Parker is commonly considered the greatest bebop jazz musician. In terms of influence and impact, his contribution to jazz was so great that Charles Mingus commented that if Bird were alive today, he would think he was living in a hall of mirrors. Bird's talent is compared almost without argument to such legendary musicians as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, and his reputation and legend as one of the best saxophonists is such that some critics say he was unsurpassed.
A founding figure of bebop, Parker's innovative approach to melody, rhythm and harmony have exerted an incalculable influence on jazz.. Several of Parker's songs have become standards of the repertoire, and innumerable musicians have studied Parker's music and absorbed elements of his style.
Parker became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual, rather than just a popular entertainer. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from classical (seeking to study with Edgard Varese and Stefan Wolpe) to Latin music (recordings with Machito), blazing paths followed later by others.
Parker was known for often showing up to performances without an instrument and borrowing someone else's at the last moment. At more than one venue he played on a plastic Grafton saxophone; later, saxophonist Ornette Coleman used this brand of plastic sax in his early career. On one particular occasion before a concert in Toronto, Canada, he had sold his saxophone to buy drugs, and at the last minute, he, Dizzy Gillespie and other members of Charlie's entourage went running around Toronto trying to find a saxophone. After scouring all the downtown pawnshops open at the time, they were only able to find a Grafton, which Parker proceeded to use at the concert that night. This concert is documented on the album Jazz at Massey Hall. The album is considered one of the greatest live recordings in Jazz history.
Parker's battles with alcoholism and heroin addiction ranged from his teenage years until his death from pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer at thirty-four. The toll that the drug had taken on his relatively young body was quite profound - a doctor examining Parker's body estimated him to be around sixty years old.
During his lifetime, tribute was paid to Parker when a new nightclub in New York was named Birdland in his honour in 1949.Three years later, George Shearing wrote "Lullaby of Birdland", which was named for both Parker and the nightclub.
Other phenomena also occurred in the United States after the death of Parker, particularly the use of the term "Bird lives" in graffiti throughout New York hours after his death, and later as the title of a contemporary art piece of the same name, created by sculptor Robert Graham in 1999. Despite its widespread use, Ted Joans is usually credited with its inception.
All Of Me
Charlie Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was just so disgusted cause the one I loved I couldn't trust him
And you told me that if I never been hurt I would not know what happiness is
And just how good it feels
I was scared to give you all of me
Cause my last love he left me helplessly
Like a bird with out his wings I was just sitting around
Yes I was so afraid
Going through the same thing again baby
I hate it to fall in love cause I have been through so many things I cant name
Same type, same thing, same game
But you showed me not to block my heart from every man that came walk up to me
Cause you were the right one for me
I was scared to give you all of me
Cause my last love he left me helplessly
Like a bird with out his wings I was just sitting around
I never thought I would ever find love this
I had no trust at all cause ever man but you had did me wrong
Here's a wonderful thing
Since I let go of my past loves
I'm glad I gave you a chance to show me you're a good man
I was scared to give you all of me
Cause my last love he left me helplessly
Like a bird with out his wings I was just sitting around
I was scared to give you all of me
Cause my last love he left me helplessly
Like a bird with out his wings I was just sitting around
The lyrics of "All Of Me" convey a sentiment of fear and vulnerability as the singer reflects on past hurts in relationships. The song expresses the pain of betrayal and heartbreak caused by a past love, which left the singer unable to trust anyone else. The beginning of the song establishes a sense of distrust and how the subject blamed all men for her past failed relationships. However, the character speaks about how they eventually found a love worth taking a chance on. The narrative tells us about how the singer feels safe in the love of the person she is singing to.
The chorus repeats throughout the song and emphasizes the fear of giving all that one has in a relationship due to past trauma. The lyrics continually refer to the character feeling like a bird without its wings. This symbolizes how the character feels trapped and powerless in their previous relationships. The song's theme explores the struggle of trying to find love after having been hurt in the past, building to a conclusion of falling in trust again.
Line by Line Meaning
You changed me and the way I felt about men
You made me realize that all men are not the same and changed my perception towards them.
I was just so disgusted cause the one I loved I couldn't trust him
I had a bad experience with my ex-lover who broke my trust and left me disgusted.
And you told me that if I never been hurt I would not know what happiness is
You made me understand that only after experiencing hurt can one truly appreciate and experience happiness.
And just how good it feels
You taught me to appreciate the feeling of happiness and how good it feels.
I was scared to give you all of me
I had fear in my heart and was not willing to give my all to you.
Cause my last love he left me helplessly
My past love left me feeling helpless and vulnerable.
Like a bird with out his wings I was just sitting around
I was like a bird without wings who was unable to fly or move on.
Yes I was so afraid
I was filled with fear and anxiety.
Going through the same thing again baby
I was afraid of going through the same heartbreak again.
I hate it to fall in love cause I have been through so many things I cant name
I hated the idea of falling in love as I had been through many hurtful experiences that I couldn't even describe.
Same type, same thing, same game
I was tired of getting into the same type of relationships which resulted in the same hurtful outcome.
But you showed me not to block my heart from every man that came walk up to me
You taught me not to close my heart to every man that tried to approach me.
Cause you were the right one for me
You showed me that you were the right man for me.
I never thought I would ever find love this
I never expected to find love like this again.
I had no trust at all cause ever man but you had did me wrong
I had no trust in men as everyone except you had betrayed my trust.
Here's a wonderful thing
The good news is that,
Since I let go of my past loves
Since I moved on from my past relationships,
I'm glad I gave you a chance to show me you're a good man
I am happy that I took a chance on you and you turned out to be a good man.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Round Hill Music Big Loud Songs, MARLONG MUSIC CORP., BMG Rights Management
Written by: Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
colin gordon
The original recording was Charlie Parker playing at Lennie Tristano's apartment in NYC in 1951 with Sonny Clarke playing brushes on a phonebook- it's an incredible recording. This is simply Parker's solo taken out of context and inserted over some studio rhythm section. I guarantee you Tristano and Kenny Clarke never played anything like that, and there was no bass player who sounded like that in 1951
Kenny Nunn
colin gordon lmao I came to comments just to say that and you beat me by eight years.
Don Won
one of my favorite Parker solos,nice
Letícia Fernanda Correa
Amo essa música!!
NeapolitanSixth
Well, for me personally, I was studying this stuff in Jazz History at the time, so I knew roughly who he could have been playing with. That knowledge, combined with that of the interwebs, helped me narrow it down.
Raef Black
Parkers rocking on this. My favorite solo, totally, Killin!
Emily Tull
One of the greatest jazz standards ever!
Ole Birger Pedersen
Fantastic how much he finds in this good, but simple melody.
Antonio Martinez Ogayar
Inconfundible Bird grande en todo viva James Carter esto ya lo escuché mañana
Charles Liles
Well, I enjoyed it--Bird and the band--whoever made up the band and whenever it was done.