ORNITHOLOGY

Had one of those rare moments at the weekend whereby I came serious close to possessing something that had a very close approximation of, what I believe is called a "joie de vivre". Luckily the moment was short lived and normal service was resumed.
The cause of this giddy euphoria? A CD I've owned for nine years... Charlie Parker "The Washington Concerts".
These are recordings that originate from two concerts in 1953, were recorded privately, and lay dormant till they were remastered and released in 2001 (in essence "bootlegs" that have now made it to the legitimate market).
The playing on these tracks is wonderful but it's the audience reaction that makes this recording really come alive. Apparently, Parker had failed to turn up for a similar gig previously, so for this gig his presence was unadvertised and unlisted (just in case). So, the crowd thought they were going to listen to the Joe Timer's orchestra - and what they got was the Joe Timer's orchestra and Charlie Parker!
The sound quality is surprisingly good for a "private" recording. Also, Bird played this set with no music, no prior knowledge of the scores and no rehearsal with the band - he just winged it! But still manages to pull off fantastic solos.
Can't imagine why I've left this so long, but I'm loading this one onto my MP3 player right now.


However, what about the descriptive science of running? Well. Today my weight was short, the run long and mellow, but my water had the livid hue of a short tempered seagulls stare.