Tomorrow is the 95th anniversary of the birth of alto saxophonist Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, the most revolutionary and influential instrumentalist in jazz history other than Louis Armstrong. 

 

Although Bird hasn't been featured prominently in ATJ up to now (his recording of "White Christmas was in my sampling of holiday music), he's been mentioned tangentially in terms of his role in the development of bebop (along with Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk and others); his influence on players such as Phil Woods, Dexter Gordon and Hampton Hawes; and as the inspiration for the group Supersax, which was dedicated to playing harmonized arrangements of his improvised solos.

 

Musicians and real critics will have their own (and more informed views), but to me Parker was so startling, and so successful in creating the template for the music that remains to this day, because it was so absolutely rooted in the conventions of the music he grew up with.  A native of Kansas City, Parker idolized and emulated the many top-notch swing saxophonists who were part of that city's thriving jazz scene, including the incomparable, laid back tenor man, Lester Young.  And his repertoire was based on the same types of tunes his predecessors played, the blues and songs from the Great American Songbook.  But Parker developed an until-then unmatched technical facility on his horn, which allowed him to play much faster and with more precision than anyone before him, and allowed him to follow his ear through more complex harmonies and substitution chords than the standard changes played by the Swing era musicians.  And, at a time that the model tone for the alto was either the florid romanticism of Johnny Hodges or the bright, just-slightly sweet sound of Benny Carter, Parker's tone was dry, almost brittle...a tone he developed because it allowed him to articulate at the faster tempos he wanted to play.  By the time Parker got to New York and teamed up with Dizzy, Monk and drummer Kenny Clarke, the revolution was on, and jazz began its move from popular dance music to music meant strictly for listening.

 

A brief survey of some of Bird's greatest hits:

 

"Koko"- If you want to know what bebop is, this is it.  Based on the standard "Cherokee," Parker rips over chords at breakneck speed, with clarity, unflagging harmonic and rhythmic imagination and, as always, with a great sense of swing. 

 

"A Night in Tunisia" - Gillespie's great tune, with its opening vamp and Middle Eastern-meets-Latin tinge, and featuring Bird's remarkable solo break after the melody.

 

"Parker's Mood" - One of the best blues recordings ever.

 

"Embraceable You" - Parker's take on the well-known, and much-played Gershwin ballad....bittersweet, maybe a touch sentimental, but without self-pity.

There is lots of information about Parker all over the web, and many books about him, including Stanley Crouch's intriguing "Kansas City Lightning", which isn't a traditional biography, but more an extended improvised jazz solo in words, where the "melody" is the first 20 years or so of Parker's too-short life (he died at 34), but like a great jazz soloist, Crouch meanders away from and back to the main theme.  A more straight-ahead recounting of Bird's life and influence can be found in Gary Giddins's extended-essay-with-pictures-in-book-form, "Celebrating Bird".