2015 was the 60th anniversary of the death of CHARLIE PARKER and to commemorate the event, producer LARRY KLEIN was inspired to cut a tribute album that he hoped would be a little different.
See if he’s succeeded by investigating when ‘The Passion Of Charlie Parker’ is released on June 30th on Impulse Records.
Klein describes his album as a “musical play” that follows the narrative arc of Parker’s life through music and original lyrics. To help deliver, Klein has brought together what he calls the most “prescient and forward-looking musicians on the jazz scene today”. They include Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Madeline Peyroux, Melody Gardot and Kandace Springs.
The vocalists sing new lyrics to Parker classics like ‘So Long’, ‘Fifty Dollars’ and ‘Every Little Thing’. The words come courtesy of David Baerwald who Klein describes as the “the only songwriter who has the poetic capabilities to write lyrics befitting the erratic and jagged melodic nature of Charlie Parker’s music.”
