Over a hundred jazz fans turned out August 29th in Kansas City, Missouri to pay tribute to the late great saxophonist Charlie Parker on the 85th anniversary of his birth.
The fans, including over two-dozen musicians, gathered at Kansas City’s Lincoln Cemetery, where Parker is buried. The musicians played “Now’s the Time” and “Billie’s Bounce,” and there was a parade with the Kansas City Youth Jazz Band.
About 30 of Parker’s relatives were in attendance.
The tradition of paying tribute to Parker on his birthday died out after bandleader Eddie Baker, who had worked closely with Parker, died in 2001. The city’s Charlie Parker Memorial Foundation disappeared as well.
As a result, many of the Parker’s relatives feel that the saxophonist has been underappreciated in the city of his birth. Parker died in 1955 at age 35 and this year marks the 50th anniversary of his death. His first cousin Myra Brown contacted as many relatives as she could and organized an event with local jazz musicians, resulting in the largest celebration any of them could remember.
Elvis “Sonny” Gibson, a collector of Parker memorabilia who helped promote the event, said, “This is overdue. Charlie Parker should always receive this kind of recognition.”
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B:
As you may or may not know, hardcore jazzheads are all in a tizzy over the recent discovery and release of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker’s concert at Town Hall, NYC from June 22, 1945 (you can check it out on Amazon and other locations). 60 years later, these giants are still dazzling folk….Thanks for this post: Bird Lives!
I also see that there is an auction of Dizzy Gillespie’s estate.