Bird's Sax Up For Auction....again!

November 16th 2012

According to Bonham's in Los Angeles, the 'History Detectives' Sax is being auctioned there on the 18th of November: Read more

Not sure what happened at Michaard's, perhaps the person who bought it there is now re-auctioning it? By constantly re-auctioning the instrument, perhaps an authenticity is being added to it? As they say, 'money talks and bull**** walks', so the final price will perhaps be indicative of what Ornithologists presume to be the value of the piece? More later....

Bird's Sax Up For Auction

May 17th 2012

According to the news today, the saxophone identified as belonging to Charlie Parker in the PBS series 'History Detectives' is going to be auctioned: Michaan’s Auctions will sell Charlie Parker alto sax June 8. You can read the transcript of the show here: Charlie Parker's Saxophone

Judging by the transcript, the 'investigation' into the authenticity of the instrument is like many things 'Charlie Parker'; based on the human memory and not on anything concrete. Therefore I reserve judgement on whether the person/s who cough up $20,000 - $30,000 for this instrument are getting exactly what they have paid for. One has to remember the scams that a lot of pawn shop owners pulled in the aftermath of Parker's death, placing any alto they had in stock in the shop-window with a tag saying, 'Once owned by Bird'. It was a scam that many probably fell for and you can't blame the enterprising pawn shop owners for trying to make a buck, but even if Michaard's saxophone isn't one of these saxophones, it's authenticity has to be doubted. Nevertheless, always the optimist, I really hope this was held and played by Bird, and even if it wasn't, does it matter?

Billboard 16 July 1955

Uptown at it again!

Just when it seemed like every last Charlie Parker live recording had been uncovered and issued, Uptown managed to find another. This is a portion of a 1948 concert produced by MC Willis Connover (who gained fame as the jazz producer of Voice of America and the founding producer of the New Orleans Jazz Festival) that featured separate sets by Dixieland jazz musicians and boppers, with the intention of mixing both in a jam session to wrap the performance.

Recorded onto 16-inch transcription discs, after an opening septet by local Washington, D.C., musicians, Parker is added and Buddy Rich takes over on drums (though not using his own set), starting with one of the earliest known versions of "Bernie's Tune," followed by "These Foolish Things," both showcasing Parker in top form.

Trumpeter Charlie Walp and tenor saxophonist Ben Lary shine in the extended workout of "Scrapple from the Apple" following the composer's inventive solo.

Pianist Sam Krupit shares the solo spotlight with the alto saxophonist in a breezy take of "Ornithology," while Parker and Rich deliver a furious rendition of "Koko." Unfortunately, the planned meeting between the Dixielanders and the boppers in "C Jam Blues" comes to a crashing halt after Wild Bill Davison evidently took offense to Parker's laughter at the end of Tony Parenti's clarinet solo, when he abruptly ended the performance, though the sound is faded as Parenti is still playing and may not have been documented on the source material.

The historic nature of this concert and the detailed liner notes by Ira Gitler, Ross Firestone, and Ron Fritts make this an essential CD for serious bop fans.

Charlie Parker - Washington D.C. 1948

Uptown Records Flashback Series