Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader 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. Primarily a player of the alto saxophone, Parker's tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber.
Parker acquired the nickname "Yardbird" early in his career on the road with Jay McShann. This, and the shortened form "Bird", continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspiring the titles of a number of Parker compositions, such as "Yardbird Suite", "Ornithology", "Bird Gets the Worm", and "Bird of Paradise".
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.
Links to Peel[]
No doubt Peel was aware of Charlie Parker in his youth, when he listened to jazz, even if his preferences were for the earlier forms of the music rather than the bebop and other modern jazz styles which grew out of Parker's innovations. He would also have heard Parker's music on the BBC jazz programmes hosted by the presenters he admired, Humphrey Lyttelton and Peter Clayton. Although modern jazz went out of fashion in the late 1960s with the rise of pop and rock, Parker was still admired by musicians like Pete Townshend of the Who. Peel favourites the Yardbirds named themseves after Parker, while the saxophonist was also namechecked by the likes of the Liverpool Scene's Adrian Henri.
Peel seemed to have first played a record featuring Charlie Parker (by Jay McShann's orchestra) on his Top Gear programme in 1975, according to available tracklistings on this site. Further material from the musician was played on his radio programmes in the 1980s and 1990s, when modern jazz once again became fashionable, and he later included some of Charlie Parker's records in the Pig's Big 78 feature of his shows, between 2002 and 2003.
Shows Played[]
- 1975
- 30 June 1975 (with Jay McShann''s Orchestra) Jumping Blues' (Decca) (JP: 'Most alarming to think that I was three when that was recorded.')
- 1982
- 03 May 1982 (& Miles Davis): Merry-Go-Round
- 13 July 1982: Kim
- 24 July 1982 (& Miles Davis): A Night In Tunisia (album - Bird & Miles) DJM
- 31 July 1982 (& Miles Davis): Yardbird Suite (album - Bird & Miles) DJM
- 09 May 1983: Ornithology (LP - Alternate Masters, Vol. 2) Dial
- 19 May 1983: Vine Street Boogie (album - Early Bird) Spotlite
- 1988
- 22 August 1988: Moose The Mooche (2xLP - Bird Lives: The Complete Dial Masters) New Musical Express
- 05 September 1988: Yardbird Suite (v/a 2xLP - Bird Lives: The Complete Dial Masters) New Musical Express
- 07 September 1988: Ornithology (2x v/a LP - Bird Lives: The Complete Dial Masters) New Musical Express
- 1996
- 23 February 1996: 'Bird's Nest (6xLP-Charlie Parker)' (Warner Bros.)
- 02 March 1996 (BFBS): 'Bird's Nest (6xLP-Charlie Parker)' (Warner Bros.)
- 2000
- 21 December 2000: White Christmas
- 2001
- 21 February 2001: 'La Paloma (Compilation CD-La Paloma)' (Trikont)
- February 2001 (FSK): La Paloma (v/a CD - La Paloma) Trikont
- 2002
- 07 February 2002: Buzzy (Pig's Big 78 2002) Savoy
- 2003
- 09 April 2003: Yardbird Suite (Album, Comp.: Charlie Parker On Dial Volume 1) Spotlite Records
- 15 May 2003: Stupendous (Pig's Big 78 2003) Parlophone
See Also[]
- Jerry Wexler: Soul Man: Ornithology