The Genius of Charlie Parker

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Charlie Parker, also known as bird, is a legendary jazz musician who has influenced many of today's genres and helped develop the genre bebop. Bebop is a subgenre of jazz that is recognized as being difficult to dance to, but Bird said he didn't care if people danced to his music, because he was an artist.
LA Buckner interviews jazz saxophonist Bobby Watson and sound archive director Chuck Haddix. LA spotlights the innovative style of Kansas City's own Charlie Parker and tracks down his influence on bebop, jazz and the rest of the musical world.
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[@charlieparker4928]

I’m very humbled by this video, thank you

[@SoundFieldPBS]

spooky but you're welcome!

[@BassVoyager2000]

Hey Bird! Can you play a gig this thursday in SF? 7-10pm $100.

[@tylerm6597]

Hey Bird can you play at my sister's wedding 3-8pm $1200

[@allen6924]

@@tylerm6597 my fee or the whole band?

[@grantkoeller8911]

Who would steal birds picture and name and make a youtube account??

[@deltaqed]

"A strong rhythm, is better than a good note" bits of knowledge that changes composers

[@quatricise]

Depends on the genre, but generally I agree.

[@overtonesnteatime198]

Its taken me years to realize this :)

[@devonarmstrong7045]

This exact thought process is what got me to understand improv more, it doesn’t matter the quantity of the notes as much the rhythm

[@dibaldgyfm9933]

Delta QED:: Strawinsky had the same notion: The rhythm determines the music, also in a single line there are heavy points, but then again, listen to Strawinsky: Rhythm is SO many things. I would like to emphasize that the complexity of Ellington's "head arrangements" are so strong that a classical conductor said to me, misbelieving, "how can that be done" - you and I know that every musician in such a band was able to create and understand every aspect of those great arrangements. In a sense every one of them were geniuses.

[@lennyluzitano8920]

Yeah I agree...the strong rhythm is. The. Stimulus for the notes...not note...melody is a group of notes..= phrases..melody movement...ascending...descending.. Alternating...matematical...distances...intrrvals...not one note...

[@kazuhasgloves]

y'all back now, huh? I missed you so much, guys!

[@SoundFieldPBS]

The pandemic has been challenging but we are working on bringing y'all more and more. Teasing upcoming stuff on our insta @soundfieldpbs

[@kazuhasgloves]

oop- I'm gonna go follow y'all, right now.

[@MLHunt]

This channel's ability to provide a deeper understanding of music in an accessible way is truly a public service. Thanks for all you guys do.

[@KansasCityPBS]

HONORED to be a part of this project and share about KC's own Charlie 'Bird' Parker! So much info that we had to cut. Incredible musician who changed not just Jazz but all music. Thanks Sound Field.

[@rillloudmother]

bird lives!

[@red_ford23]

B I R D L I V E S

[@Bati_]

"Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there is no boundary line to art." -- Charlie Parker (Bird) Thank you for this wonderful tribute to the one and only visionary, iconoclast extraordinaire legend of music. We owe him a lot and thanks for spreading awareness on this! I'm so glad to see you again! ❤️🙏

[@SoundFieldPBS]

Missing you always Bati

[@sunra59]

A friend of mine used to whistle Charlie Parker riffs when we went out for a drink back in the 80's. He worked in the local record library, so he had access to all kinds of great music. I was curious about those riffs and eventually started listening to the full tunes. For many years I had a Walkman Jazz cassette tape of Charlie Parker. The tunes on that old cassette are still some of my favourites of his - 'Blues for Alice', 'KC Blues', 'Star Eyes', 'Bloomdido', 'Au Privave', and 'Just Friends' in particular. I guess that's what friends are for!

[@irlzy]

awesome! thank you for sharing :)

[@aussie_philosopher8079]

Bird have wings, birds fly. Charlie flew anywhere he wanted. That's truly liberated in my books also his playing had personality or what I call swagger.

[@Hexspa]

I humiliated myself trying to play Cherokee in a jam session once. Haven't been back to show them nothin tho. Still trying.

[@troyvahn2461]

😂😂

[@SoundFieldPBS]

hahahha you'll show those cats. keep practicing

[@Hexspa]

@@SoundFieldPBS Thank you! Great video 👍

[@thevfxmancolorizationvfxex4051]

I'm surprised no one has made a video about how Miles Davis created Fusion yet

[@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield]

Who joined Parker's group in the later end of the 40s if I remember right, so you could say his tutelage under Parker paved the way for all the "radical" forms of Jazz, like Fusion, Modal, Hard/Post Bop and Free Jazz.

[@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield]

@@kaiburns My comment was more on how Charlie Parker's influence (as well as the rest of the NY scene of the time) paved the way for the later experimental styles to thrive. And it's not like Miles didn't own up to purposefully recruiting key players/rising stars of each era to advance his own groups/artistic endeavors (the dude straight up told Stevie Wonder he'd steal Michael Henderson from him). Knowing who to collaborate with / "seeing the writings on the wall" were arguably among his greatest talents.

[@jpwjr1199]

@@kaiburns Miles didn't pioneer fusion, either. Larry Coryell?! C'Mon!

[@davidwicks9538]

Because Miles didn't 'Create' Fusion⁉️💯 There are numerous other musicians and Artist that should be considered❗ Work songs🥁Spirituals, Armstrong🎺, Fats🎹 Waller, Big Bands🥁, Louis Jordan,🎶 Jazz Crusaders, Ramsey Lewis, etc. preceded Miles, who was an influence, Yes, but NOT first;🎸🥁 R&B🎼 is Fusion if you want to be Technical! Herbie & Tony may have started experimenting with (so called) 'fusion' before Miles⁉️💯 Jis' Sayin' " FREE BILL COSBY"

[@hangthedj3206]

No he wasn't lol

[@paxwallace8324]

I loved jazz as a given growing up in the 60s because all the composers of film and TV scores like Mancini, Michele Lagrand, John Barry, Lalo Schiferin were obviously heavily influenced by jazz. But it wasn't untill I had a sax in my hands in the 5th grade that I really heard the miracle of Charlie Parker. To this day at 64 I remember how heavily his slippery harmonically informed uncanny lines blew me away. To think how he must've sounded to his contemporaries is well astounding.

[@gusmarrero]

A perfect Summary of bird. Thanks

[@Hot_Ratatouille]

Good video overall. Just one major correction I need to point out. Dizzy Gillespie was not influenced by Bird in the sense of a student or a disciple. He helped develop the style along with Bird as a collaborator. They should be viewed more as equal partners rather than one as the inventor and the other one of many followers.

[@thirtyyearoldmulberryfield]

As Miles Davis put it, you can summarize Jazz in 4 words: Louis Armstrong, representing early era jazz/rag and swing; Charlie Parker, later jazz that became more unconventional/artistically driven.

[@gribo.9543]

thats way more than 4 words

[@NZsaltz]

@@gribo.9543 the four words are Louie Armstrong, Charlie Parker. they just explained it

[@gribo.9543]

@@NZsaltz yeah i was doing a cute lil joke

[@robcarlton8578]

Never seen a geographical breakdown of the origins of jazz and the differences in style between different areas before. That was awesome

[@grantkoeller8911]

What Bird did, was extend the vocabulary of improvisation, by soloing in the extended harmony of the 9th, 11th, and the 13th. instead of just staying with the chord tones of 1, 3, 5, and 7, so commonly used by the older swing and dixieland soloists.

[@Smooth219]

those are some really nice looking shirts

[@valentinaaugustina]

I know right!! That’s what I’m thinking

[@normanlovesirsaxalot2991]

As an upcoming sax improviser- hearing Bird was like discovering the Holy Grail...father preston Love, a great lead altoist, formerly Basies 1st altoist told me; Suddenly Bird was the order of the day.You couldnt avoid learning and playing bird

[@bri1085]

Yay, Sound Field is back

[@monav4062]

Charlie Parker was a Genius !!! I grew up in my younger years in New Orleans, LA, and my parents loved their weekend cocktail parties and Charlie Parker !! The man was a genius and way ahead of his time !! ❤❤

[@qui9]

Back in the days when I was a teenager Before I had status and before I had a pager You could find the Abstract listening to hip hop My pops used to say, it reminded him of be-bop - Q-Tip on the track *Excursions*

[@jayfogelman]

This is a superb documentary.

[@darthbee18]

Eeeeeyyyy welcome back!! 🙌🙌🙌 🎷 🎷 🎷 😎😎😎 🎊🎊🎊

[@darthbee18]

3:55 see folks, PRACTICE! (40 HOURS A DAY!!) 😏🎷😎

[@SoundFieldPBS]

If you're not practicing 40 hours a day you're not trying

[@scottclute7443]

"Woodshedding"!!!!

[@TornaitSuperBird]

Bird. Bird is the word.

[@heyyitsmel]

dude these shirts are everything

[@arame29]

Fantastic educational tool

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

still love his music!!

[@ikmarchini]

Good video. A classical conductor.

[@VIDEOHEREBOB]

He was beyond great.

[@maxdavis670]

It would be awesome to have a video like this on Art Tatum

[@OldJong]

You just dance internaly with that music!

[@bobcharlie2337]

I love this series. It's the best.

[@PhuckHue2]

Back then everybody copied Bird's playing so much he had to stay a step ahead of everybody in live shows. I wish they could have recorded more of the live shows because his playing between 1942 - 45 was unbelievable. There was also a nationwide recording strike from 1942 - 44

[@villagegirl3627]

My stepfather was the preeminent scholar on Charlie Parker...This is fire

[@JMUSICEnsembleOfficial]

Thank you for educating the people, brother. ✊🏾🙌🏾

[@colto3]

i got to learn from Bobby Watson at UMKC, what a genuinely kind and lovely man

[@BobSell]

Thanks for the education and history lesson! Well done!!

[@tristandufresne2870]

People did in fact dance to bebop, it wasn't sit-down music. Especially early on. Great vid

[@scottmartinezguitarandbass]

Charlie Parker rests about 1 mile from my house and recording studio. Hopefully some of his genius will leach into the surroundings.

[@tablon8539]

When he said "the feeeling of the blues", I felt that.

[@manningbartlett522]

There are even great players (eg. guitar legend Allan Holdsworth) who spent years consciously working on how to *not* sound like Charlie Parker... which still required a very deep understanding of Parker. It shows just how universal his influence was.

[@allen6924]

Mile's ear and knowledge of classical styles of music, gave the bebop music a firmer footing in a broader popular style of jazz. That allowed it to move from 'bebop' into 'hardbop' into 'modal' and so on. Because Miles Davis never called his music "jazz". Or any other titles critics created. It was music that's all.. You couldn't put him in a box like those you mentioned. It's why his music could adapt to any stylistic changes that the music went through. And why he was always at the forefront. And that he got from Charlie Parker, because he was a master of those classical scales and expanded them to create bebop.

[@Mr.Beauregarde]

I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!

[@jc6594]

Today Commemorates Charlie Parker's 100th Birthday

[@VictoryDanDukor]

This show is such a treasure. I always learn so much while watching.

[@pouyanazarvash6182]

bless you bro

[@adelaidecameraclub6637]

Good discussion on bird, but I think it missed a vital point about Bird's harmonic sense. He extended chords by using the b9, #9, b13 (or#4) in particular, and used these to move through the 2-5s in thew chart and create new melodies. It wasn't just chromatics.

[@ecaepevolhturt]

Landing on the pretty notes.

[@mjazzguitar]

That's what chromatics are.

[@keigielukas7357]

Much appreciated, and lucid point of view

[@Michael45RPM]

Very good Job really love this video THX

[@andreashoppe1969]

Au Privave is such a great tune to play. It's my favorite!

[@advvlad]

awesome lesson !

[@m.c.ravioli1521]

Sound field is back!

[@SoundFieldPBS]

BIG TIME

[@claydobbins9342]

I like your style, young Brother.

[@ascotamos4825]

I am so glad that you are highlighting Parkers great contributions

[@quincy9908]

*Kansas City Stand up* 😤🙌🏾

[@stuartdryer1352]

The way I see it, there was jazz before and after Bird. Bird first getting to NY is like year 0 for me. He changed everything.

[@spacealienjesus709]

I love these Jazz videos Thank you so much for making these.. Long Live Jazz..

[@wakledodd]

I missed you guys! Best ever!!

[@guitarx69x420]

Amazing video. Thank you so much for making this!

[@bobbyhallmusic]

Great video!! Terrific history and great interviews!! I LOVED IT!!

[@randolphneueli6479]

Many thanks for the imparting of new knowledge of Bird to me and the approach of educating the viewer wonderful wonderful!

[@haukerikjacobsen3580]

I was literally going through some of you're old videos yesterday thinking "huh... where they go?". I knew you hadn't abandoned the channel cuz you still commented and liked other comments. Missed you guys! welcome back! hope you're doing well (relatively speaking)

[@AspenTruth]

Love this. Thank You.

[@Beryllahawk]

I am SO GLAD to see an upload from y'all once more

[@michaelfitzurka5659]

great work

[@douglasgorney]

This is completely fantastic. Well done, sir.

[@shaddjimenez4524]

never heard of what he said about the “woodshed” originating from drummers, cool stuff.

[@shaddjimenez4524]

Salim Sivaad wow yeah I watched this late at night and so I probably tired, thanks for pointing that out!

[@spacejazz6272]

i heard that it originated from Bird practicing in an actual woodshed out the back of his house for 12 hours a day. probably one of those things no one ever really knows

[@WartaJazzChannel]

Tx for uploading this one

[@overtonesnteatime198]

Much love brother! Thank you!

[@aaronfrank9649]

My opinion is that lots of Charlie Parker’s early stuff had a little slower tempo and it just grooves. His playing is just as great at those medium tempos, and his language is still bebop.

[@cjthibeau4843]

YES!!! So worth the long wait! Def another video I will be sharing with my students, I love the mini lesson on where and what jazz is, so succinct. Hope to be seeing more videos in the coming weeks! Been missing one of my favorite YT channels!!

[@larrystaples1842]

Terrific video......

[@awachili]

I just recently came across this channel and although I am no musician, the language, visuals, and swag you all have makes everything digestible. Appreciate you all at Sound Field. Stay blessed!

[@cjbcross]

This is fantastic...best quick treatise on Bird I have seen. Well done!

[@MHerreraMusic]

Love this video and it’s great to see Bobby making an appearance. Besides what Bird played his attention to his tone, time and technique are still the best. He was truly a master of the saxophone.

[@hkumar7340]

KZbin's algorithm recommended this video to me... KZbin's algorithm can read my mind... Very informative, thank you!!

[@bottomendbliss]

He wasnt an entertainer, he was an artist. Love it. Clears that up nicely.

[@abrahampalmer8761]

Agreed Charlie Parker is my inspiration as well he blew me away when I first listen to him on KZbin few years ago he was a league of his own.

[@leoncorbett4553]

My band teacher brought me here (he had to assign something when he wasn’t at school) and I gotta say, he picked a good video.

[@juancarloslunajuegon4645]

I LOVE this content, glad you are back

[@jameaterrecords]

Amazing video. I feel like Bird can be intimidating to a lot of people trying to get into jazz. Loved seeing the influence in rap and other modern music today

[@LocestSwarmSC831]

Love from KC, best little city in the world. If any of you ever get the chance the Jazz Museum in the 18th and vine district is amazing cannot recommend enough!

[@CP_Films]

Great content! Thank you. Hope to learn more about the different music genres and its culture. Much love guys

[@myronbriggs1018]

I’m not one minute into this video & I have already subscribed. Great content. Thank u.

[@dean7603]

Not only amazing history but also great music lesson! Nice job👍

[@rva11]

Very enjoyable video. Listened, enjoyed, was sorry it ended, and subscribed. Bebop.

[@KaliBeatsYoSoyAquel]

0:41 it's easier if you follow the bass, it was actually the first time I tried dancing to jazz and I loved it lol

[@jordansilversmith1698]

thank you for this -- I am a big Bird fan and my wife is learning about jazz and we learned so much from this video. Thank you!!!

[@iLikeTheUDK]

11:09 LA's talking about Nahre Sol, his co-host on Sound Field, he said "Check out Nahre's video"; please fix this subtitle

[@doubleinstruments6453]

Thank for it from France,, learn more from it than spending one year at school

[@johnpuga1982]

Love these!

[@mason5069]

This video was very well made and extremely insightful. Freedom in the musical world is a beautiful thing!

[@supersquare]

Legends!!

[@xbdjdjcdbdnndbdndb1613]

Golden nugget: -long hours in the woodshed (practicing and learning from a teacher and colleagues)

[@SinaFarhat]

It makes me happy to see that the high quality of videos on this channel! I can also imagine the many battles with content id considering the music that is used. It is fair use though via the transformative defence!

[@saxmidiman]

This was wonderful!

[@MarshallAmpMan]

Excellent!

[@lmhall7478]

Great video👍🏾thnx for the knowledge

[@flame-sky7148]

Great channel, thanks so much!

[@Burt472]

Thanks from Italy for this