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.
Now
Charlie Parker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bring all of your fam'ly and I will bring mine
If I should bring my brothers, and you bring the others
Then I can sing a song like Jeru, just for you
Just for all the lovely people that you see in the road
We'll sing them a song in Jeruvian mode
If I can have a pref'rence, I'll even make ref'rence
Then if you'd be kind enough to tell me why you
write these extended bridges
can it be romance that always
haunts me in my reverie?
So why not come on over 'bout a quarter to eight
If you can come early I'll never be late
And now you're all invited, I hope you're delighted
To sing a little song like Jeru, just for you
just for me too
Gather around, tale to be told
Maybe it's new, maybe it's old, listen my friend
Blowin' away, doin' alright
Plain' all day, workin' all night, listen again
Movin' along, coverin' ground
Singin' the song, lovin' the sound, listen and then
blow together birds of a feather
Out playin' the blues and "I Got Rhythm"
All at once a moment came without a warning
Got so hot we had to cool it
Go for glory, tell you the story
Out payin' our dues until we found we were
assisting at an unexpected borning
'twas the birth of the Cool
So now I can tell you why I'm always
Trying to tell you, listen, come with me,
New York, and we're together in my reverie
So why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to two
Forget all the others, just me and just you
And while we're versifying
We'd better start trying
To write another song just for me
Just for you, one more Jeru
The lyrics to "Now's The Time" by Charlie Parker and Miles Davis are a call to come together and enjoy music with friends and loved ones. The opening lines invite someone to join the singer and their family for a singing performance at around quarter to nine. The singer expresses a desire to sing a specific song called "Jeru," a reference to Gerry Mulligan's piece "Jeru," for the lovely people they see along the road. The verses continue to mention the extended bridges in the song and question whether it is because the songwriter is haunted by romance.
The song then moves to reminiscing about the birth of the Cool in New York, where musicians played the blues and standard tunes like "I Got Rhythm." The musicians work hard, playing all day and working all night, and play with such fervor that they create a new sound that got so hot, they had to cool it. The song ends with another invitation to come to write another song, and this time the meeting place is a quarter to two.
Overall, "Now's The Time" is a song that brings people together through music. It celebrates the joy that music can bring into one's life, the importance of sharing it with others, and the power of creativity.
Line by Line Meaning
Why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to nine
Let's spend time together and make some music.
Bring all of your fam'ly and I will bring mine
Let's make this a family affair and enjoy each other's company.
If I should bring my brothers, and you bring the others
We can make this a big gathering and have more fun together.
Then I can sing a song like Jeru, just for you
I want to perform a song that's special and meaningful just for you.
Just for all the lovely people that you see in the road
I want to share my music with everyone and spread joy along the way.
We'll sing them a song in Jeruvian mode
We'll sing a song that's unique and has a distinct style.
If I can have a pref'rence, I'll even make ref'rence
I would like to include certain elements in the song that I prefer.
To why you write a song like Jeru, just for you
I want to explain my inspiration for creating this song for you.
Then if you'd be kind enough to tell me why you
I want to hear your thoughts and ideas about music and how it inspires you.
write these extended bridges
Why do you use complex musical arrangements in your songs?
can it be romance that always
Are your songs often inspired by love and romance?
haunts me in my reverie?
Is love a recurring theme in my thoughts and dreams?
So why not come on over 'bout a quarter to eight
Let's not waste any time, come over and let's make some music.
If you can come early I'll never be late
If you can arrive early, we'll have more time to enjoy each other's company.
And now you're all invited, I hope you're delighted
Everyone is welcome and I want everyone to enjoy the music and the company.
To sing a little song like Jeru, just for you
Let's perform a song that's special and meaningful just for you.
just for me too
I want to enjoy the music and the performance as well.
Gather around, tale to be told
Let's come together to hear and tell stories through our music.
Maybe it's new, maybe it's old, listen my friend
The music we'll create can be both new and familiar, but it will always be worth listening to.
Blowin' away, doin' alright
We'll play our music passionately, and everything will be okay.
Plain' all day, workin' all night, listen again
We'll be dedicated to making music every moment we can, and it will always be worth hearing.
Movin' along, coverin' ground
We'll keep making progress and expanding our horizons through our music.
Singin' the song, lovin' the sound, listen and then
We'll sing our music with passion and enthusiasm, and hope that others will appreciate its beautiful sound.
blow together birds of a feather
Let's collaborate and work together to create beautiful music.
Out playin' the blues and "I Got Rhythm"
We'll experiment with different musical styles and make beautiful music with our instruments.
All at once a moment came without a warning
We'll be surprised and amazed by the beautiful moments of music that we create together.
Got so hot we had to cool it
Our music will be so intense and passionate that we'll need to take a break to cool down.
Go for glory, tell you the story
Let's make great music and tell the stories that inspire us.
Out payin' our dues until we found we were
We worked hard and paid our dues, and eventually realized that we've achieved something great through our music.
assisting at an unexpected borning
We were there for the unexpected moments of inspiration and creation during the birth of our music.
'twas the birth of the Cool
We're creating a distinct and unique type of music that represents our cool and relaxed style.
So now I can tell you why I'm always
I want to explain the reasons behind my love for music and why it's always on my mind.
Trying to tell you, listen, come with me,
I want to share my love for music with you and inspire you to join me in the journey.
New York, and we're together in my reverie
Let's imagine ourselves in New York City, making beautiful music and enjoying each other's company.
So why don't you come over 'bout a quarter to two
Let's make more music and enjoy each other's company, starting early in the afternoon.
Forget all the others, just me and just you
Let's focus on each other and our love for music, and forget about all other distractions.
And while we're versifying
As we're creating beautiful music and telling stories...
We'd better start trying
We should push ourselves to create even more beautiful music and tell even more meaningful stories.
To write another song just for me
Let's create another song that's special and meaningful, just for the two of us.
Just for you, one more Jeru
Let's perform another song that's inspired by Jeruvian style and is just as special as the first one.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GERRY MULLIGAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jamesmatlock3847
I can't believe 43 people on YouTube actually gave this a thumbs-down (?)
This is pure genius; spun on a 12 bar blues form.
Within such a simple musical form and with only three instruments
It evokes a musical beauty that transcends time and space.
Charlie Parker - sax
Curley Russell - bass
Max Roach - drums
Please correct me if I have the personnel wrong.
There was a musician's strike in NTC in 1945 and it was difficult to find any documentation; but Curley and Max played on similar recordings Bird made in 1945. So I'm hazarding a guess it was them.
@marioguillen1675
Im taking a music class for college and this music is so good im glad my teacher put me on to this
@bobbysands6923
60, 70 years later he is still who all of the jazz artists listen to, transcribe, and idolize.
@obnob7230
First heard Bird as a teenager and at first didn't understand what I was listening to. He took my musical head apart and slowly reassembled it. Still digging it 60 odd years later.
@Cyanide_Candy
Were you actually there? Did you see Bird live?
@frenchie3035
@@Cyanide_Candy dude might be dead now. But yeah, he probably heard him during when he was still alive, but not necessarily live.
@olebirgerpedersen
@@frenchie3035 I never heard him live, but he was still alive when I srarted playing jazz. I was born in 1939.
@dwaynesbadchemicals
Didn’t really listen to Bird until my late twenties. He just grew on me. Such brilliance.
@lho3201
It was the time when it was recorded, it's still the time, and it will forever be the time
@elvythevelvy5543
So true friend
@olebirgerpedersen
The first blues I ever played on my new saxophone . I used to listen to all the Parkerrecordings I could get hold on and thanks to Radio Luxemburg Jazzhour late night I was able to listen a lot of jazz, new and old.