Misplaced Pages

#393606

72-504: Programs offered by City Parks Foundation include free performing arts festivals such as Central Park SummerStage and the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, which take place annually each summer in parks across all five boroughs of New York City. Sports programs include free instruction for city youth with CityParks Tennis, CityParks Golf, CityParks Track & Field, and the first of its kind, Junior Golf Center located adjacent to

144-446: A bleeding ulcer , but Parker also had advanced cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack and a seizure. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 and 60 years of age. The details surrounding Parker's death were controversial. Doris Parker claimed that she, Parker's mother, and Art Blakey were aware of Parker's death before March 14, when Pannonica claimed she first revealed

216-534: A "combination of the Midwestern beat and the fast New York tempos." Parker began writing compositions thanks to his growing friendship with Gillespie, who began notating Parker's solos as melodies. Among these early Parker compositions were "Koko", " Anthropology ", and " Confirmation ". Parker left Hines' band and formed a small group with Gillespie, pianist Al Haig , bassist Curley Russell , and drummer Stan Levey . The group stood out from its contemporaries, as it

288-481: A Catholic school and sang in its choir, but his parents separated in 1930 due to his father's alcoholism and the effects of the Great Depression . By the time he was in high school, Parker, his older half-brother John, and his mother Addie were living near 15th Street and Olive Street and she was working as a cleaner in order to afford housing. Parker began playing the saxophone at age 11, and at age 14 he joined

360-614: A big band). Since 1950, Parker had been living in New York City with his common-law wife , Chan Berg , the mother of his son, Baird (1952–2014), and his daughter, Pree (who died at age 3). He considered Chan his wife, although he never married her; nor did he divorce his previous wife, Doris, whom he had married in 1948. The death of Parker's daughter Pree from pneumonia in 1954 devastated him and, after being fired from Birdland in September of that year, he attempted to commit suicide. He

432-480: A car accident and Parker broke three ribs and fractured his spine. Despite his near-death experience on the way to the Ozarks in 1936, Parker returned to the area in the summer of 1937, where he spent a great deal of time woodshedding and developing his sound. Working with two musicians on chordal instruments, a pianist and guitarist respectively, he was able to practice improvising over chord changes and began to develop

504-460: A day. Parker proposed to Rebecca Ruffin, his girlfriend four years his senior, and the two were married on July 25, 1936. They had two children together before divorcing in 1939, in large part due to his growing drug addiction. In late 1936, Parker and a Kansas City band traveled to the Ozarks for the opening of Musser's Resort south of Eldon, Missouri . Along the way, the caravan of musicians had

576-415: A gentle contrast to the blues style of Jimmy Rushing . The band became increasingly dependent on arrangers to provide its music. These varied from players within the band, such as Eddie Durham and Buck Clayton , to professional arrangers from outside the group, who could bring their own character to the band with each new piece. External arranger Andy Gibson brought the band's harmonic style closer to

648-473: A hamlet known as Blue Summit , located close to I-435 and East Truman Road. Some amount of controversy continued after Parker's burial in the Kansas City area. His tomb was engraved with the image of a tenor saxophone, though Parker is primarily associated with the alto saxophone. Later, some people wanted to move Parker's remains to reinforce redevelopment of the historic 18th and Vine area. Parker acquired

720-496: A mental hospital. Parker's style of composition involved interpolation of original melodies over existing jazz forms and standards, a practice known as contrafact and still common in jazz today. Examples include " Ornithology " (which borrows the chord progression of jazz standard " How High the Moon " and is said to be co-written with trumpet player Little Benny Harris), and " Moose The Mooche " (one of many Parker compositions based on

792-499: A mixed group of jazz and chamber orchestra musicians. Six master takes from this session became the album Charlie Parker with Strings : " Just Friends ", " Everything Happens to Me ", " April in Paris ", " Summertime ", " I Didn't Know What Time It Was ", and " If I Should Lose You ". In 1950, Parker and Gillespie recorded Bird and Diz , an album that proved to be among the few times Parker worked with bebop pianist Thelonious Monk ;

SECTION 10

#1733085818394

864-410: A new improvisational vocabulary which later came to be known as " bebop ". Playing " Cherokee " in a practice session with guitarist William "Biddy" Fleet, he realized that the 12 semitones of the chromatic scale can lead melodically to any key, breaking some of the confines of simpler jazz soloing. Parker recalled: "I'd been getting bored with the stereotyped changes that were being used all the time at

936-614: A record date for Savoy Records , marketed as the "greatest Jazz session ever". Recording as Charlie Parker's Reboppers, Parker enlisted sidemen Gillespie and Miles Davis on trumpet, Curley Russell on bass and Max Roach on drums. The tracks recorded during this session include " Ko-Ko ", " Billie's Bounce ", and " Now's the Time ". In December 1945, the Parker band traveled to an unsuccessful engagement at Billy Berg's club in Los Angeles . Most of

1008-573: A threat to their existing style of jazz. It was not until 1945, after the AFM's recording ban was lifted, that Parker's collaborations with Dizzy Gillespie , Max Roach and others had a substantial effect on the jazz world. One of their first small-group performances together was rediscovered in 2004 and released in 2005: a concert in New York's Town Hall on June 22, 1945. Bebop soon gained wider appeal among musicians and fans. On November 26, 1945, Parker led

1080-409: A unique version of the 12-bar blues for tunes such as " Blues for Alice ", "Laird Baird", and "Si Si." These unique chords are known popularly as " Bird Changes ". Like his solos, some of his compositions are characterized by long, complex melodic lines and a minimum of repetition, although he did employ the use of repetition in some tunes, most notably "Now's The Time". Parker contributed greatly to

1152-497: Is unclear which came first, his addiction to opiates began at the age of 16, when he was injured in a car crash and a doctor prescribed morphine for the pain. The addiction that stemmed from this incident led him to miss performances, and to be considered unreliable. In the jazz scene, heroin use was prevalent and the substance could be acquired with little difficulty. Although he produced many brilliant recordings during this period, Parker's behavior became increasingly erratic. Heroin

1224-505: The Count Basie Orchestra , he lost track of the chord changes while improvising. This prompted Jo Jones to contemptuously remove a cymbal from his drum kit and throw it at his feet as a signal to leave the stage. Rather than becoming discouraged, Parker vowed to practice harder. He mastered improvisation and, according to his comments in an interview with Paul Desmond , spent the next three to four years practicing up to 15 hours

1296-765: The Lincoln High School band where he studied under bandmaster Alonzo Lewis. His mother purchased a new alto saxophone around the same time. Parker's biggest influence in his early teens was a young trombone player named Robert Simpson, who taught him the basics of improvisation. Parker withdrew from high school in December 1935, joined the local musicians' union, and decided to pursue his musical career full-time. Upon leaving high school, Parker began to play with local bands in jazz clubs around Kansas City and often ambitiously took part in jam sessions with more experienced musicians. In early 1936, at one such jam session with

1368-573: The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to offer Partnerships for Parks, an organization that supports the activity of over 60,000 volunteers in parks each year. This New York City –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a non-profit organization is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed " Bird " or " Yardbird ",

1440-594: The U.S. Postal Service issued a 32-cent commemorative postage stamp in Parker's honor. In 2002, the Library of Congress honored his recording " Ko-Ko " (1945) by adding it to the National Recording Registry . From 1950 to 1954, Parker lived with Chan Berg on the ground floor of the townhouse at 151 Avenue B, across from Tompkins Square Park in Manhattan's East Village . The Gothic Revival building, which

1512-487: The modern jazz solo, one in which triplets and pick-up notes were used in unorthodox ways to lead into chord tones, affording the soloist more freedom to use passing tones , which soloists previously avoided. His recordings were used for a book of solo transcriptions, the posthumously published Charlie Parker Omnibook . Other well-known Parker compositions include " Ah-Leu-Cha ", "Anthropology" (co-written with Gillespie), "Confirmation" , "Constellation" , " Moose

SECTION 20

#1733085818394

1584-427: The swing era , founded by Count Basie in 1935 and recording regularly from 1936. Despite a brief disbandment at the beginning of the 1950s, the band survived long past the big band era itself and the death of Basie in 1984. It continues under the direction of trumpeter Scotty Barnhart . Originally including such musicians as Buck Clayton and Lester Young in the line-up, the band in the 1950s and 1960s made use of

1656-590: The Basie Orchestra's catalog, including "April in Paris" and the band's early hit " One O'Clock Jump ". The Basie band still collaborated with high-profile singers such as Ray Charles in Ray Sings, Basie Swings (2006), and with Allyn Ferguson on the album Swing Shift (1999). After Basie's death the band played under the direction of some of the players he had hired, including Thad Jones , Frank Foster, Grover Mitchell , Bill Hughes , and Dennis Mackrel . The band

1728-544: The Basie band: Neal Hefti , Quincy Jones and Sammy Nestico . Michael G. Nastos wrote of the recording with Eckstine: "When the Count Basie Orchestra consented to team up with vocalist Billy Eckstine, choruses of angels must have shouted hallelujah. The combination of Basie's sweet jazz and Eckstine's low-down blues sensibilities meshed well on this one-shot deal, a program mostly of downtrodden songs perfectly suited for

1800-510: The Decca label in January 1937: in pieces such as "Roseland Shuffle", the soloists are at the foreground, with the ensemble effects and riffs playing a strictly functional backing role. This was a fresh big band sound for New York, contrasting the complex jazz writing of Duke Ellington and Sy Oliver and highlighting the difference in styles that had emerged between the east and west coasts. Following

1872-543: The Dyker Beach Public Golf Course in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, and CityParks Seniors Fitness. CityParks Education offers several educational programs turning parks into classrooms, reaching over 7,000 students and community members and 500 teachers each year. Programs include Coastal Classroom, Green Girls, CityParks Productions, Learning Gardens, and Seeds to Trees. In addition, City Parks Foundation partners with

1944-721: The Mooche ", " Scrapple from the Apple " and " Yardbird Suite ", the vocal version of which is called "What Price Love", with lyrics by Parker. Miles Davis once said, "You can tell the history of jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong . Charlie Parker". Grammy Award Grammy Hall of Fame Recordings of Charlie Parker were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame , which is a special Grammy award established in 1973 to honor recordings that are at least twenty-five years old, and that have "qualitative or historical significance". Inductions In 1995,

2016-565: The Philharmonic promoter Norman Granz as his producer. The partnership enabled Parker to work with musicians from other genres, such as Latin jazz percussionist and bandleader Machito , and to appear in concerts at Carnegie Hall as part of the Jazz at the Philharmonic series. Further, Granz was able to fulfil a longstanding desire of Parker's to perform with a string section . He was a keen student of classical music, and contemporaries reported he

2088-491: The ability to solo fluently across chords and scales. In 1938, Parker joined pianist Jay McShann 's territory band . His first gig with the band was during the summer or early fall at the Continental Club in Kansas City, where Parker worked as a substitute alto saxophonist for Edward "Popeye" Hale. In December, he joined Harlan Leonard 's Rockets; the band played at dances including a Christmas dance for which Parker

2160-590: The after-hours sessions were an opportunity "to challenge the practice of downtown musicians coming uptown and 'stealing' the music." Parker left McShann's band in 1942 and played for one year with Hines, whose band also included Gillespie. However, this band's performances and therefore Parker's role in them are virtually undocumented due to the strike of 1942–1944 by the American Federation of Musicians , during which time few professional recordings were made. In fact, much of bebop's critical early development

2232-772: The album Jazz at Massey Hall . At this concert, Parker played a plastic Grafton saxophone . Other live, and often bootleg , recordings of Parker were made in the early 1950s, frequently with groups other than his usual quintet. Among the most notable of these recordings, particularly from the perspective of critics, were Charlie Parker in Sweden (recorded during his 1950 Sweden tour), Bird at St. Nick's (with Red Rodney), Inglewood Jam (recorded in 1952 with Chet Baker ), Live at Rockland Palace (recorded live with his quintet and string accompaniment), Charlie Parker at Storyville (with Herb Pomeroy and Red Garland ), and The Washington Concerts (recorded unrehearsed in 1953 with

City Parks Foundation - Misplaced Pages Continue

2304-449: The band and the man." This new band became known as "The New Testament" or "The Second Testament". With albums such as The Atomic Mr. Basie (1958), April in Paris (1957) and Basie Plays Hefti (1958), the new Count Basie Orchestra sound became identifiable. The sound of the band was now that of a tight ensemble: heavier and more full bodied, contrasting with the riff-based band of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Whereas previously

2376-643: The band with their music. It suggested that Basie's ideal of a big band-sized group with the flexibility and spirit of his original Kansas City eight-piece was not to last. During the World War II years, some of the key members of the band left: the drummer Jo Jones and tenor saxophone player Lester Young were both conscripted in 1944, leading to the hiring of drummers such as Buddy Rich and extra tenor saxophonists, including Illinois Jacquet , Paul Gonsalves and Lucky Thompson . The musicologist Gunther Schuller has said that when Jo Jones left, he took some of

2448-478: The band's members. Although some of the band's players, such as trombonist Eddie Durham , contributed their own written arrangements at this time, the "head-arrangements" captured the imagination of the audience in New York and communicated the spirit of the band's members. In 1938, Helen Humes joined the group, replacing Billie Holiday as the female singer. She sang mostly pop ballads, including "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" and "Blame it on My Last Affair", acting as

2520-470: The bounds of McShann's group, Parker joined a group of young musicians who played in after-hours clubs in Harlem venues including Clark Monroe's Uptown House . Fellow musicians at the venues included developing beboppers Gillespie, pianist Thelonious Monk , guitarist Charlie Christian , and drummer Kenny Clarke . A pianist and one of the pioneers of bebop, Mary Lou Williams , offered a further explanation that

2592-603: The chance to expand the group to the standard 13-piece big band line-up. He also offered to transfer the group to New York City in order to play at venues such as the Roseland Ballroom . Basie agreed, hoping that with this new band, he could retain the freedom and spirit of the Kansas City style of his nine-piece group. The band, which now included Buck Clayton on trumpet and the famous blues "shouter" Jimmy Rushing , demonstrated this style in their first recordings with

2664-606: The chord progression of " I Got Rhythm "). The practice was not uncommon prior to bebop, but it became a signature of the movement as artists began to move away from arranging popular standards and toward composing their own material. Perhaps Parker's most well-known contrafact is "Koko", which is based on the chord changes of the popular bebop tune "Cherokee", written by Ray Noble. While tunes such as "Now's The Time", " Billie's Bounce ", " Au Privave ", "Barbados" , "Relaxin' at Camarillo", " Bloomdido ", and "Cool Blues" were based on conventional 12-bar blues changes, Parker also created

2736-444: The emphasis had been on providing space for exemplary soloists such as Lester Young and Buck Clayton , now the focus had shifted to the arrangements, despite the presence of soloists such as trumpeter Thad Jones and saxophonist Frank Foster . This orchestral style continues as the typical sound of the band up to the present day, which has been criticized by some musicologists. In his book The Swing Era , Gunther Schuller described

2808-412: The first recording session, the band's line up was reshuffled, with some of players being replaced on the request of Hammond as part of a strengthening of the band. Trumpeters Ed Lewis and Bobby Moore replaced Keyes and Smith, and Earle Warren replaced the alto saxophonist Coughey Roberts. In March 1937 the guitarist Freddie Green arrived, replacing Claude Williams and completing what became one of

2880-560: The funeral arrangements, which included a Harlem procession officiated by Congressman and Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr. at the Abyssinian Baptist Church and a memorial concert. Parker's body was flown back to Missouri, in accordance with his mother's wishes. Chan criticized Doris and Parker's family for giving him a Christian funeral even though they knew he was an atheist . Parker was buried at Lincoln Cemetery in Missouri, in

2952-541: The funeral of his father, Charles Sr. The younger Parker then spent the summer in McShann's band playing at Fairyland Park for all-white audiences; trumpet player Bernard Anderson introduced him to Dizzy Gillespie . The band also toured nightclubs and other venues of the southwest, as well as Chicago and New York City , and Parker made his professional recording debut with McShann's band that year. When in New York, to experiment with his new musical ideas that went beyond

City Parks Foundation - Misplaced Pages Continue

3024-450: The group as "perfected neo-classicism ...a most glorious dead end." However, jazz critic Martin Williams offers a differing view. In his book Jazz Heritage , Williams wrote the following about a 1959 recording: " . . . obviously this Basie orchestra is an ensemble whose virtues center on discipline, precision, and collective power." In his book The Jazz Tradition , Williams wrote: "Since

3096-541: The group returned to New York, but Parker remained in California, cashing in his return ticket to buy heroin. However, after Parker dedicated one of his compositions to local drug dealer " Moose the Mooche " at a studio session in the spring, the dealer was arrested; and without access to heroin, Parker turned to an alcohol addiction. He suffered a physical and mental breakdown after a studio session in July 1946 for Dial Records , and

3168-534: The group to start his own band, taking many of his colleagues from the Moten band with him. This nine-piece group was known for its legendary soloists including, Joe Keyes and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page on trumpet, Buster Smith and Earle Warren on alto saxophone, Lester Young on tenor saxophone, Dan Minor on trombone, and a rhythm section made up of Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on bass and Basie on piano. With this band, then named The Barons of Rhythm, Basie brought

3240-471: The many new arrangements led to a gradual change in the band's sound, distancing the group musically from its Kansas City roots . Rather than the music being built around the soloists with memorised head arrangements and riffs, the group's sound at this time became more focused on ensemble playing; closer to the East Coast big band sound. This can be attributed to the increasing reliance on arrangers to influence

3312-576: The mental hospital, at one of two successful recording sessions. The first of these sessions took place with a septet while the second paired Parker with pianist Erroll Garner 's trio and vocalist Earl Coleman . Upon returning to New York in 1947, however, Parker resumed his heroin usage. He recorded dozens of sides for the Savoy and Dial labels, which remain some of the high points of his recorded output. Many of these were with his new quintet, including Davis and Roach. Parker and Davis disagreed on who should be

3384-402: The mid-'fifties, the Count Basie Orchestra has been a superb precision ensemble, and perhaps the greatest brass ensemble of the century. And that fact adds an irony to a distinguished career, for it was not always such." The Count Basie Orchestra continued releasing recordings and albums after Basie's death in 1984. For example, Basie is Back (2006) features new recordings of classic tunes from

3456-546: The most respected rhythm sections in big band history. Billie Holiday also sang with the band during this period, although she never recorded with them for contractual reasons. Hits such as " One O'Clock Jump " and " Jumpin' at the Woodside " (from 1937 and 1938, respectively) helped to gain the band, now known as the Count Basie Orchestra, national and international fame. These tunes were known as "head-arrangements"; not scored in individual parts but made up of riffs memorized by

3528-497: The music of Duke Ellington, with arrangements from 1940 such as "I Never Knew" and "Louisiana" introducing increased chromaticism to the band's music. Tab Smith contributed important arrangements at this time, such as "Harvard Blues", and others including Buster Harding and veteran arranger Jimmy Mundy also expanded the group's repertoire. Thelma Carpenter replaced Helen Humes as the new female vocalist, notably recording " I Didn't Know About You " for Columbia Records . But

3600-459: The music was released in 1952. Meanwhile, Parker's regular group maintained popular success with a European tour in 1950 and live gigs at New York nightclubs continued, leading to live albums One Night in Birdland (with Fats Navarro and Powell) and Summit Meeting at Birdland (with Gillespie and Powell). However, Parker became frustrated and disillusioned that, due to racial discrimination, he

3672-487: The news on a phone call to Chan. Pannonica, however, visited a nightclub on March 13, the day after Parker died at her apartment but before she informed Chan of Parker's death. Further, newspapers incorrectly reported Parker's age as 53 when he died, and Parker's tombstone incorrectly claimed that he died on March 23. Parker's marital status complicated the settling of Parker's estate and ultimately frustrated his wish to be interred in New York City. Dizzy Gillespie paid for

SECTION 50

#1733085818394

3744-477: The nickname "Yardbird" early in his career while on the road with Jay McShann . This, and the shortened form "Bird", were used as nicknames for Parker for the rest of his life and inspired the titles of a number of Parker's compositions, such as " Yardbird Suite ", " Ornithology ", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise". Parker's life was riddled with mental health problems and an addiction to heroin . Although it

3816-429: The quintet's pianist, with Parker originally hiring Bud Powell for a May 1947 recording session but later favoring Gillespie's arranger, John Lewis ; Davis preferred Duke Jordan . Ultimately the quintet used both pianists as Parker wanted to balance leadership of the group with mentoring younger musicians such as Davis. Following the establishment of a regular quintet, Parker signed for Mercury Records with Jazz at

3888-480: The smooth, relaxed style of the band with him. Replacements such as Sonny Payne , drummed much louder and raised the dynamic of the band to a "harder, more clamorous brass sound." The ban on instrumental recordings of 1942–1944 adversely affected the finances of the Count Basie Orchestra, as it did for all big bands in the United States. Despite taking on soloists from the next generation such as Wardell Gray , Basie

3960-577: The sound of the famous and highly competitive Kansas City " jam session " to club audiences, coupling extended improvised solos with riff -based accompaniments from the band. The group's first venue was the Reno Club in Kansas City, later moving to the Grand Terrace in Chicago . When music critic and record producer John Hammond heard the band on a 1936 radio broadcast, he sought them out and offered Basie

4032-441: The time, and I kept thinking there's bound to be something else. I could hear it sometimes but I couldn't play it ... Well, that night I was working over 'Cherokee' and, as I did, I found that by using the higher intervals of a chord as a melody line and backing them with appropriately related changes, I could play the thing I'd been hearing. I came alive." In 1940, he returned to Kansas City to perform with Jay McShann and to attend

4104-417: The track "Max Making Wax". When he finally did come in, he swayed wildly and once spun all the way around, away from his microphone. On the next tune, " Lover Man ", producer Ross Russell physically supported Parker. On "Bebop" (the final track Parker recorded that evening), he begins a solo with a solid first eight bars; on his second eight bars, however, he begins to struggle, and a desperate Howard McGhee ,

4176-558: The trumpeter on this session, shouts, "Blow!" at him. Charles Mingus considered this version of "Lover Man" to be among Parker's greatest recordings, despite its flaws. Nevertheless, Parker hated the recording and never forgave Ross Russell for releasing it. He re-recorded the tune in 1951 for Verve . Parker's life took a turn for the worse in March 1954 when his three-year-old daughter Pree died of cystic fibrosis and pneumonia . He attempted suicide twice in 1954, which once again landed him in

4248-488: The work of the arrangers Neal Hefti and Sammy Nestico with featured musicians such as Thad Jones and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis . Count Basie arrived in Kansas City , Missouri in 1927, playing on the Theater Owners Booking Association (TOBA) circuit. After playing with Walter Page 's Blue Devils, in 1929 he joined rival band leader Bennie Moten 's band. Upon Moten's death in 1935, Basie left

4320-436: Was an American jazz saxophonist , bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop , a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords , new variants of altered chords , and chord substitutions . Parker

4392-502: Was briefly jailed after setting the bed sheets of his Los Angeles hotel room on fire and then running naked through the lobby while intoxicated, after which he was committed to the Camarillo State Mental Hospital for six months. When Parker received his discharge from the hospital, he was healthy and free from his drug habit. Before leaving California, he recorded " Relaxin' at Camarillo ," in reference to his stay in

SECTION 60

#1733085818394

4464-465: Was built about 1849, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994 and was designated a New York City landmark in 1999. Avenue B between East 9th and East 10th Streets was given the honorary designation "Charlie Parker Place" in 1992. Count Basie Orchestra The Count Basie Orchestra is a 16- to 18-piece big band , one of the most prominent jazz performing groups of

4536-445: Was difficult to obtain once he moved to California, where the drug was less abundant, so he used alcohol as a substitute. A recording for the Dial label from July 29, 1946, provides evidence of his condition. Before this session, Parker drank a quart of whiskey. According to the liner notes of Charlie Parker on Dial Volume 1 , Parker missed most of the first two bars of his first chorus on

4608-695: Was forced to temporarily disband the group for a short period in 1948, before dispersing again for two years in 1950. For these two years, Basie led a reduced band of between six and nine people, featuring performers such as Buddy Rich , Serge Chaloff and Buddy DeFranco . Basie reformed the jazz orchestra in 1952 for a series of tours, not only in the United States, but also in Europe in 1954 and Japan in 1963. The band released new recordings, some featuring guest singers such as Joe Williams , Frank Sinatra , Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstine . All relied on contributions from arrangers, some of whom are now synonymous with

4680-632: Was hospitalized and made a partial recovery by early 1955 before his health declined again in March. Parker's last gig on March 4 at Birdland ended when Powell refused to play in his group and the performance spiraled into an argument among the musicians. Parker became drunk and a few days later visited the suite of Baroness Pannonica at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City in ill health. He refused to go to hospital and died on March 12, 1955 while watching The Dorsey Brothers ' Stage Show on television. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and

4752-794: Was listed in a local newspaper as one of the Rockets' personnel. In 1939, Parker moved to New York City to pursue his musical career but worked part-time jobs to make a living. Among the more musically significant of these jobs was as a dishwasher for nine dollars a week at Jimmie's Chicken Shack, where pianist Art Tatum performed. Struggling with poverty, Parker went to the home of fellow alto saxophone player, Buster Smith , to ask for help. Smith allowed Parker to live in his apartment for six months and gave him gigs in his band. Parker's playing at these gigs impressed several New York musicians including pianist and bandleader Earl Hines . While living in New York, Parker achieved his musical breakthrough, developing

4824-409: Was most interested in the music and formal innovations of Igor Stravinsky and longed to engage in a project akin to what later became known as Third Stream , a new kind of music, incorporating both jazz and classical elements as opposed to merely incorporating a string section into performance of jazz standards. On November 30, 1949, Norman Granz arranged for Parker to record an album of ballads with

4896-598: Was not captured for posterity due to the ban and the new genre gained limited radio exposure as a result. The few recordings in which Parker participated in 1943 took place in Chicago and included a jam session recording with Gillespie and bassist Oscar Pettiford , another session with Billy Eckstine playing trumpet, some informally recorded practice sessions, and a duo with pianist Hazel Scott . Parker's time with Hines' band and his traveling between New York and Chicago enabled him to model his style on, according to his own words,

4968-489: Was primarily a player of the alto saxophone . Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation , personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer. Charles Parker Jr. was born at 852 Freeman Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas , to Charles Parker Sr. and Adelaide "Addie" Bailey, who was of mixed Choctaw and African-American background. He

5040-536: Was racially integrated and it lacked a guitarist for rhythmic support. This new format enabled soloists to be freed from harmonic and rhythmic restrictions, and in late 1944 the group secured a gig at the Three Deuces club in New York. The group's name recognition spread along 52nd Street and its style was dubbed "bebop" for the first time. Musicians at other clubs came to hear bebop and reacted negatively to it because, according to bassist Charles Mingus , they saw it as

5112-496: Was raised in Kansas City, Missouri , near Westport Road. His father was often required to travel for work, but provided some musical influence because he was a pianist, dancer and singer on the Theatre Owners Booking Association (T.O.B.A.) circuit, later becoming a Pullman waiter or chef on the railways. Parker's mother worked nights at the local Western Union office during the 1920s. Parker first went to

5184-450: Was reaching the limits of what he would be able to achieve in his career. In 1953, Parker performed at Massey Hall in Toronto, joined by Gillespie, Mingus, Powell, and Roach. The concert happened at the same time as a televised heavyweight boxing match between Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott , so the musical event was poorly attended. Mingus recorded the concert, which resulted in

#393606