Charlie Parker

Charles Christopher Parker Jr.

American alto saxophonist, composer and bebop pioneer (b. August 29, 1920, Kansas City - d. March 12, 1955, New York City, aged 34). Widely considered to be one of the most influential of jazz saxophonists, jazz musicians, and indeed musicians in general. Also known as 'Bird' (a shortening of 'Yardbird', Parker acquired the nickname early in his career with many contradictory stories regarding the name's origin). Parker was an extremely fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions.

Parker died on March 12, 1955 in the age of only 34 in the suite of his friend and patron Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but Parker also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 and 60 years of age.

In Groups:    Barry Ulanov And His All Star Metronome Jazzmen, Barry Ulanov's All Star Modern Jazz Musicians, Charlie Parker And His Orchestra, Charlie Parker And His Swedish All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie-Charlie Parker Jazzmen, Charlie Parker Big Band, Charlie Parker With Strings, Charlie Parker With Unknown Afro-Cuban Band, Charlie Parker-Howard McGhee Quintet, Charlie Parker's Jazzers, Charlie Parker's New Stars, Charlie Parker's Re-Boppers, Clyde Hart All Stars, Cootie Williams Sextet, Dizzy Gillespie All Stars, Dizzy Gillespie And His All Star Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Jazzmen, Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie Sextet, Dizzy Gillespie-Charlie Parker Quintet, Dizzy Gillespie's Rebop Six, Howard McGhee Quintet, Jay McShann And His Orchestra, Metronome All Stars, Miles Davis All Stars, Red Norvo All-Stars, Red Norvo And His Orchestra, Red Norvo And His Selected Sextet, Sir Charles And His All Stars, Slim Gaillard And His All Stars, Slim Gaillard And His Orchestra, The Charlie Parker All-Stars, The Charlie Parker Quartet, The Charlie Parker Quintet, The Charlie Parker Septet, The Charlie Parker Sextet, The Quintet, The Quintet Of The Year, Tiny Grimes Quintet, Trummy Young All Stars, Woody Herman And His Orchestra, Woody Herman And His Third Herd