Charlie Parker (1920-1955)

“Bird”

Charles Christopher Parker, Jr was born in Kansas City Kansas, the only son of Addie and Charles

Parker Sr. Charles Sr. was a vaudeville performer who

became a chef on the railroad. He left home when Charlie was

eleven and did not return. When Charlie was 13 years old, he

enrolled in band class. He was assigned to play the baritone

horn, but he soon became bored. He asked his mother to buy him

a saxophone. All she could afford was a 30 year old

instrument that cost her $45.00 (which was several weeks wages).

Charlie Parker

Charlie was an especially bright child, received good grades in school and was well liked by his teachers. When Charlie

was a child, his favorite hobby was reading.

Charlie loved practicing his saxophone. At the age of 14

he was a pretty good musician. Unfortunately he

spent so much time practicing, he neglected his schoolwork. He stopped going to class and began to fail all his courses.

By the time he was a sophomore in high school, he just quit school all together.

Charlie Parker

At the age of sixteen, Charlie began performing professionally. One winter night, he and his band members were driving to a city to perform and their car hit a patch of ice and skidded out of control. One of the band members was killed and the rest were seriously injured. Charlie suffered several broken ribs and a fractured spine. He was in great pain and had to stay at home for two months

to recuperate. The good thing was that Charlie received a check for several hundred dollars from an insurance company as restitution for his accident.

Charlie took the money a beautiful new saxophone.

Charlie Parker was commonly known as Yardbird. Sometimes people called him “Yard” and

sometimes they called him “Bird”, but it is reported that

Charlie himself liked the name Yardbird. No one knows for

sure how he got that name, but one speculation is that he got it

because he loved a good chicken dinner. In the South

(where Charlie was from), chicken was sometimes called yardbird because chickens ran

around freely in people’s yards. Bird Parker

As a teenager Charlie was hanging around the night clubs of Kansas City playing when he could and

listening to “riff”, a new jazz style evolving from African music and

developing in Kansas City. Charlie was unconventional and not

accepted by most of the musicians. At one jam session

when he tried to improvise, everyone laughed. Another time when he was invited to play with

Count Basie, the drummer threw a cymbal at his feet because Charlie

was off key and playing in the wrong time.

Count Basie

Charlie decided to go to New York, which was the center of jazz at the time.

However Charlie felt restricted with the

routines and arrangement of a big

band. He started spending time playing at Minton’s in Harlem. The

musicians there recognized Charlie’s

abilities and skills and accepted him and his

music.

Charlie’s talent continued to grow and he developed a style of music called “BeBop”

which stresses improvisation over a

more traditional melody. Charlie was also known for his technical ability on the saxophone. His

fingers were “lightening fast” and could play

notes rapidly.

Charlie traveled to Hollywood with Dizzy Gillespie and played in a local club. He soon started his own group which featured Miles Davis. During his stay in California his dependency on

illegal drugs and alcohol increased until he suffered a breakdown and was committed to a mental hospital. After 6

months he was released and returned to New York. He seemed a different person and composed music and played

steadily for the next two years.

Charlie with Dizzy Gillespie Charlie with Miles Davis

Night in Tunisia is a well known song written by Dizzy Gillespie and played by Dizzy and Charlie.

It is a classic bebop song.Tunisia is a country on the north edge

of the African continent.

In 1949 Bird made his first tour overseas playing in Paris at the International Jazz Festival. When he

returned, he was honored by the opening of a New

York club that was named Birdland.

Charlie’s success led to tours of Europe and

America including shows in Sweden, London, Los Angles and San Francisco

Unfortunately Charlie Parker returned to his use of narcotics and alcohol. His health was ruined

and in 1955 at the age of 35 he died in a hotel from

pneumonia brought on by his hard lifestyle.

Charlie was a jazz giant. His break from the big band

music gave rise to BeBop. His individualism gave

courage to hundreds of young musicians to

experiment and innovate with their music.