The best reason why Charlie Parker was called Bird.

[bertrand]

The Japanese pressing has him holding the note for another 10 minutes.

Bertrand.

[Hardbopjazz]

The Japanese pressing has him holding the note for another 10 minutes.

Bertrand.

[Hardbopjazz]

I only wish this was a true aritcle. If it is, wow, I had jazz wrong all my life.

Nope. Even Charlie Parker was a Kenny G fan. Read the interview in the "Peoria Herald", dated 10/28/06, written by Max Vintage and published in rec.music.bluenote:

"Charlie Parker was a KennyG fan!"

KennyG, saxophone genius and all-time jazz great, recently came through

Peoria to play a series of sold-out concerts for his adoring fans. He

graciously agreed to an interview. I meet "the G-man" as all jazz

musicians call him, in his posh dressing room. Kenny, ponytail bouncing

and flashing in the light, explained the history of jazz and his place

in it.

"You see," he said, pouring himself some organic beet juice, "most

music has vocals. But jazz music doesn't have vocals. It's what we call

'instrumental.' That's why it's jazz," because there isn't any

singing."

Wow--to have a master of jazz explain the genre was a rare treat. "Is

all instrumental music jazz," I asked?

"Almost all," said Kenny. "jazz has to have a solo in it. If it has a

solo in it, and no vocals, then it's jazz. Or if I play a solo in it,

then it becomes jazz. Because I'm a jazz musician. That's it--jazz is

when there's no vocals and I play a solo." I asked the G-man how he

knows what to play in his solo. "The melody," said G: "I play the

melody, the part that the singer would sing if there was a singer,

which there isn't, because it's jazz. I play the melody and then I play

some of my much beloved the world over licks." He picked up his

saxophone and demonstrated.

"Charlie Parker gave me this sax," the G-man continued; "he was a

really good sax player from back in the past, when they didn't

understand about jazz being simply the melody plus licks. So he never

made any money or sold 200 billion albums like me. But one day he was

walking along the street and he heard me playing-I was six at the time.

He rushed into the house and said 'here is the future of jazz.' He gave

me his sax right then and there and never played again."

"Parker didn't understand that the key to jazz is just playing the

melody plus some licks. He thought you were supposed to play something

original, something 'challenging,' something people have not heard 1000

times before. So he really didn't play jazz. Jazz is soothing,

familiar, comfortable, and bland-that's what people want. That's why

jazz is such universally beloved music. You hear it in elevators, hotel

lobbies, supermarket aisles, playing in the background at the dentist's

waiting rooms-if you're on hold, and you here music with no vocals and

instruments play the melody and some licks, it's jazz. Probably it's

me, and then it's definitely jazz."

At that moment a stagehand walked by and said "Ask him how he met Bird

when bird died the year before he was born."

I looked at the G-man.

"Critics," he said. "I've heard it all before. They're jealous of my

success. A real jazz musician, like me, plays from the heart. The

heart, and the wallet-I play from the wallet too. And the wallet says

'play the melody, G, and then your licks.' Charlie Parker never made

any money, because he didn't understand about the wallet. The wallet is

a part of you-it's just as important to me as my heart. In fact, I

can't tell the difference any more. Critics are just jealous of my

success. They can't play from the wallet."

I thanked G for clearing it all up. Next time I see a guy in a club,

trying something new, taking chances, moving away from the melody, I'll

remind him of the G-Man's advice. "Find the wallet, my son. And call it

jazz."

Edited February 20, 2008 by Hardbopjazz

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Wikkid!

MG

[jostber]