Leo Parker
Leo Parker was the proud owner of a big, beefy baritone sax tone and a fluent technique that struck a great match between the gritty, down-home feeling of R&B and the advanced harmonies of bebop. At first, he studied alto in high school, even recording with Coleman Hawkins' early bebop band at age 18 on that instrument in 1944. But upon joining the legendary Billy Eckstine bop band in 1944-1945 and 1946, Parker switched to baritone and began to garner notice. He worked with Dizzy Gillespie's band on 52nd Street in 1946 and Illinois Jacquet's group in 1947-1948, and recorded with Fats Navarro, J.J. Johnson, Dexter Gordon, and Sir Charles Thompson; he scored a hit with Thompson, "Mad Lad," on the Apollo label. Parker seemed to be on his way, but drug problems -- an epidemic in the bop community -- kept interfering with his career, and he recorded only sporadically in the 1950s. In September and October 1961, Parker began a comeback on the Blue Note label with two lively albums that successfully combined his blues, gospel, and bop backgrounds. But only a few months later, a heart attack felled him at the age of 36.
© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo
Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Rollin' With Leo (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 jan. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let Me Tell You 'Bout It (Rudy Van Gelder Edition)
Jazz - Released by Blue Note Records on 1 jan. 1961
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Architect of Soul Jazz Bill Jennings. The Complete Early Recordings 1951-1957
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 16 jan. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Last Sessions (Bonus Track Version)
Jazz - Released by Jazz Lovers on 26 sep. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Bop, Rhythm & Blues Classics: Leo Parker (Digitally Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Essential Media Group on 19 jan. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Complete Jazz Series 1947 - 1950
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 8 jun. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Let Me Tell You 'Bout It (Bonus Track Version)
Jazz - Released by The Jazz Corner on 1 jun. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Milestones of Jazz Legends: More Blue Notes, Vol. 9
Moderne jazz - Released by Intense Media GmbH on 15 mrt. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Leo / Let Me Tell You 'Bout It (All Tracks Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Hit Singles Records on 5 jan. 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo