Remembering the Bird

€uroMeinke · 03-12-2005, 07:13 AM

50 years ago today Charlie Parker passed away. I heard a great tribute yesterday on NPR and thought I'd post a link here.

I think I'll slip Giant Steps into my bag before heading out this morning.

Not Afraid · 03-12-2005, 12:40 PM

Isn't Giant Steps John Coltrane? You're probably too tired to care.

mousepod · 03-12-2005, 12:42 PM

I have my Complete Charlie Parker on Verve set out right now. Thanks for reminding me. The man could really blow.

€uroMeinke · 03-12-2005, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

Isn't Giant Steps John Coltrane? You're probably too tired to care.

Heh - um yeah - what was I thinking? Ooops - I'm a dork, forget that - lets try the Verve Collection instead.

Not Afraid · 03-12-2005, 04:38 PM

Honey, the first fax came in at 2:07. Maybe that's the reason for the mishap.

Also, remember the film about Charlie Parker called "Bird". We saw it openining weekend (because we were so cool

) and I've called it forevermore "Bird Turd". Sad.

Jazzman · 03-13-2005, 10:03 PM

I actually kind of liked that movie. Sure, it's not exactly Round Midnight but I thought it did a good job of portraying Bird's drug addiction and how it tore him apart. Sad stuff.

I've always admired Bird, as all sax players do, but for something he said as much as his indescribable skill.

"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn."

I find that to be a very humbling credo in the ego driven world of music.

Thanks Yardbird. Rest in peace brother.

Motorboat Cruiser · 03-13-2005, 10:29 PM

Long Live Yardbird! I actually became a fan of Parker after seeing the film, "Bird" and falling in love with the soundtrack. Later, I read Miles' autobiography and became more interested in bebop in general. Man, that was real music. The absolute peak of improvisation. Some of my favorite Parker tunes are "Night in Tunisia", "Confirmation", and "Lestor Leaps In". Great stuff and I think it is time to put some on.

I've never been able to find it but apparently there is a record of a performance with Parker playing a plastic horn. He had pawned his sax for drugs and couldn't get it back. The plastic horn is all he could come up with for the gig. Those that have heard the recording say it is some of Parker's finest work.

Concerning "Bird", I thought Clint Eastwood (who is a serious scholar of bebob) did a wonderful tribute with it. Sure, it is a very sad movie but really, so was the life of Parker. Being that his wife Chan was an advisor, I assume it was pretty accurate. Anyway, that's just my take on it. My love of it could solely be based on the phenomenal soundtrack.

Interesting to note in the movie that every sax note is actually played by Parker. They took the old tracks, removed all of the surrounding instruments except the sax, cleaned it up, and recut the accompaniment. If you can imagine the difficulty of cutting an entire rythmn section to nothing but a sax track, you can appreciate how difficult an undertaking that was. Clint said there was nobody that could play the sax in his movie but Bird. It's just that the tracks weren't clean enough to use. Hence this laborious workaround.

Edited to add: If you haven't, read the link in the OP. It is such a beautiful description of what was special about Charlie Parker.

Tref · 03-13-2005, 11:43 PM

Well, if it makes you feel any better, just know that Charlie Parker is in Heaven now, jamming on guitar with Jimi Hendrix.

03-12-2005, 07:13 AM	#1
€uroMeinke L'Hédoniste Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: A.S.C.O.T. Posts: 8,671	Remembering the Bird 50 years ago today Charlie Parker passed away. I heard a great tribute yesterday on NPR and thought I'd post a link here. I think I'll slip Giant Steps into my bag before heading out this morning. __________________ I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance. Friedrich Nietzsche
	Submit to Quotes

03-12-2005, 12:40 PM	#2
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	Isn't Giant Steps John Coltrane? You're probably too tired to care.
	Submit to Quotes

03-12-2005, 12:42 PM	#3
mousepod You broke your Ramadar! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 4,635	I have my Complete Charlie Parker on Verve set out right now. Thanks for reminding me. The man could really blow. __________________ "Give the public everything you can give them, keep the place as clean as you can keep it, keep it friendly" - Walt Disney
	Submit to Quotes

03-12-2005, 04:38 PM	#5
Not Afraid HI! Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 17,108	Honey, the first fax came in at 2:07. Maybe that's the reason for the mishap. Also, remember the film about Charlie Parker called "Bird". We saw it openining weekend (because we were so cool ) and I've called it forevermore "Bird Turd". Sad.
	Submit to Quotes

03-13-2005, 10:03 PM	#6
Jazzman Sax God Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Portland's Tijuana Posts: 510	I actually kind of liked that movie. Sure, it's not exactly Round Midnight but I thought it did a good job of portraying Bird's drug addiction and how it tore him apart. Sad stuff. I've always admired Bird, as all sax players do, but for something he said as much as his indescribable skill. "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." I find that to be a very humbling credo in the ego driven world of music. Thanks Yardbird. Rest in peace brother.
	Submit to Quotes

03-13-2005, 10:29 PM	#7
Motorboat Cruiser Cruiser of Motorboats Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: So Cal Posts: 3,665	Long Live Yardbird! I actually became a fan of Parker after seeing the film, "Bird" and falling in love with the soundtrack. Later, I read Miles' autobiography and became more interested in bebop in general. Man, that was real music. The absolute peak of improvisation. Some of my favorite Parker tunes are "Night in Tunisia", "Confirmation", and "Lestor Leaps In". Great stuff and I think it is time to put some on. I've never been able to find it but apparently there is a record of a performance with Parker playing a plastic horn. He had pawned his sax for drugs and couldn't get it back. The plastic horn is all he could come up with for the gig. Those that have heard the recording say it is some of Parker's finest work. Concerning "Bird", I thought Clint Eastwood (who is a serious scholar of bebob) did a wonderful tribute with it. Sure, it is a very sad movie but really, so was the life of Parker. Being that his wife Chan was an advisor, I assume it was pretty accurate. Anyway, that's just my take on it. My love of it could solely be based on the phenomenal soundtrack. Interesting to note in the movie that every sax note is actually played by Parker. They took the old tracks, removed all of the surrounding instruments except the sax, cleaned it up, and recut the accompaniment. If you can imagine the difficulty of cutting an entire rythmn section to nothing but a sax track, you can appreciate how difficult an undertaking that was. Clint said there was nobody that could play the sax in his movie but Bird. It's just that the tracks weren't clean enough to use. Hence this laborious workaround. Edited to add: If you haven't, read the link in the OP. It is such a beautiful description of what was special about Charlie Parker. Last edited by Motorboat Cruiser : 03-13-2005 at 10:41 PM.
	Submit to Quotes

03-13-2005, 11:43 PM	#8
Tref Not Tref Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,188	Well, if it makes you feel any better, just know that Charlie Parker is in Heaven now, jamming on guitar with Jimi Hendrix. __________________ Tref3.0 Listen in aural 3-D to Pop's muzak! (New songs added semi-bi-daily) j & j Did you know that Emas eht yltcaxe is exactly the same spelled backwards?! Last edited by Tref : 03-13-2005 at 11:44 PM. Reason: Rock n Roll will never die so long as we remember, Charlie "The Birdman" Parker
	Submit to Quotes