Metronome Magazine: Charlie Parker
(August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955) also known as “Yardbird” & “Bird”
American jazz saxophonist and composer
Parker was a highly influential jazz soloist and a leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique and improvisation. Parker introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. His tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. Parker acquired the nickname “Yardbird” early in his career; this and its shortened form, “Bird”, which continued to be used for the rest of his life, inspired 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.
Charlie Parker “Bird In The City Of Angels” Taken during rehearsal for a performance in Los Angeles at Billy Berg’s Club on January 17, 1946.Billy Berg (d. 1962) had owned several other Hollywood jazz clubs prior to opening his Vine Street location. These included the Capri Club (Pico and La Cienega), the Trouville (Beverly and Fairfax), and the Swing Club (Hollywood and Las Palmas). Billy Berg’s was noted as one of the first integrated jazz clubs in Hollywood.Today the original building still stands at the corner of Vine Street and De Longpre Avenue in Hollywood.
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