The Washington Concerts is an album by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, first released in 1983 by Elektra[1] and re-released in its full form by Blue Note in 2001.[2] The album's content is drawn from two live performances at the Howard Theatre and one at Club Kavakos.[2]
AllMusic noted, "Bird relied entirely on instinctual 'bop logic' to navigate with ease as he formulated solos of remarkable prismatic complexity."[2] Michael Fortuna, writing for All About Jazz, commented that Parker "gave a jaw-dropping performance with Joe Timer's orchestra at the Club Kavakos in Washington, D.C. in 1953."[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz praised the album, noting that Parker "doesn't miss a cue all evening and indeed plays as if inspired in places, using the band voicings to trigger off some of his most inventive solos."[3] Doug Ramsey of JazzTimes estimated that the rendition of "Anthropology" was performed at roughly 310 beats per minute, and stated: "At that velocity, rather than fall back on the clichés and stock phrases that would permit most players to survive the tempo, Bird cranks up his imagination for some of the most original improvisation of the early 1950s."[4]
