Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker | |
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Parker at the Three Deuces jazz club, New York, 1947 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Charles Parker Jr. |
| Also known as | Bird, Yardbird |
| Born | August 29, 1920 Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | March 12, 1955 (aged 34) New York City, U.S. |
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| Occupations |
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| Instrument(s) | Alto and tenor saxophone |
| Years active | 1937–1955 |
| Labels |
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| Website | charlieparkermusic |
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer.[1][2] Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop,[3] 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 primarily played 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.[4]
- ^ "Charlie Parker Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story". Biography.com. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
- ^ "Charlie Parker, Uptown and Down". The NY Times. August 24, 2007.
- ^ "100 Jazz Profiles: Charlie Parker". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ Woideck, Carl (2015). Charlie Parker. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190268787.