What Makes Charlie Parker Unique
Living in Kansas is unique because...
Charlie Parker was a saxophone player who revolutionized the jazz industry. His specialty was playing the alto and tenor saxophone. One of the things that makes Kansas unique is the fact that he was born here.
Early Life
Charlie Parker’s roots were planted in Kansas. Kansas City, Kansas to be exact. August 29th, 1920 was the day a legend was born. Little did his parents know he would one day become one of the most recognized faces in the jazz industry. Charlie Parker is not his full name, but rather a shortened version of his full name “Charles Christopher Parker Jr”. His parents named him after his father, Charles Parker, who made his living as an African-American stage entertainer. His mother, Addie Parker, …show more content…
This is how he first discovered his inclination towards music. He started out by playing the baritone in the school band, and he was reasonably good. At age 15, he decided to switch over to the alto saxophone. Since his family could not really afford one, he borrowed a school sax. After a while of playing the school’s instrument he finally got his own, but not under the happiest of circumstances. His mother bought it for him to cheer him up after his father left them. The ancient alto saxophone cost $45, and it leaked air so badly you could hardly play it. However, this did not stop Charlie from practicing 15 hours a day and annoying his neighbors. After he started performing with bands at the local nightclubs, he did not stay in high school much longer. The young musician dropped out of school in 1935 to pursue a full time musical career, much to his mother’s …show more content…
People awarded him with this nickname simply because he absolutely loved chicken. Around the same time, he got the nickname Charlie was living in New York City, and working at a chicken shack. He moved to New York City, New York after his second wife and mother kicked him out. He sold his saxophone when he moved, and put his musical ambitions on the back burner for a while. This did not last as he eventually ended up working with fellow jazz musician “Dizzy Gillespie”. Together they created a completely new genre of jazz music called “jazz bebop”, or “jazz bop”. Though Charlie was not very widely known as someone who changed the jazz industry back then, we now celebrate him as one of the best jazz players of all
Charlie Parker was a saxophone player who revolutionized the jazz industry. His specialty was playing the alto and tenor saxophone. One of the things that makes Kansas unique is the fact that he was born here.
Early Life
Charlie Parker’s roots were planted in Kansas. Kansas City, Kansas to be exact. August 29th, 1920 was the day a legend was born. Little did his parents know he would one day become one of the most recognized faces in the jazz industry. Charlie Parker is not his full name, but rather a shortened version of his full name “Charles Christopher Parker Jr”. His parents named him after his father, Charles Parker, who made his living as an African-American stage entertainer. His mother, Addie Parker, …show more content…
This is how he first discovered his inclination towards music. He started out by playing the baritone in the school band, and he was reasonably good. At age 15, he decided to switch over to the alto saxophone. Since his family could not really afford one, he borrowed a school sax. After a while of playing the school’s instrument he finally got his own, but not under the happiest of circumstances. His mother bought it for him to cheer him up after his father left them. The ancient alto saxophone cost $45, and it leaked air so badly you could hardly play it. However, this did not stop Charlie from practicing 15 hours a day and annoying his neighbors. After he started performing with bands at the local nightclubs, he did not stay in high school much longer. The young musician dropped out of school in 1935 to pursue a full time musical career, much to his mother’s …show more content…
People awarded him with this nickname simply because he absolutely loved chicken. Around the same time, he got the nickname Charlie was living in New York City, and working at a chicken shack. He moved to New York City, New York after his second wife and mother kicked him out. He sold his saxophone when he moved, and put his musical ambitions on the back burner for a while. This did not last as he eventually ended up working with fellow jazz musician “Dizzy Gillespie”. Together they created a completely new genre of jazz music called “jazz bebop”, or “jazz bop”. Though Charlie was not very widely known as someone who changed the jazz industry back then, we now celebrate him as one of the best jazz players of all