Ballads

The word "ballad" could be used to describe a narrative song, a simple air, or a slow, often romantic or sentimental melody. During the 20th century, this third definition became permanently attached to jazz and popular music. Charlie Parker was a master interpreter of ballads. An almost uncanny comprehension of musical relativity enabled Bird to construct, deconstruct, augment, and reconstruct every prismatic angle of each song that entered into his sphere of influence. In 2003 the Dreyfus label released an 18-track collection of ballads played by Charlie Parker. These include "Embraceable You," "You Go to My Head," "The Nearness of You" and two versions each of "Lover Man" and "Don't Blame Me." The second version of the latter, some nine minutes in duration, was recorded live at the Hi Hat Club in Boston in 1952. While this handsomely packaged sampler of Bird at his most reflective has plenty of merit, the very best way to savor the ballad artistry of Charlie Parker is to visit and commune with his Verve recordings, paying special attention to the songs composed by Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter. ~ arwulf arwulf|