The peerless Charlie Parker and his Quintet assembled in WOR Studios, Broadway at 38th St. New York City on October 28th 1947, long before Warren Wilhelm (aka Bill de Blasio) had turned the city into a lunatic asylum. The quintet consisted of Parker on alto, the young Miles Davis on trumpet, the excellent Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass and Max Roach on drums.
Parker had not long returned from the West Coast, where a compulsory lengthy spell in hospital had restored his physical health. For once Parker was well-organized and chose these musicians to showcase his own playing. The recording of ‘Dexterity’, one of his own compositions, D1101-B, is worth picking out from a session full of great playing, because on the second chorus Parker introduces the bridge with 4 bars of pure genius. No musician has ever equaled his ability to toss off phrases of pure joy combined with flawless technical skill. Enjoy ‘Dexterity’ for the music of this era will never be matched unless America experiences a profound counter-revolution.
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