Bird Concert Program (2 results)

From the collection of Rolling Stones drummer and jazz aficionado Charlie Watts, with his posthumous bookplate: a stylishly produced program and accompanying ticket for the first night of Bird's brief but famous tour of Sweden. These fragile pieces have been lovingly preserved and comprise a wonderfully tangible memorial to one of the great nights in Bird's career. They are quite possibly unique. "In late November 1950 Billy Shaw [the boppers' favourite booking agent] set up a week's tour of Sweden for Parker. Bird was to go as single and would use some of the modern Swedish musicians as accompanists. Shaw also contacted Roy Eldridge, who was in Paris, and persuaded him to share the bill with Bird. As an advertising venture, a Swedish jazz publication called Estrad, published by Nils Hellstrom, sponsored the tour. The booking arrangements between Shaw and Hellstrom, however, were done quickly and haphazardly, and there was little time for advance publicity. Moreover, some of the bookings were done even after Parker and Eldridge arrived in Sweden" (Koch, p. 225). The opening night was at the Stockholms Konserthus on Monday 20 November. "Little Jazz" was supported by the five-piece "Svensk Elitorkester" and Parker by the Arne Domnerus-Rolf Ericson band, a septet that included Lars Gullin on baritone. Unusually, a set list is given for each band and then a program of "favourite songs" for each headliner, presumably when Eldridge and Bird took the stage. The fan present on the night has carefully noted in pencil that Parker played all but one of the eleven numbers listed for him ("Bird Gets The Worm" being the absentee). From the celebrated collection of Norman Saks. Vail, Saks Collection, 103 (program) & 104 (ticket), illustrated at p. 40. Lawrence O. Koch, Yardbird Suite, 1999. Program: (145 x 203 mm folded, 145 x 406 mm unfolded), 4pp. Ticket: (69 x 75 mm), Program: portrait of Bird on front cover, smaller portrait of Eldridge on page 2. Program: white thin stock paper, Ticket: pale orange flimsy stock paper. Program: some creasing and short split at fold, a few rust marks from staples; ticket: slightly creased, rust mark. Both in very good condition.

A charming printed concert program illustrated in the chinoiserie style for a "Bird Concert" given in Boston, featuring fourteen different musical pieces with an overarching avian theme, including "Who killed Cock Robin?" and "Ye merry birds", as well as song selections with vocalists imitating bird song. It was well attended, and received a positive mention in the Boston Globe the following day: "The bird concert, last evening, in the Central Square Baptist Church, East Boston, was a unique affair, every selection being a song about the feathered songsters, and the little singers [im]personating a different bird, the whole being very enjoyable" (2 Jan. 1880). Bifolium (4" by 3.5") printed on light blue-green card by C.H. Woods of East Boston. Fine. Minor rubbing to extremities.