Few artists have had an impact on the sounds of modern jazz the way Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker have had. Together these two men revolutionized the sounds of modern jazz, expanding the existing boundaries of harmony, melody and rhythm. Their approach to the music helped to form the rudimentary elements of bebop, shaping the language of jazz from the 40s and into the decades to follow. Together they recorded such timeless classics as “Salt Peanuts,” “Anthropology,” and “Groovin’ High.” Telarc is proud to release the final recording sessions of Dizzy Gillespie, Bird Songs. The recording salutes some of the hallmarks of the be-bop and cu-bop era, created and popularized by ‘Diz’ and ‘Bird.’

Recorded live at New York’s famed Blue Note, Bird Songs contains six tracks of explosive previously unreleased material from Dizzy Gillespie’s 75th birthday celebration in 1992. These rare sessions join Dizzy with a cross generation of jazz’s premiere saxophonists who include Jackie McLean, Benny Golson, Paquito D’Rivera, David Sanchez, Clifford Jordan and Antonio Hart. To round out the all-star gathering, Gillespie is backed by pianist Danilo Perez, bassist George Mraz and drummers Kenny Washington and Lewis Nash.

Bird Songs features such well-known compositions as Barry Harris’ tribute to ‘Bird,’ “Ornithology,” Gillespie’s cu-bop classic “Con Alma,” Parker’s fiery “Confirmation,” and such Gillespie signature tunes as “A Night in Tunisia,” “Theme” and “The Diamond Jubilee Blues.”