Bird-Prez 2

The "Bird-Prez Birthday Broadcast", a 72 hour (and some years longer) marathon celebrating Lester Young and Charlie Parker around their birthday anniversaries, August 27 and August 29, is a long standing tradition at WKCR, and it is among our listeners' favorites.

On the middle, swing, date, August 28, we play mixtures of Bird and Prez.

Here’s a 183 minute long shift from the 2026 edition.

Included are special segments of a half hour or so of Bird and Prez sharing the stage at the January 28, 1946 Jazz At The Philharmonic concert, and one contrasting their solos in classic big band recordings (Bird with Jay McShann and Prez in the original Count Basie orchestra), 65 minutes. There are also some portions for general listening, among which are a sampling of some Parker features with large ensembles.