Listen to us Saturday nights/Sunday mornings. Between the hours of Midnight and 6AM Eastern Standard Time.

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              Charlie 'Bird' Parker

   It's Saturday night, the crowd's loud, full of laughter, enjoying the weekend. Birdland is the place. The sound permeating forth is the growl of an upright bass, the shuffled timing kept by drums, a piano joyously tickled and dabbled up and down riffs churning human bodies around the dancefloor. The beautiful cry of a specific alto saxophone pierces the set, striking to the heart of everyone wihtin earshot. That is the power of Charles "Bird" Parker, Jr.

Born August 29th, 1920 in Kansas City, KS one of America's greatest sax players would actually grow up across the state line in Kansas City, MO. Bird began his music training with the baritone sax, eventually moving to alto. Kansas City thick, deep, lush music scene grabbed hold of his heart so tightly, he dropped out of school at the age of 14 to persue music fulltime. Though, made to look like a fool at his frist jam sessions, Bird practiced his ass off and by 1937 he joined Jay McShann's Orchestra, after mastering fundementals and his own personal technique.

Charlie first visited New York City in 1939, going so far as to work as a dishwasher just so he could hear Art Tatum on a nightly basis. 1940 would be his recording debut with Jay McShann, the session being a recording with only a small part of Jay's Orchestra. Once McShann's Big Band arrived in 1941, Bird had short solos on several of their studio blues recordings. Other groups Parker played with during the early 40's would be Noble Sissle's Band (1942), playing tenor with Earl Hines' unrecorded bop band (1943), Bill Eckstine's Orchestra (1944), and finally becoming a duo with Dizzie Gillespie in late '44, after having knwon Dizzie since 1940 and playing with him in Hines' and Eckstine's bands.

This duo of Parker and Gillespie would shock the jazz world to it's very core, with their recordings in 1945. Their rapid unisons, exceptional and unpredictable solos demolished the established sound of Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman.

Unfortunately, Bird's heroin addiction influenced others to try the poison in hopes of gaining the very same inspiration he had. A trip to Los Angeles by Diz & Bird was met with disdain, anger, hostility, and indifference. Only younger players seemed to be listeing to them. At this point, the two decided to go home to NY. Parker cashed in his ticket, though and wound up staying in LA. After many recordings and performances, including the classic "Lady be good" with Jazz at the Philharmonic, a lack of drugs combatted by ferocious drinking resulted in a mental breakdown and 6-month institutionalization at Camarillo State Hospital. Bird returned home to NY in January 1947, after his release, and was greeted by some of his most rewarding playing which included leading a quintet of hisself, Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Max Roach, and Tommy Potter.

1951, Parker's cabaret license was revoked, making it difficult to play in NY. Though still able to play at his best, when inspired, Bird was spiralling downhill. After two suicide attempts, he was admitted to Bellevue Metnal Hospital. When he died March 12, 1955 at age 34, it's been said he could've passed for age 64.