Charlie Parker has been idolized by generations of jazz musicians and
fans. Indeed, his spectacular musical abilities--his blinding speed and
brilliant improvisational style--made Parker a legend even before his
tragic death at age thirty-four.
Now, in Chasin' The Bird,
Brian Priestley offers a marvelous biography of this jazz icon, ranging
from his childhood in Kansas City to his final harrowing days in New
York. Priestley offers new insight into Parker's career, beginning as a
teenager single-mindedly devoted to mastering the saxophone. We follow
Parker on his first trip to New York, penniless, washing dishes for
$9.00 a week at Jimmy's Chicken Shack, a favorite hangout of the great
Art Tatum, whose stunning speed and ingenuity were an influence on the
young musician. Priestley sheds light on Parker's collaborations with
other jazz legands, and illuminates such classic recordings as "Salt
Peanuts," "A Night in Tunisia," and "Yardbird Suite"--music which
defined an era. He also gives us an unflinching look at Parker's dark
side--the drug abuse, heavy drinking, and tangled relations with women
and the law. He recounts the death of Parker's daughter Pree at just
two-and-a-half years old, and Parker's own death at thirty-four, in such
wretched condition that the doctor listed his age as fifty-three.
With an invaluable discography that lists every recording of Charlie
Parker that has ever been made publicly available, this is a must-have
biography of a true jazz giant, one that helps us penetrate the dazzling
surface to grasp the artistry beneath.
Muchas gracias por Charlie Parker.
ReplyDeleteSiempre me ha costado entrar en su música, a ver si con la ayuda del libro me cuesta menos!
Gracias
Pues te sugiero que investigues la etiqueta Charlie Parker, tal vez comenzando con el Verve Jazz Masters 28 o Bird and Dizz
Deletehttps://egrojworld.blogspot.com/search/label/Charlie%20Parker
;)
Te voy a hacer caso! a ver si por aquí entra mejor! Gracias
Delete;)
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