Dave Burns

Rollin' With Leo

by Richard J Salvucci
July 14, 2024

Leo Parker may not be a name that instantly springs to mind in the world of late 1940s bebop. There was one point, in 1948, however, when serious people, like Barry Ulanov, regarded Parker as the best baritone saxophonist around--in company with Charlie Parker and Fats Navarro. That is fancy company, so it is worth asking why he is so little remembered today? Parker was a contemporary of the now better known (or at least remembered) ...