Charles Christopher “Bird” Parker, Jr., was an American bebop composer and saxophonist. He lived from August 29, 1920 to March 12, 1955. Parker was nicknamed Yardbird early in his career. This was changed to ‘Bird,’ or sometimes ‘Yard. Parker was also known as Yardbird for his nickname and the inspiration for the titles of his works like Ornithology. Parker is widely considered to be the greatest bebop jazz musician. Charles Mingus said that Bird’s impact on jazz was so significant that he would have thought he was in a hall with mirrors if he were still alive today. Bird’s talents are often compared to those of legendary musicians like Louis Armstrong or Duke Ellington. Some critics even say that Bird was unsurpassed in his ability. Scott Yanow, a jazz critic, says that Parker was “arguably the greatest saxophonist ever.” Parker’s unique approach to melody and rhythm has had an untold impact on jazz. Many of Parker’s songs are now standard repertoire. Numerous musicians have studied Parker and taken elements from his music. Parker was an icon of the Beat generation and a key figure in the evolution of jazz musicians as intellectuals and uncompromising artists. Parker mixed jazz with other musical styles at various times. He sought to study classical music with Stefan Wolpe and Edgard Varese, and he also recorded latin music with Machito, blazing new trails that were later followed by others. Parker was well-known for showing up at performances without an instrument or borrowing another’s. He played at more than one venue on a Grafton plastic saxophone. Later, Ornette Coleman, the saxophonist, used this type of plastic saxophone in his early career. One occasion, before a concert in Toronto Canada, he had sold the saxophone for drugs. At the last moment, he, Dizzy, Gillespie, and other members of Charlie’s entourage ran around Toronto looking for a saxophone. They searched all of the downtown pawnshops, but only found a Grafton. Parker used it at the concert. The album Jazz at Massey Hall captures this concert. This album is one of the most important Jazz recordings. Parker suffered from heroin and alcohol addiction from his teens until his death at 34 from complications from pneumonia. Parker was only 34 years old when the drug took a toll on his body. A doctor who examined Parker estimated that he was around 60 years. Parker was a great man and a tribute to him was made when Birdland, a New York nightclub, was named in Parker’s honor in 1949. The United States also witnessed other phenomena after Parker’s death, including the use of “Bird Lives” in graffiti, hours after Parker died, and later in a title for a contemporary art piece with the same name by Robert Graham, who created it in 1999. Ted Joans is often credited with its creation, despite its widespread usage. Charlie Parker is an inspiration to many jazz musicians and non-jazz musicians, such as Yo-Yo Ma, the classical cellist, and Charlie Watts, the Rolling Stones drummer, as well as poets and painters around the globe. Text contributed by users is available under Creative Commons By–SA License. It may also be available under GNU FDL.
