Artist:：Various Artists
Title：Bird Up! The Charlie Parker Remix Project
Label：Savoy Jazz(www.savoyjazz.com)

Before "Bird Up!" found a permanent home in our five-disk-changer, we will admit that it sat for months, unreviewed, unappreciated and just plain unopened. We thought, "Another bunch of DJs, turntablists, and latter-day funksters get turned loose in the vaults of a jazz legend, Charlie Parker." There was US2 messing up "Blue Note," Thievery Corp (and the like) having their way with "Verve," Jazzmatazz making jazz palatable for us kiddies with modern beats, loops, scratches, and MCs. So we got around to listening to "Bird Up!" and, well, son of a gun! If this ain't the dopest thing we've laid our ears on in ages. The wide-ranging artists on this project don't treat us like children. They re-construct Charlie Parker's music. We get Me'shell Ndegeocello's sophisticated urban funk on "Relaxin' at Camarillo," Rob Swift of the X-ecutioners making like Picasso on the turntables giving us an aural cubist version of "Cheers." Serj Tankian (from System of a Down!) gets trippy on "Bird of Paradise." Dan the Automator drops a couple of mind-blowing remixes--nay, re-combinations--which are faves around here. The spirit of Charlie Parker is remixed. His tunes are refocused, reunited, remembered and respected.