Charlie Parker: His Music & Life

"Whatever background you bring to it, the book willl likely enrich your understanding of Parker's music. . . ." --Cadence

As one of the architects of modern jazz (often called "bebop"), Charlie Parker (1920-55) had a profound effect on American music that continues to this day.

This book opens with a chapter of biography and then progresses to four chapters focusing on Charlie Parker's music by tracing his artistic evolution and major achievements as a jazz improviser. Much like a guided tour through an artist's retrospective, the book introduces readers to a sampling of Charlie Parker's most illustrative works. The musical discussions and transcribed musical examples are keyed to compact disc timings for easy location--a feature unique to this book.

"The musical analysis is brilliant, particularly the pre-1945 fragments." --DownBeat

". . . debunks the stereotype that jazz musicians are unschooled and unsophisticated when it comes to music as art rather than entertainment. . . . [An] insightful and informative addition to the literature of jazz." --Calvin Wilson, Kansas City Star

Carl Woideck is Instructor of Jazz History, University of Oregon.