Person
Charlie Parker
Acting · 1920–1955 · Kansas City, Kansas, USA
Biography
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Parker primarily played the alto saxophone. Parker was an icon for the hipster subculture and later the Beat Generation, personifying the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer.
Known for

Eastwood Symphonic
Music

Take Your Pills
Self (archive footage)
Cool
Self

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Self - Musician (archive footage)

The Harlem Renaissance
Self (archive footage)

Charlie Parker: Bird Songs
Self - Subject (archive footage)

Improvisation
Self

Bird: Not Out Of Nowhere
Self - Archival Footage
Bird 100

Improvisation
Self
Filmography
- 2023Eastwood SymphonicMusic
- 2022Charlie Parker: Bird SongsSelf - Subject (archive footage)
- 2020Bird: Not Out Of NowhereSelf - Archival Footage
- 2019Miles Davis: Birth of the CoolSelf - Musician (archive footage)
- 2018Take Your PillsSelf (archive footage)
- 2004The Harlem RenaissanceSelf (archive footage)
- 2004ImprovisationSelf
- 1993Bluesland: A Portrait in American MusicSelf
- 1989Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie ParkerCharlie Parker
- 1950ImprovisationSelf
- —CoolSelf
- —Bird 100
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