Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker

Saxophone virtuoso Charlie "Bird" Parker began playing professionally in his early teens, became a heroin addict at 16, changed the course of music, and then tragically died at just 34 years old. As his friend Robert Reisner observed, "Parker, in the brief span of his life, crowded more living into it than any other human being." Like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane, he was a pivotal composer and improviser who ushered in a new era of jazz by pioneering bebop, profoundly influencing subsequent generations of musicians.

This meticulously researched and engagingly written new biography, Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker, masterfully tells the story of his life, music, and career. It artfully weaves together firsthand accounts from those who knew him with fresh information, creating a compelling narrative portrait of a truly tragic genius.

While other books about Parker have largely focused on his music and recordings, this portrait reveals the troubled man behind the artistry, illustrating how his addictions and struggles with mental health significantly impacted his life and career. He was a man of stark contrasts: alternatively generous and miserly; a loving husband and father at home yet an incorrigible philanderer on the road; and a chronic addict who paradoxically lectured younger musicians about the dangers of drugs. Above all, he was a musician who overcame humiliation, disappointment, and a life-threatening car wreck to take wing as Bird, a brilliant improviser and composer.

With in-depth research into previously overlooked sources and illustrated with several never-before-seen images, Bird: The Life and Music of Charlie Parker diligently corrects much of the misinformation and myth surrounding one of the twentieth century's most influential musicians.