Charlie Parker: White Christmas (1948)

Probably the hippest , coolest Jazz treatment of a Christmas song:


Recorded Christmas Day 1948 at the Royal Roost in New York City.

Personnel:

Alto saxophone and leader:  Charlie Parker (aka: “Bird”);
Trumpet:  Kenny Dorham;
Piano:  Al Haig;
Bass:  Tommy Potter;
Drums:  Max Roach.

Remarks:

I first heard this interpretation of “White Christmas” nearly fifty years ago in John Joyce ‘s class on the History of Jazz at Tulane University .  The sound quality was quite rough, since the song was recorded “live” in a night club, but the high quality of the music still shone through.  Fortunately, it has since been remastered, and, in this current iteration, all the parts are balanced and fully audible.  (Ain’t modern technology grand!)

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