1. Bird: life and sounds of Charlie Parker AP Music Theory, Mr. Ubovich, July 24, 2007 Matt Louie “In some ways he was like Picasso, ever searching for new ways of expression” -Michael H. Goldsen

2. What is Jazz? Encompasses a variety of musical styles Taking liberties with music Improvisation

3. Influences in the Development Influences in the Development

4. Early Days 1920-Grew up in Kansas City Poor Family, no father Managed to learn rudiments of the alto saxophone 1934-drops out of High school Got Frustrated with Barry Works with Local Groups "I kept thinking there's bound to be somethi ng else...I could here it someti mes, but I couldn't play it." -Parker Parker wasn’t a child Prodigy, he practiced…and practiced…and practiced.

5. Rise to Fame Rise to Fame 1940-Joins Jay McSchann’s Band 1942-Earl Hines’ Orchestra & 1944-Billy Eckstine’s band; both include Dizzy Experienced an Epiphany Plays at the Minton’s Playhouse with jazz all-stars including: Thelonious Monk, Gillespie, Hawkins, Young, and Eldridge. Tours with Gillespie from 1944-45 1945-47-Parker moves to California where he spends six months at Camarillo State Hospital: addictions and a nervous breakdown. 1947-1951- “the top of his career”; records various songs with Miles Davis and Max Roach "Charlie Parker heard rhythm and rhythmic patterns differently, and after we had started playing, together, I began to play, rhythmically, more like him. In that sense he influenced me, and all of us, because what makes the style is not what you play but how you play it." - Dizzy Gillespie

6. Out with a Bang… Out with a Bang… 1951-1953-Parker Travels around; health and state of mind continue to slide through addiction to narcotics. 1953-Massey Hall Concert 1953-1955-Second wife, Chan Parker, cannot tame him; debts increase, ill- health 1954-Daughter, Pree, dies; attempts suicide twice and commits himself to Bellevue Hospital in NY. Dies in March 1955 of a bleeding ulcer and pneumonia

7. Musical Influences Lester Young Art Tatum Count Basie

8. Famous Pieces Famous Pieces Include: KKo Ko YYardbird Suite DDonna Lee PParker’s Mood SSalt Peanuts

9. Events in his Time American Federation of Musicians has silenced most of the recording industry since August 1942 January 21, 1924 – Vladimir Lenin dies, Soviet Dictator. May 19, 1925 – Malcolm X is born. 1923 – First Transcontinental airplane flight from New York to San Francisco. The flight took 26 hours and 50 minutes. September, 1928 – Penicillin is created.

10. Jazz Eras Jazz Era:Early Jazz Swing Jazz Bebop Jazz Cool Jazz Key Aspects: Embellish melody “Jazzing Up” Less stiff “Big Band Era” Counter- culture Ind. Improv. Softer, more relaxed How is it different? Collective Improvisation Looser feeling More Improvisation Big Band v. Small Combo Smoother, cleaner Small Combo Fast Paced More Complex “Comping" Response to Bebop Airy, more loose quality Cooler Instrument Piano, banjo, drums, tuba, trumpet,, sax Sax, High-hat, cymbals, string bass Solo Instruments Lighter and subdued instruments

11. Famous Jazz Artists Early Jazz Louis Armstrong 1901-1971 Swing Era Count Basie 1904-1984 Cool Jazz Lee Konitz 1927- Bebop Charlie Parker 1920-1955

12. the Bebop Era Founding Fathers: Art Tatum Tadd Dameron Dizzy Gillespie J.J. Johnson Thelonius Monk Fats Navarro Charlie Parker Oscar Pettiford Bud Powell Tadd Dameron Dizzy Gillespie J.J. Johnson Thelonius Monk Fats Navarro Charlie Parker Oscar Pettiford Bud Powell "Hot jazz, over- heated, with overdon e lyrics full of bawdine ss, referenc es to narcotic s and double- talk" Time Magazine, 1944 “Bop was never a conscious movement, but the accidental meeting of forward thinking musical minds” -www.jazzscript.com

13. Contemporaries Contemporaries Dizzie Gillespie: 1917-1993 Another Bebop icon Trumpet Bud Powell: 1924-1966 Master “comper”

14. Style of Improvisation Style of Improvisation First to include scales and substitute scales Fast Paced, “hard to listen to” A complex mixture of scales and non chord tones over basic melody chord changes Chromatic licks as well What made him unique

15. Influences on the Future Influences on the Future His drug lifestyle paired with his amazing talent led many aspirers to do drugs as well His solos and songs were and still are studied note by note by jazz artists during his life and after his death. Credited as the Saxophonist of the Bebop Era

16. Interesting Facts He got his nickname “Bird” by his love of chicken At a young age, he tried to play Body and Soul in Double Time and was laughed off the stage Body was so messed up doctors thought he was 60 when he died

17. Bibliography Goldsen, Michael. “Charlier Parker Omnibook” Atlantic Music Corp., © 1978 Penn, Steve. "Kansas City Jazz Chronology". Kansas City Jazz. 1997 "Some Jazz History and Interesting Facts". The New York Times Magazine. 1995 http://www.j51.com/~jayl/jazz/jazzfacts.html (2000) http://www.j51.com/~jayl/jazz/jazzfacts.html Ronallo, Doug and Ricci, Michael. "All About Jazz: History of Jazz Time Line" All About Jazz. 2000 (2000)

18. Bibliography (continued) Porter, Lewis. "History and The Big-Band Era". Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99.Redmond: Microsoft Corporation, 1998. Reisner, Robert George. The Legend of Charlie Parker Bird. New York: The Citadel Press, 1962. Judden, Air. “Charlie Parker.” February 15, 1999 History of American Music: It’s Composers and Musicians. Deaths and Births of the 20’s Charlie Parker and Bebop <http://www.jazzscript.co.uk/life/beboptime.htm

19. Picture Bibliography Charlie Parker & Lester Young Dizzie Gillepsie Art Tatum