[78-L] Birdland Label

[Geoffrey Wheeler]

More on the Birdland label and its connection through Morris Levy to 
Roost and Roulette.
On Monday night, September 29, 1947, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie 
performed at Carnegie Hall. One of the tunes was “Ko Ko,” which Parker 
had recorded earlier for Savoy Records. The 6:08 live performance opens 
with Gillespie and Parker playing unison ensemble before Parker 
launches into his by-now-famous solo which is played at a tempo even 
faster than the original Savoy recording. During his solo, he 
incorporates phrases from the original recording. Drummer Joe Harris 
follows with a rumbling, pointless solo that leads into the ensemble 
close. Although four other tunes from the concert were issued on the 
bootleg The Black Deuce 78 label, this lengthy performance was not. 
Teddy Reig, who made the original concert recordings, released this 
version of “Ko Ko” in 1982 on the Jazz America Marketing label JAM 5006 
Unearthed Masters—Volume 1: Charlie Parker, Coleman Hawkins, Georgie 
Auld.

Three records with performances in six parts were issued from the 
Carnegie Hall concert on The Black Deuce 10-inch 78 label, with all 
labels reading “A Nite at Carnegie Hall” but with no tune titles. The 
label has a black field with silver type in all caps identifying Dizzy 
Gillespie and Charlie Parker and five silver bars at the top and 
bottom. No other information appears on the label. Parts 1 and 2 are 
“Night in Tunisia”; Parts 3 and 4 are “Groovin’ High”; Part 5 is “Dizzy 
Atmosphere,” and Part 6 is “Confirmation.” A few New York record stores 
sold the 78s under the counter. Copies of the three Black Deuce 78s and 
the original Black Deuce test pressings, which came from the Teddy Reig 
Collection, are currently in the Norman Saks Collection. These sides 
were later issued on 10-inch Birdland LP425 [cover; BLP 425 on the 
label]: A Night at Carnegie Hall with Charlie Parker and Dizzy 
Gillespie. The back cover calls this “A Memorial to Charlie Parker.”  
Side A: “A Night in Tunisia,” parts 1 and 2; and “Dizzy Atmosphere.” 
Side B: “Groovin’ High,” parts 1 and 2; and “Confirmation.” The four 
performances from the Birdland LP were later reissued on 12-inch Roost 
RLP 2234: Diz ‘n’ Bird in Concert. The cover of the Birdland album 
features a full-frame interior shot of a seated theatre audience with a 
tiny stage in the upper-right corner. The label has a black field with 
white type. A bird sits atop the “d” of the “Birdland” logo centered at 
the top of the label. Shirley Hoskins Collins wrote the notes. Birdland 
Records was located at 625 10th Avenue, New York City, the same address 
as Roost Records. The label is said to have been named after the Royal 
Roost jazz club located at 1580 Broadway and 47th Street. Launched in 
1950, early Roost 78 releases say “Roost” only. Later this became 
“Royal Roost” on LP labels. Roost 78s offer better sound than the same 
reissues on Roost 10-inch LPs. Much of the early LP cover art is done 
by Burt Goldblatt. Birdland opened December 15, 1949 at 1678 Broadway 
at 52nd Street.

  A copy of this 10-inch LP sold at silent auction in September 2008 for 
$349.00. All six Black Deuce sides were reissued on (E) Ember LP CJS 
817 The World of Charlie Parker, “A Roulette Recording.” Morris Levy, 
principal of Birdland jazz club, owned Roulette, which he launched in 
1957. In 1958, Levy bought the Roost catalog and folded it into 
Roulette. The link between Savoy, The Black Deuce, Birdland, Roost, and 
Roulette is A&R man, Teddy Reig, who was responsible for these 
recordings being issued on all five labels.