Bird Lives (ACT)
John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren and SWR Big Band
Released November 2021
Grammy Nominee for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album 2023
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lo6m92ikkm_vZW9C4HRlXhi_hj0j8tn2k
Spotify:
About:
2020 wasn’t just Beethoven’s year, it was also the centenary of Charlie Parker’s birth. And if it hadn’t been for the pandemic, the world would have seen notices of all kinds of major concerts to celebrate the legacy of Bird (as Charlie Parker was known), one of the giants of jazz; one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century; the co-inventor of bebop; and probably the most important and influential saxophonist in jazz.
The “Bird Lives” music on this new album was to have been recorded and premiered by the SWR Big Band a couple of months before Charlie Parker’s 100th anniversary, which was on August 29, 2020. The world premiere was scheduled at the iconic Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles – which seats 18,000 people – with co-arranger and conductor, John Beasley and his six-time GRAMMY-award nominated MONK’estra Big Band with a string section during the week leading up to Bird’s centenary. Both of those dates were lost to Covid, but the recording, a commission from the SWR Big Band, and with a stellar roster of guest artists, was able to develop at a much more measured pace. When safety rules permitted, the musicians met to record in Stuttgart mid November 2020.
The extra time enabled the collaborative partnership of Swedish saxophonist Magnus Lindgren and American pianist John Beasley as co-arrangers to imagine further and dive deeper. Lindgren and Beasley met at the Jakarta Jazz Festival in Indonesia 5 years ago. That sparked an invitation to have Sweden’s Blue House Big Band to play MONK’estra’s music. A bond was formed because of the mutual admiration for each other’s unique style of arranging. Both musicians were keen to find a project to work seamlessly together in the unusual guise of co-arrangers. “For both of us it was our first time arranging as a team,” Lindgren points out. “We sent ideas and drafts back and forth between Stockholm and Los Angeles. We actually didn’t have many suggestions about each other’s writing because it was so fresh and had the bang-on feel we aimed for.” Five of the eight tracks on the album are co-arrangements. “It was a very creative way to make music, ” says John Beasley. “Two was more magical than one for “Bird Lives”. As we were all in lockdown, working so closely with Lindgren, who has such a ripe musical mind, it surely was more fun but kept me sane.”
Magnus Lindgren was voted Sweden’s best jazz musician in 2001, he has gone on to win many important prizes internationally. He says: “When I started playing the saxophone at 13, Charlie Parker was my ultimate hero, so this project really does bring me full circle.” Lindgren has been Artist in Residence with the SWR Big Band since 2018, a post which has been renewed for him for another three years. He has overseen an ongoing development in the band’s sound both through reinforcing its engagement as a specialist ensemble in orchestral jazz, and also by exploring various projects involving modern reinterpretations and makeovers of works from the jazz/big band canon.
John Beasley’s work as composer-arranger and pianist extends beyond jazz into film and television, notably alongside Thomas Newman working on “1917”, James Bond: “Skyfall” and “Spectre”. Beasley has nine GRAMMY nominations and won Best Arrangement for Charlie Parker’s “Donna Lee” in 2021. Beasley is Music Director for International Jazz Day global gala concerts hosted by the Herbie Hancock Jazz Institute. His 2016 “Jazz in the White House” earned Beasley an Emmy nomination for Best Musical Direction.
Based in Stuttgart, the SWR Big Band was founded in 1951 and from its early days has been known as the “Daimler of the big bands” – a reference to the fact that Stuttgart is Motor City. The band has been ranked among the best jazz orchestras in the world for many years, with four Grammy nominations. It has attracted a roll call of stellar guests, from Miles Davis and Chet Baker in the early days to Dee Dee Bridgewater and Jacob Collier much more recently.
“Bird Lives” sits firmly in this tradition, of the SWR Band wanting – and making sure they present – the absolute best in music. The guest artists on “Bird Lives”, speaks to getting the A-list of saxophonists to pay tribute to Charlie Parker. On the opening track, multiple Jazz Critics poll-winner Chris Potter makes a mark with his inimitable sound and his flawless technique. Tia Fuller was musical director for Esperanza Spalding and solo projects like “Angelic Warrior” contributes an amazingly laid-back modern version of “Summertime”.
Then, two tracks on, we hear the great Joe Lovano letting his tenor sax hover over “I’ll Remember April” with the particular warmth, softness, and expressive breadth that are uniquely his. Miguel Zenón brings a Latin touch and rhythm to Parker’s “Donna Lee”; and sax-great Charles McPherson who toured with Mingus plays luminously and meltingly in “Laura”, the song from the 1945 film with the same title. The French singer Camille Bertault is a new and rising vocalist. Her supreme craft and agility is heard here in a direct vocal transcribe of Charlie Parker’s “Koko”.
“Bird Lives” feels like a soundtrack for an imaginary film co-written by Lindgren and Beasley. The SWR Big Band performs with a string section of 10 players, but this recording is not a re-creation of Parker’s “Bird With Strings” albums. “We wanted to introduce new generations to Bird’s music, but we also wanted Bird fans to hear his music in a fresh and new approach,” Beasley explains, noting that near the end of his life, Parker idolised Edgard Varese and was longing to bring more structure, depth and variety into the way he wrote for orchestra. “We didn’t want to repeat what that has been done before, but rather create something different,” adds Lindgren.
The choice of compositions is true to the duo’s aim: there are Parker originals such as “Scrapple from the Apple,” bursting with bebop, there are also some of his favourite standards, such as the opening “Cherokee/Koko” mash-up and the grand finale “Overture to Bird”. But above all the great arrangements suit the context: they not only play to the strengths of the classic big band and of Parker’s endlessly inventive music, but also enhance them with newer stylistic elements, such as a joyous celebratory funk reading of “Confirmation”.
Charlie Parker was still in the early stages of working with orchestras when he died at the tragical early age of 34. “Bird Lives” may chart territory fulfilled dreams that Parker was not able to explore in his short lifetime. This recording has nothing of the “museum-piece” about it: this is music both of and for our time.
Track Listing:
1. Cherokee/Koko (Ray Noble, Charlie Parker) 08:44
Solos: Camille Bertault; Chris Potter; John Beasley
Grammy Nominee for Best Improvised Jazz Solo 2023 (John Beasley)
2. Summertime (George & Ira Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) 06:45
Solos: Tia Fuller; Klaus-Peter Schöpfer
3. Scrapple from the Apple/Ah Leu Cha (Charlie Parker / arr. by John Beasley) 05:48
Solos: Martin Auer; Magnus Lindgren
Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella 2023 (John Beasley)
4. I’ll Remember April (Gene Paul, Don Raye, arr. by John Beasley) 05:14
Solo: Joe Lovano
5. Confirmation (Charlie Parker) 08:14
Solos: Magnus Lindgren; Axel Kühn; John Beasley; Marc Godfroid
6. Donna Lee (Charlie Parker) 06:59
Solos: Miguel Zenon; Decebal Badila; Magnus Lindgren; Andreas Maile
7. Laura (David Raksin) 05:17
Solo: Charles McPherson
8. Overture to Bird (Charlie Parker, Barry Harris, David Raksin, George Gershwin, Gene) 04:18
Solos: Klaus Graf; Mathias Erlewein; Magnus Lindgren; John Beasley; Marc Godfroid
co-arranged by Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley
Personnel:
SWR Big Band & Strings
Magnus Lindgren: music director, flute & tenor sax
Saxophones/Woodwinds: Klaus Graf, Matthias Erlewein, Axel Kühn, Andreas Maile & Pierre Paquette
Trumpets/Flugelhorns: Nemanja Jovanovic, Felice Civitareale, Karl Farrent, Bastian Stein & Martin Auer
Trombones: Marc Godfroid, Ernst Hutter, Ian Cumming & Georg Maus
Rhythm Section: Klaus-Peter Schöpfer (guitar), Decebal Badila (double & electric bass), Guido Jöris (drums), John Beasley (piano & keys), Pedrito Martinez & Munyungo Jackson (percussion)
Strings: 1st violin: Silke Meyer-Eggen (leader), Lesia Ponomarova & Insa Fritsche;
2nd violin: Marina Solarek, Larissa Manz Violin & Susanne Kaldor;
Viola: Dora Scheili Bass & Lydia Bach;
Cello: Johanna & Chihiro Saito-Kraut
Guests
Chris Potter: tenor sax
Joe Lovano: tenor sax
Miguel Zenon: alto sax
Tia Fuller: alto sax
Charles McPherson: alto sax
Camille Bertault: vocal
Pedrito Martinez: percussion
Munyungo Jackson: percussion
Recorded November 16-28, 2020, at SWR Funkstudio Stuttgart, Germany, by Volker Neumann, assisted by Boris Kellenbenz
Joe Lovano recorded by Maureen Sickler, at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Charles McPherson recorded by Peter Sprague at SpragueLand, Encintas, California
Camille Bertault recorded by Christophe Minck, Paris
Mixing and Mastering: Klaus-Peter Schöpfer
Produced by Hans-Peter Zachary, Magnus Lindgren & John Beasley
Project Consultant: Lorna Chiu
Cover art (detail) by Gottfried Mairwöger, “Palais VI”
Photo (detail) Charlie Parker © Michael Ochs Archives
Review:
Round about 2017 there was a meeting of the minds. Composers and musicians John Beasley and Magnus Lindgren evolved as kindred spirits, and chose to work together on a project engulfing their shared appreciation of Charlie Parker. This tribute to the man who came to be known simply as Bird, had trouble taking flight. Obstacles, none bigger than Covid, came along and stood in the way. Dedicated to its completion, the pair, along with the SWR Big Band, has now proudly introduced this master production to deservedly rave reviews. Genius can’t be rushed, but it can be achieved. First by Parker, of course, and now by Beasley and Lindgren, in what is a delayed celebration of the one hundred years centennial of Parker’s birth in 1920. It was to debut in 2020 live at The Hollywood Bowl. Now instead, Bird Lives will debut nearly two years later with the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra on April 4. 2023. Bird Lives had its European debut in Stuttgart, the home of the SWR Big Band, and also in Stockholm in fall of 2021.
With music selected from Bird with Strings, Live At the Apollo (Columbia, 1977) and Charlie Parker Plus Springs (Mercury Records, 1950), the vision was not simply to honor Parker, but to shed new light on his music with twenty-first century ears, eyes, and capabilities. It’s a delicate balance to pay it forward without sacrificing the purposeful enlightenment of an era past. It made sense to use popular/well-known material. The big band classic “Cherokee” started off the record. The Ray Noble penned song was played by many bands, back in the day. It wasn’t uncommon then for big band hits to be played by several bands. “Cherokee,” however, is probably best recalled by a version from tenor and alto saxophonist Charlie Barnet and his Big Band.
Beasley and Lindgren cleverly attached Parker’s composition “Koko” to this take. “Koko” was Parker’s first foray into bebop and became a popular song. Merging the big band style with bebop at the outset of this recording spoke volumes conceptually. The sizzling tenor sax of Chris Potter was featured within the hot swing of a dynamite big band, after a scatted entrance from Camille Bertault. Crisp and multi-layered, the horn section built to a mercurial frenzy. The rhythm section set it up and knocked it down, before allowing the flavorful run to glide into a piano groove, and just as smoothly pull it all back together for the memorable trademark melody of “Cherokee.” The familiar, and now hot and cozy remembrance, was pulsated by Potter’s spirited modern day solo. If this first track was to be indicative of what was in store on the remaining seven tracks, then we were in for something special. And so it proved.
“Summertime” is another jazz classic that has been played and/or recorded by a plethora of different artists in a wide variety of genres over the years. George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin created a tune that can just as easily be breezy or sultry or just about whatever mood you might want it to be. Guitarist Klaus-Peter Schopfer’s sweet melodic runs captured the essence of Parker in the twenty-first century, along with a soulful and earthy vibe from saxophonist Tia Fuller. By 1947, Parker, now fully engaged in bebop, took his “Scrapple from the Apple,”” from the big city and abroad. Beasley dices up the percussion, opening up a new order of sizzling tenor sax from Lindgren. All perpetuated by the tightly wound yet leisurely played strings. Also referred to as simply “Scrapple,” Parker uniquely used two contrafacts (“Honeysuckle Rose” and “I Got Rhythm”) in its composition. It gave him, and now Beasley and Lindgren, an ample playground. Beasley took the assortment of power tools to the furtive landscape and built a sturdy arrangement designed for growth. The brilliantly fluid arrangement was highlighted by Beasley’s signature grasp of stops and starts, that were well suited for trumpeter Martin Auer.
Sliding back into another precious standard, Joe Lovano christened this voyage of “I’ll Remember April,” gracefully feeling and holding every note with Parker-like finesse. Lovano’s tenor cascaded over the lush mergence of horns and strings. The gentle sway created melodic entrances for Lovano’s creative barrage of sumptuous note selections. The SWR Big Band, powerful and spot on from the onset, had a chance to stretch out and kick it bit on Parker’s “Confirmation.” The robust Lindgren arrangement weaved together the stealth of the big band with the gorgeous bliss of Lindgren’s flute. The band was tight and hopping, but pleasingly not in a rush. Strongly pulsated by the grooves of bassist Axel Kühn. It wasn’t a race to the finish. Instead an array of brief peppered solos emerging from the multi-layered big band swing. The eight minute plus explosion did Parker proud in capturing both his intensity and his magic, while sky rocketing it forward.
Many of Parker’s compositions have become standards in the industry. Perhaps none more so than “Donna Lee.” Here we have the aforementioned familiarity of standards that Parker gifted us, along with new visions seen though the wideness of a modern scope and heard by a collective of both twentieth and twentieth-first century genius. Beasley had just won a 2021 Grammy for “Donna Lee.” The Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, was awarded for Beasley’s “Donna Lee” reimagine on his album Monk’estra Plays Beasley (Mack Records, 2020). This didn’t deter Beasley from inviting the popular miss “Donna Lee” to the prom once again. After all, it is Parker’s composition and, of course, this take on has a life of its own. Here light percussion swiftly swings into motion with the full horn section engaging in alto saxophonist Miguel Zenon and tenor saxpphonist Andi Maile’s creative explorations. A clever change of direction powers down the band, before once again erupting behind bassist Decebel Badilla and, once again, the nifty note selections of Lindgren on flute.
“Laura” gets around as well, and was not going to miss out on this scintillating instrumental affair. Veteran alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, no stranger to the works of Parker, and well acquainted with “Laura,” beautifully found a way to keep us rooted in Parker’s era, yet with the airy glimmer of things to come. “Overture to Bird” is what it is intended to be. A grand finale showcasing the vast and varied elements that made, and continue to make, Parker a singular and epic voice in the genre. Lindgren perhaps saved his beat for last with this stunningly sensational arrangement. The melody swirling in and out sharing space with swing and upward adornments, gives a wide birth to the talents of saxophonists Mathias Erlewein and Klaus Graf to excel freely in the moment.
Bird Lives is engaging and exciting from beginning to end. Stellar musicianship, the best of modern day and past composers, all harnessed together as one.
Jim Worsley (All About Jazz)
