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.
Easy To Love
Charlie Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In thinking such a thing could be
That you could ever care for me
I'm sure you hate to hear
That I adore you, dear
But grant me
Just the same
For love
You'd be so easy to love
So easy to idolize
All others above
So worth the yearning for
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
We'd be so grand at the game
So carefree together
That it does seem a shame
That you can't see
Your future with me
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
In the song Easy to Love, Charlie Parker expresses the frustration of unrequited love. He is obsessed with someone who he believes is out of his league, but he can't help his feelings for her. He knows that it's a waste of time to think that he could ever have her, and he feels like he's fooling himself with his fantasies. He acknowledges that it's probably annoying to his crush that he loves her, but he can't help feeling that way. Despite all of this, he believes that she would be easy to love, as he idolizes her and can't imagine anyone else being better than her. He believes that they would be perfect together and that it's a shame that his crush can't see a future with him.
Throughout the song, Parker's vocals are full of longing and heartache, a perfect representation of the feelings of unrequited love. The lyrics show the complexity of such a situation, where the person knows they are wasting time on someone that they can't have, but can't control their emotions. The song also touches on the idea of putting someone on a pedestal, idolizing them as being "so worth the yearning for" and "so swell to keep every home fire burning for".
Line by Line Meaning
I know too well that I'm just wasting precious time
I am aware that I'm investing my time into an impossible situation.
In thinking such a thing could be
I understand that the thought itself is irrational and illogical.
That you could ever care for me
To believe that you could have any interest in me is delusional.
I'm sure you hate to hear
I acknowledge that it's uncomfortable for you to be on the receiving end of my affection.
That I adore you, dear
I'm expressing my love for you, despite knowing it may not be reciprocated.
But grant me
Nonetheless, kindly hear me out.
Just the same
Regardless.
I'm not entirely to blame
It's not entirely my fault for falling in love with you.
For love
Love is a powerful emotion that can be hard to control.
You'd be so easy to love
You possess such admirable qualities that would make you a desirable partner.
So easy to idolize
You're so wonderful that it would be easy to idealize you.
All others above
You're truly special and stand above all others.
So worth the yearning for
The longing for you is justified because you're worth it.
So swell to keep every home fire burning for
You're so amazing that it would be delightful to keep the home fires burning for you.
We'd be so grand at the game
We'd make a great team in the game of love.
So carefree together
We would be free from worry and stress if we were together.
That it does seem a shame
It's unfortunate that you can't see our potential together.
That you can't see
It's regrettable that you're unable to envision.
Your future with me
Your future would be brighter if we were together.
Cause you'd be oh, so easy to love
Your lovable traits would make it easy to love you.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Cole Porter
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ann Turner
I love it
MarcieLuvzMusic
Wonderful!!
Antoinette Rader
Lovely music:))
Davaughn B
does anyone know where to find a transcription of this? I can't believe one doesn't exist
Ole Birger Pedersen
There's a transcribtion in vol 2 of the Charlie Parker omnibook. But this is from a recording from june 1950 and is the Rare Live Recordings RLR 88635 , the Complete Live at Cafe Society. I thing that's the closets you can get to a transcribtion.
Tom Walker
Bird got me onto Cole Porter, nice.
Nelson Giacomini
Thank you very much...!
Sweetlikecandi365
YES 👌🏾
Giuli Kharazishvili
класс
Desperate Times
The era of great music that passed. Too bad young people today do not know how to create music. They only copy.