1. CHARLIE BIRD PARKER August 29, 1920 March 12, 1955Moses Seriki & Cody Leavitt November 23, 2013

2. Synopsis Early Music Career Genre & Contribution What is Bebop? What is Jazz Improvisation? Addiction Death Notable Info Charlie Parkers Confirmation What Did You Hear? Questions? 3. Born August 29, 1920, in Kansas City, KansasMoved to Kansas City, Missouri when he was 7 years old. At the time, the city was a lively center for African-American music, including jazz, blues and gospel.Charlie discovered his own talent for music through taking lessons at public schools. As a teen, he played the baritone horn in the school bandBy the time Charlie was 15, the alto saxophone was his instrument of choice. 4. From 1935 to 1939, Parker played in Kansas City, Missouri, nightclub scene with local jazz and blues bands In 1938, he played with the pianist Jay McShann's band, with which he toured Chicago and New York. In 1939, Parker decided to stick around New York City for a while. There he remained for almost a year, working as a professional musician and jamming for pleasure on the side In 1939, his father died. After his father death, he returned to New York and made his first recording with McShann's band 5. He was a spontaneous composer playing jazz music at the time . Playing Jazz, He became one of the pioneers for Bebop. Bebop is generally considered the beginning of modern jazz. Bebop is also referred to as bop Bebop in jazz is a harder, irregular and less predictable pattern of playing jazz music He was also known for his great improvisation technique playing the alto saxophone 6. Derived probably from some of the syllables used in scat singing (doowah, be-bop a loo waah) Dependant on inventiveness, quick thinking, virtuosity, and creativity of the musician. Designed to be different from swing at the time. Beboppers avoided improvising on the melody their solos were built strictly on the chord patterns and often made no reference to tune. This made an original music sound different when played by a Bebopper Bebop is based on a remarkable conservative structure which normally begins with a 32-bar tune. Often, the melody instrument plays the tune in unison, then each instrument improvises over the chords of the tune 7. Jazz improvisation is the process of spontaneously creating fresh melodies over the continuously repeating cycle of chord changes of a tune. The improviser may depend on the contours of the original tune, or solely on the possibilities of the chords' harmonies It has been said that the best improvised music sounds composed, and that the best composed music sounds improvised. Composed music and improvised music may seem to be opposites, but in Jazz they merge in a unique mixture. "Improvisation is the ability to create something very spiritual, something of one's own." Sonny Rollins 8. Car crash leads to morphine addiction, graduating to heroin use. Heroin plentiful in NYC Jazz scene. Parker missed gigs, busked on street, & sold instruments for money. 1945: Gig in California didnt turn out well, band members returned to NYC. Parker sold return ticket to purchase heroin. Heroin harder to obtain in California, addiction turns to alcohol. Committed to mental hospital: Camarillo 9. 1946: Charlie Parker on Dial Vol. #1 liner notes describe Parkers condition during recording. Missed his cues, had to be propped up, yet still able to nail solos. Upset that recordings were released re-recorded them. Attended rehab in California & managed to produce a great number of recordings during this time. Resumed heroin addiction upon returning to NYC. 10. Passed away March 12, 1955. Causes related to drug & alcohol abuse. 34 years old at time of death. Coroner: body of a 50 to 60 year old. Wished to be buried at home in NYC. Buried in Missouri after family infighting over estate distribution. Charlie Parker Memorial Bird Lives erected in Kansas City, Missouri. 11. 1953: Played & recorded a live album at Massey Hall in Toronto using a plastic saxophone. An experimentation in sound. 2 Posthumous Grammy awards: 1974: Best Performance by a Soloist 1984: Lifetime Achievement Award Nickname Origins: Free As A Bird Ran over a chicken with car, Parker stopped to retrieve it so that he could have it cooked for dinner that evening. 12. Composed: 1953 Instruments Involved: Jazz Drums Bass Piano Alto Sax (Charlie Parker) Structure: 32 Bar Tune Consists of 4, 8 Measure Sections AABA Format Rapid Note Movements Effective Improvisation 13. You can tell the history of Jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker -Miles Davis 14. A typical Bebop composition: Angular Irregular Offbeat Melodic Rhythmic Bird Changes Chord progression descending initially Cycled back upwards using 4ths Recorded in one take Majority of song is improvised with each instrument getting a chance to shine 15. Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you dont live it, it wont come out of your horn. They teach you theres a boundary line to music. But, man, theres no boundary line to art. -Charlie Parker