Who is Charlie Parker?
Charlie Parker is bebop. Charlie Parker is saxophone. Charlie Parker is notes everywhere; scales up and down, arpeggios right and left. And Charlie Parker is never, ever ending. Ever. The notes just don’t stop. But you don’t want them to, either.
Charlie’s standards: 1…Billie’s Bounce. 2…Anthropology. 3…Ornithology. 4…Confirmation.
Ever heard the tune Birdland? By Weather Report. If you haven’t, go check it out. Charlie’s nickname, Yardbird, or Bird for short, inspired the name for the New York jazz club, Birdland, which in turn inspired the name for the song.
Charlie Parker → Yardbird → Bird → Birdland, NY → Birdland, Weather Report.
That’s not the only influence he’s made, though. Despite his drug and alcohol abuse, Charlie Parker held a master role in the development of bebop, as well as jazz/style fusion. He made the jazz musician the Jazz Musican; not simply an entertainer, but an intellectual musician and a persistent artist. Parker was a major icon in the Beat Generation of the 1950s, an influence to writers focused on turning away from the American mainstream values (of that time, of course).
Looking for some saxophone to listen to? Listen to Charlie Parker.
Looking for some Charlie Parker to play? Buy the Charlie Parker Omnibook.
I’m still fumbling with the ropes of using lead sheets and fakebooks, but the whole experience is enlightening. Especially when you do it with your musical buddies.
In fact, I’ve been playing with some of my own musical buddies, and we picked up Charlie Parker’s Moose the Mooche the other day. Supposedly it’s supposed to be named after his drug dealer. Fun stuff.
CURRENTLY LISTENING TO: How About You/Compact Jazz/Bill Evans
