My Old Flame, recorded November 4, 1947, is a ballad performance by the Charlie Parker Quintet featuring Parker's one-chorus alto saxophone solo on the Arthur Johnston standard at approximately 67-68 BPM in the key of F with a 32-bar AABA form. Miles Davis follows with a half-chorus on trumpet. This recording is famous for Parker's opening gambit, in which he quotes the theme from Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring before launching into his improvisation, a moment that exemplifies his vast musical awareness and his playful approach to quotation. The ballad tempo allows Parker to display the full range of his tonal palette, from breathy subtones to piercing high notes, and his treatment of the melody is characteristically free, departing from the original to create a new composition that retains only the harmonic skeleton. Davis's half-chorus is more directly melodic, offering a contrasting interpretation. My Old Flame is one of several ballad performances from the Dial sessions that demonstrate Parker's supreme command of the form.
