Happy Birthday, Bird

I know this isn't the first year I have mentioned this...
But, I must.
As the years continue to go by, they only re-affirm what a brilliant, singular, important cat Charlie Parker was.
88 years ago now it was - 1920 he was born in Kansas City.

(This is a great day to tune in to WKCR. 24 hours of Charlie Parker radio.)

This past year I have visited his grave sight, been thru the former Camarillo state psych ward in Cali where he was sequestered for 6 months in 1946, and tried to make more sense of why his playing has the effect on me that it does.

I have also tried to put his life in more of a historical context.

It is a strange co-incidence that he is buried just minutes down Truman Road from - yes, Harry Truman, in Independence, MO.

I visited the Truman Presidential Library in May, right after having been to Bird's final resting place.

It was deep.

These two men were from the same town (essentially), and were operating at their height at the same time. In two totally different worlds.

Life altering business they were both in...

More on this later.