Charlie Parker & Bud Powell - Bud `n Bird - Cheryl, 1947

On May 8th, 1947, Charlie Parker (Bird) entered Harry Smith Studios for his “homecoming” recording date for Savoy Records, the first since his return to New York City on April 7th. Bird was in robust health, free of his heroin addiction, and filled with ambition. At long last he had assembled the quintet of his dreams, and he was bringing in two extraordinary new compositions. Three out of the four songs recorded that day were destined to become classics.
Bird and Bud just didn’t get along. It was a case of irreconcilable similarities, and Bird knew he couldn’t have Bud in his working quintet. Bird had enough self-awareness to know that Bud was just as unreliable and problematic as he was, and that no band containing two such individuals would ever last long. But, more to the point, they didn’t get along because Bud was equally brilliant. His style may have been rooted entirely in Bird’s conception (as he put it, “Bird gave me a means of expression.”) but he was the only musician of that era capable of outplaying Bird. On a good night, the flow and depth of his ideas were unmatched. Bud’s style was pure paradox, patterned exactly on Bird, yet entirely original and just as profound.
Bird certainly knew this. Beyond not wanting competition in his quintet, Bud was out of the running because Bird made a point of surrounding himself with players who didn’t echo his ideas back at him (hence his fondness for Miles). So this recording date was a one-off, and it demonstrated in subtle ways that the two men created more friction than chemistry. Furthermore, Bird was not above toying with Bud whenever they played, which wasn’t often. This date, their only studio recording together, furnishes an excellent example. In his capacity as arranger, Bird goes out of his way to limit Bud’s solo space, cutting him short by adding gratuitous walking bass solos.

Miles Davis, trumpet;
Charlie Parker, alto sax;
Bud Powell, piano;
Tommy Potter, bass;
Max Roach, drums.