Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie ParkerCharlie Parker has been idolized by generations of jazz musicians and fans. Indeed, his spectacular musical abilities--his blinding speed and brilliant improvisational style--made Parker a legend even before his tragic death at age thirty-four. Now, in Chasin' The Bird, Brian Priestley offers a marvelous biography of this jazz icon, ranging from his childhood in Kansas City to his final harrowing days in New York. Priestley offers new insight into Parker's career, beginning as a teenager single-mindedly devoted to mastering the saxophone. We follow Parker on his first trip to New York, penniless, washing dishes for $9.00 a week at Jimmy's Chicken Shack, a favorite hangout of the great Art Tatum, whose stunning speed and ingenuity were an influence on the young musician. Priestley sheds light on Parker's collaborations with other jazz legands, and illuminates such classic recordings as "Salt Peanuts," "A Night in Tunisia," and "Yardbird Suite"--music which defined an era. He also gives us an unflinching look at Parker's dark side--the drug abuse, heavy drinking, and tangled relations with women and the law. He recounts the death of Parker's daughter Pree at just two-and-a-half years old, and Parker's own death at thirty-four, in such wretched condition that the doctor listed his age as fifty-three. With an invaluable discography that lists every recording of Charlie Parker that has ever been made publicly available, this is a must-have biography of a true jazz giant, one that helps us penetrate the dazzling surface to grasp the artistry beneath. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
1 Body and soul | 9 |
2 The jumpin blues | 22 |
3 Nows the time | 39 |
4 Parkers mood | 55 |
5 Celebrity | 71 |
6 I remember you | 88 |
7 The song is you | 106 |
8 Confirmation | 125 |
Discography | 139 |
Notes | 199 |
| 231 | |
| 233 | |
Other editions - View all
Popular Music History: Chasin' the Bird - The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker Brian Priestley No preview available - 2005 |
Common terms and phrases
52nd Street 52nd Street Theme Al Haig alto altoist band bars Beat bebop Benny big-band Billy Bird Bird's Eyes Vol Birdland broadcast Bud Powell Buddy Carnegie Hall Chan Richardson Parker Charlie Parker Charlie's chasin chord Clef club concert Cool Blues Dial discography Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie tp Doris February Gillespie's Groovin Haig heard horn Hot House Howard McGhee improvisation Interview jam sessions Jay McShann Jazz Jazz Cool Jazz Review Jimmy John Kansas City Kenny later Lester Young Levin and Wilson Love Max Roach melody Mercury/Clef Miles Davis Mingus musicians Night In Tunisia Norman Granz notes Now's Ornithology Parker and Paudras performance Philology phrase pianist players playing record Red Rodney Reisner rhythm rhythm-section Riff Roy Haynes Royal Roost Savoy saxophone saxophonist Scrapple solo song sound Spotlite strings studio Swing Symphony Sid Teddy thing Tommy Potter trumpeter tune Verve Woideck York