Select ‘Birdland‘ from Choose a song below. Wait a few seconds for tracks to fully load. Hit PLAY button. You can Mute and Solo. (the rest of the controls are still a bit dodgy)

TBA: Downloads : score pdf . graphical chart pdf . lyrics pdf

Hiran’s Notes:

This song was originally an instrumental by Weather Report, written by Joe Zawinul. As with many of Manhattan Transfer songs of the ‘vocalese’ genre lyrics were written to it by Jon Hendricks, of Hendricks, Lambert and Ross. Basically, the instrumental melodies of the brass instruments were turned into vocal lines. The song won a Grammy Award in 1980 for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, and Janis Siegel for Best Vocal Arrangement. (Janis had the pleasure of meeting me, and the pleasure of having her picture taken with me, at her solo gig at Pizza On The Park in London in 2006. As you can see, she’s pleased to meet me)

Birdland is about jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, who was known as Bird. The New York 52nd Street Club where he often played was renamed ‘Birdland‘ in 1949.

Best performance for choreography – Tokyo, Japan 1986 on the Vocalese DVD: Note: they’ve taken out a short section after 1st verse.

Lyrics

5000 light years from Birdland
But I’m still preachin’ the rythym
Long gone uptight years from Birdland
And I’m still teachin’ it with ’em
Years from the land of the Bird
And I am still feelin’ the spirit
5000 light years from Birdland
But I know people can hear it
Bird named it, Bird made it
Bird heard it, then played it
Well stated Birdland
It happened down in Birdland
In the middle of that hub
I remember one jazz club
Where we went to pat feet
Down on 52nd Street
Everybody heard that word
That they named it after Bird
Where the rythym swooped and swirled
The jazz corner of the world
And the cats they gigged in there
Were beyond compare
Birdland, I’m singing Birdland
Birdland, old swingin’ Birdland
Hey man, the music really turns you on
Really? Ya turn me around and turn me on
Down them stairs, lose them cares
Where? Down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king there
Down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Where? Down in Birdland
Miles came through, trane came too there
Down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakie too
Where? Down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall there
Down in Birdland, yeah
There will never be nothin’ such as that
No more, skoo be wah, no more
Down in Birdland, that’s where it was at
I know, ah ah ah ah ah, I know
Back in them days Bop was ridin’ high
Hello, heh heh heh heh heh, goodbye!
How well those cats remember their first Birdland gig
To play in Birdland is an honor we still dig
Yeah, that club was like in another world
Sure enough, yeah baby
All those cats were cookin’ on
People just sat and they were steady lookin’ on
Then Bird, he came and spread the word
Birdland
Yes indeed he did
Yes indeed he did
Yes indeed he did
Yes he did Parker played in Birdland
Yes he really did
Yes indeed he really did told the truth way down in Birdland
Yes indeed he did, Yard bird Parker played in Birdland
Yes indeed he really did, Charlie Parker played in Birdland
Bird named it, Bird made it
Bird heard it, then played it
Well stated Birdland
It happened down in Birdland
Everybody dug that beat
Everybody stomped their feet
Everybody digs be bop
And they’ll never stop
Down them stairs, lose them cares
Yeah, down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king
Yeah, down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Yeah, down in Birdland
Miles came through, trane came too
Yeah, down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakie too
Yeah, down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall
Yeah, down in Birdland
Down them stairs, lose them cares
Yeah, down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king
Yeah, down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Yeah, down in Birdland
Miles came through, trane came too
Yeah, down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakie too
Yeah, down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall
Yeah, down in Birdland
Down them stairs, lose them cares
Yeah, down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king
Yeah, down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Yeah, down in Birdland