Pre-Bird
Pre-Bird is an album by jazz bassist and composer Charles Mingus consisting of music that was composed before Mingus first heard Charlie Parker, hence the title Pre-Bird. It was released on Mercury Records in September 1961.
Recording
The album was recorded over May 24–25, 1960 at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City. Tracks 4, 7, and 8 were recorded on the 24th, with tracks 1–3, 5, and 6 recorded the following day.The album includes two tracks which feature contrapuntal arrangements of swing era pieces, aided by stereo mixing. In the first, "Take the "A" Train" is played in the left channel, paired with "Exactly Like You" in the right channel. The same is done with "Do Nothin' [Till You Hear From Me]" and "I Let a Song [Go Out of My Heart]".