Charlie Parker’s engagement at Café Society took placeduring the last year of this famous club’s existence. Twodays before his stint began, on June 6, 1950, he hadrecorded his last studio album with Dizzy Gillespie, thecelebrated Bird & Diz, which featured Thelonious Monk onpiano. During these months, as Bird himself announced,he was playing with strings. However, for some reasonthe Café Society didn’t book him with strings but with hisquintet, featuring Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Al Haig onpiano, Tommy Potter on bass and Roy Haynes on drums.All of the music recorded by Bird at the club is includedhere, including his only known versions of “Bewitched”and “Gone with the Wind”, as well as an amazing versionof “Summertime”, which is Parker’s only reading of thetune apart from the studio recording with strings.

Charley Parker, alto sax, with:

1-12:

Kenny Dorhan, trumpet

Al Haig, piano

Tommy Potter, bass

Roy Hayes, drums

Tony Scott, clarinet (added on 12, only)

13-14:

Kenny Dorhan, trumpet

Tony Scott, clarinet

Brew Moore, tenor sax

Dick Hyman, piano

Mundell Lowe, guitar

Irv Lang, bass

Irv Kluger, drums

All tracks recorded live at Café Society Downtown,New York, June-July, 1950 (1-12), Mid-March, 1950 (13-14).

*Bonus track(15): Same as 13-14 but omit Charlie Parker.

• 1. 52nd Street Theme (I)
• 2. Just Friends (I)
• 3. April In Paris (I)
• 4. A Night In Tunisia/52nd Street Theme (Ii)
• 5. 52nd Street Theme (Iii)
• 6. Just Friends (Ii)
• 7. April In Paris (Ii)
• 8. Medley 1: Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered / Summertime
• 9. Medley 2: I Cover the Waterfront / Gone With the Wind
• 10. Easy To Love / 52nd Street Theme (Iv)
• 11. Medley 3: What's New? / the Talk of the Town
• 12. Moose the Mooche / 52nd Street Theme (V)
• 13. Lover, Come Back To Me
• 14. 52nd Street Theme (Vi)
• 15. Lullaby In Rhythm*