Charlie Parker
Charles "Charlie" Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" and "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist 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. Parker was a blazingly fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary 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.
You can find people similar to Charlie Parker by visiting our lists Sonet Records artists and American male jazz composers.
| Full name at birth | Charles Christopher Parker Jr.
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| Claim to fame | Yardbird Suite, How High the Moon
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| Date of birth | 29 August 1920
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| Place of birth | Kansas City, Missouri
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| Date of death | 12 March 1955
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| Age | 34 (age at death)
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| Place of death | New York City, New York, United States
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| Cause of death | Pneumonia, heart failure and cirrhosis of the liver following drug abuse
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| Occupation | Musician, composer, saxophonist
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| High school | Lincoln High School, Kansas City
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| Demolished |
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SIGNIFICANT DATES
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| Designated CHISL |
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| Designated CP |
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| Designated LAHCM |
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| Designated PHLF |
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| Designated TSAL |
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| Designated VLR |
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- Is portrayed by Forest Whitaker in Bird (1988).
- Along with trumpet legend Dizzy Gillespie, he created the sporadic rhythms known as "be bop" in the 1950s.
- Literary critic Harold Jack Bloom once wrote, "If God appeared in 19th Century America, it was as Ralph Waldo Emerson. In the 20th Century it would have been as Charlie Parker."
- The lead character in Jim Jarmusch's first feature film, Permanent Vacation (1980) repeatedly says he wants to be "just like Charlie Parker".
- Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1979.
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