The Passion Of Charlie Parker Charlie Parker

• Featured Vocalist, Madeleine Peyroux:
• 1 Meet Charlie Parker (Chan's Overture) (Vocal Version Of "Ornithology") feat. Madeleine Peyroux 06:21
• Featured Vocalist, Barbara Hannigan:
• 2 The Epitaph Of Charlie Parker (The Funeral) (Vocal Version Of "Visa") feat. Barbara Hannigan 03:55
• Featured Vocalist, Gregory Porter:
• 3 Yardbird Suite (A Genius In His Youth) (Vocal Version) feat. Gregory Porter 04:52
• Featured Vocalist, Jeffrey Wright:
• 4 So Long (Exodus To New York City) (Vocal Version Of "K.C. Blues") feat. Jeffrey Wright 07:57
• Featured Vocalist, Luciana Souza:
• 5 Every Little Thing (The Song Of The Acolyte) (Vocal Version Of "Bloomdido") feat. Luciana Souza 03:23
• Interlude:
• 6 Central Avenue (A Dark Journey To Los Angeles) (Interlude) 01:28
• Featured Vocalist, Kurt Elling:
• 7 Los Angeles (The Dealer's Song) (Vocal Version Of "Moose The Mooche") feat. Kurt Elling 04:19
• Featured Vocalist, Kandace Springs:
• 8 Live My Love For You (Chan's Love Song) (Vocal Version Of "My Little Suede Shoes") feat. Kandace Springs 03:45
• Featured Vocalist, Jeffrey Wright:
• 9 Fifty Dollars (Angels And Demons) (Vocal Version Of "Segment") feat. Jeffrey Wright 06:51
• Featured Vocalist, Melody Gardot:
• 10 The King Of 52nd Street (Chan's Declaration) (Vocal Version Of "Scrapple From The Apple") feat. Melody Gardot 03:40
• Interlude:
• 11 Salle Pleyel (The Journey To Paris) (Interlude) 01:03
• Featured Vocalist, Camille Bertault:
• 12 Après vous (The Apotheosis Of Charlie Parker) (Vocal Version Of "Au Privave") feat. Camille Bertault 02:47
• Total Runtime 50:21

Info for The Passion Of Charlie Parker

On this impulse! release, Charlie Parker's music is uniquely re-imagined by living legends of the modern jazz scene. Produced by Larry Klein, and including artists like Ben Monder, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, and Gregory Porter, this 'musical play' follows the narrative arc of Bird s life. This release aims to sound like something that outlines the shape of what Bird might be doing in this time, were he still alive and playing these songs.

“With this album I’ve endeavored to do something new and different in an effort to illustrate who ‘Bird’ was as an archetypal character, and to draw attention to the huge impact that his work had on Jazz.” (Larry Klein)

Charlie Parker
The only child of Charles and Addie Parker, Charlie Parker was one of the most important and influential saxophonists and jazz players of the 1940’s.

When Parker was still a child, his family moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where jazz, blues and gospel music were flourishing. His first contact with music came from school, where he played baritone horn with the school’s band. When he was 15, he showed a great interest in music and a love for the alto saxophone. Soon, Parker was playing with local bands until 1935, when he left school to pursue a music career.

From 1935 to 1939, Parker worked in Kansas City with several local jazz and blues bands from which he developed his art. In 1939, Parker visited New York for the first time, and he stayed for nearly a year working as a professional musician and often participating in jam sessions. The New York atmosphere greatly influenced Parker's musical style.

In 1938, Parker joined the band of pianist Jay McShann, with whom he toured around Southwest Chicago and New York. A year later, Parker traveled to Chicago and was a regular performer at a club on 55th street. Parker soon moved to New York. He washed dishes at a local food place where he met guitarist Biddy Fleet, the man who taught him about instrumental harmony. Shortly afterwards, Parker returned to Kansas City to attend his father’s funeral. Once there, he joined Harlan Leonard’s Rockets and stayed for five months. In 1939, Yardbird rejoined McShann and was placed in charge of the reed section. Then, in 1940, Parker made his first recording with the McShann orchestra.

During the four years that Parker stayed with McShann's band, he got the opportunity to perform solo in several of their recordings, such as Hootie Blues, Sepian Bounce, and the 1941 hit Confessing the Blues. In 1942, while on tour with McShann, Parker performed in jam sessions at Monroe’s and Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem. There he caught the attention of up-and-coming jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk. Later that year, Parker broke with McShann and joined Earl Hines for eight months.

The year 1945 was extremely important for Parker. During that time he led his own group in New York and also worked with Gillespie in several ensembles. In December, Parker and Gillespie took their music to Hollywood on a six-week nightclub tour. Parker continued to perform in Los Angeles until June 1946, when he suffered a nervous breakdown and was confined at a state hospital. After his release in January 1947, Parker returned to New York and formed a quintet that performed some of his most famous tunes.

From 1947 to 1951, Parker worked in a number of nightclubs, radio studios, and other venues performing solo or with the accompaniment of other musicians. During this time, he visited Europe where he was cheered by devoted fans and did numerous recordings. March 5, 1955, was Parker’s last public engagement at Birdland, a nightclub in New York that was named in his honor. He died a week later in a friend’s apartment.

Charles 'Yardbird' Parker was an amazing saxophonist who gained wide recognition for his brilliant solos and innovative improvisations. He was, without a doubt, one of the most influential and talented musicians in jazz history.

Booklet for The Passion Of Charlie Parker