyd (b), Max Roach (d) and Charlie on tenor.

An unusual session where Miles Davis persuaded Charlie to play tenor sax. Nevertheless, Charlie displays usual inventiveness and flexibility on this alternate instrument. He had already worked with Earl Hines using the tenor, so it was obviously not unfamilar to him

1947 Dec (early), Carnegie Hall, New York, Commercial for Mercury Records

Neal Hefti's Orchestra

It was once thought that Charlie's part was over-dubbed on the tape of the orchestra for this, but it has since been confirmed as untrue. Charlie quotes Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, if you listen closely enough!

1947 Dec (early). Carnegie Hall, New York, Commercial for Mercury Records

Charlie Parker Quartet: Hank Jones (p), Ray Brown (b), Shelley Manne(d), and Charlie on alto

The first studio date with Norman Granz, even though many discographies state this was recorded at Carnegie Hall on or around the same time as "Repetition" with Neil Hefti it certainly does not sound like it was recorded in a large hall!! The underlying tune is something called 'Topsy'. The precise circumstances of this recording are unknown.

1948 Dec 25, Royal Roost, New York, Live off radio broadcast

Charlie Parker Quintet: Kenny Dorham (tpt), Al Haig (p), Tommy Potter (b), Max Roach (d) and Charlie on alto.

Christmas Day, 1948 and Miles had left the band shortly before this in a fury. Parker promptly added two of his tunes to the set. Miles was later quoted, "Bird died before we could get even with him."

1949 Feb 5 or 12. Royal Roost, New York, Live off radio broadcast