Charlie “Bird” Parker

 

 

Charlie “Bird” Parker

(1920 – 1955)

A highly influential Jazz Soloist, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer. Parker’s uniquely identifiable style dominated Jazz for many years. Born in Kansas City, Mo, He poured his heart out in his 34 years. Brought down by heroin addiction and alcohol(a coroner estimated his age at 50 to 60), He is buried in the town of his birth at the Lincoln Cemetery, even tho he considered New York his home, and even told some he wanted to be buried there.

Check out his music!

Cool thought: Charles Mingus had a piece called “If Charlie Parker was a gunslinger, there’d be a whole lot of dead copycats. “