Wessell Anderson at

In 1950, Bird with Strings was the recording that transformed Charlie Parker from a bebop innovator into a pop superstar. The idea of having a major soloist playing classic standards with a lush, romantic string section and singers immediately became a staple of the 1950s, thanks to Bird. Sixty years later those orchestrations (by such greats as Gerry Mulligan and Neil Hefti), like the hit singles "Just Friends" and "April in Paris," still sound brilliant, as leading saxophone ornithologists Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson and Charles McPherson will demonstrate. They are joined by trombonist and music director Vincent Gardner...

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In 1950, Bird with Strings was the recording that transformed Charlie Parker from a bebop innovator into a pop superstar. The idea of having a major soloist playing classic standards with a lush, romantic string section and singers immediately became a staple of the 1950s, thanks to Bird. Sixty years later those orchestrations (by such greats as Gerry Mulligan and Neil Hefti), like the hit singles "Just Friends" and "April in Paris," still sound brilliant, as leading saxophone ornithologists Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson and Charles McPherson will demonstrate. They are joined by trombonist and music director Vincent Gardner.

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