Charlie Parker – Biography
Charlie “Bird” Parker was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1920. Primarily an alto saxophone player, Parker is one of the most talented and innovative and dedicated musicians in jazz history. As a young musician, he was heavily influenced by the syncopated rhythms of the Count Basie Orchestra and lead saxophonist Lester Young, while also being a fan of modernist European classical composers like Igor Stravinsky. Devoted to his craft above all else, Parker developed a new harmonic language of soloing that came to be known as bebop.
Parker released several seminal recordings in the 1940s and ‘50s, partnering with the likes of Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and more. Although his career was highly influential, his personal life was marred with tragedy: Parker’s much-documented heroin addiction led to mental health struggles and an early death in 1955. Despite the turmoil, Parker’s artistry remains quite unparalleled throughout modern jazz. Keep reading below for Charlie Parker music and album reviews.
Discography
- Charlie Parker with Strings (1950) A
- South of the Border (1952) A-
- Bird and Diz (1952, with Dizzy Gillespie) A
- Jazz at Massey Hall (1953, with The Quintet) A
Accolades
- Colin’s Review Music Hall of Fame
- 1940s Best Songs – #7, #36, #40 & #43
- 1940s Artists of the Decade – #3
- Greatest Albums of the 1950s —#24
- 1950 Top Albums — #1