Is this Charlie Parker?

I have some 78-speed acetate discs, home-made I guess, of various Charlie Parker private recordings that have since been made commercially available. However, at least one of the discs contains recordings of "I'll Remember April" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" that don't sound like anything I can find on the various Parker CDs. So I'm not sure if this is even Charlie Parker or not. Maybe someone here can figure this out. Here's an I'll Remember April", and the alto solo is around the 3:05 mark:

http://www.divshare.com/download/7504855-7b2

 

Not Charlie Parker, but very interesting. It doesn't sound like a full blown bop outing. However, it does sound like a very interesting mid to late 40's session. The playing is languid enough to be someone like Don Byas, but it doesn't sound like any group he would have played with. James Moody is another possibility. All in all, it's a fine tune, well played.

 

Thanks for the feedback. Assuming that it is an alto sax being played, though, could it still be Don Byas or Lucky Thompson? Moody did play alto occasionally, so he's a possibility. Unless it's a soprano sax there, in which case it could be Thompson. It's too bad the person who made these discs didn't specify the artists/dates on the labels (except for a couple which say, "Diz and Bird").

 

You need to get Phil Schaap on the case.

 

Tone-wise, it sure does sound like Parker, and that's usually what most imitators don't copy.

I think if it were him, it would be more obviously him. But that leaves the question of who, and I have little to offer.

 

Definately not Dizzy playing horn either or a young Miles Davis so it can't be Bird.

 

Well, he had other trumpeters.

He also used to sit in with local groups as he traveled. There are recordings of him playing with Von Freeman who didn't cut his first record until the 70s.

 

Here's the other side of the disc, "Sweet Georgia Brown". Unfortunately, I had to apply a lot of noise reduction, which may obscure the instruments' tone. The altoist sneaks in a bit of "You're In The Army Now" at the end, so maybe that's a clue.

 

Have youosted this anywhere else? I'd like to know who it is.

 

I took your suggestion, Kevin, and posted the same question over on the organissmo forums.

 

Understandable, but as I point out that the trumpet player on the recording "is not either Dizzy or Miles". So I still doubt very highly that it might be "Bird" playing as well as it dosen't sound that much like him at all to me IMHO.

 

Could be stoned Bird...