Charlie Parker: still a huge influence on contemporary jazz

Born 100 years ago today Charlie Parker in his 34 years on the planet in terms of jazz today is still probably the most influential jazz musician to mean something to today's generation of players. It says much for the style, bebop, that he did so …

Published: 29 Aug 2020. Updated: 3 years.

Born 100 years ago today Charlie Parker in his 34 years on the planet in terms of jazz today is still probably the most influential jazz musician to mean something to today's generation of players. It says much for the style, bebop, that he did so much to introduce to the world; but it also says a huge amount about the extraordinary musicianship and virtuosity of the man himself.

Here's a partial list of just some of today's leading players strongly influenced at one time or another in their careers by Bird: Steve Coleman, Anthony Braxton, Steve Lehman, Nathaniel Facey, Soweto Kinch, Zhenya Stigalev, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Sherman Irby, Tia Fuller. Pick up the alto saxophone today and it's practically impossible to avoid the inspiration of Charlie Parker. As Miles Davis said “you can tell the history of jazz in four words: Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker”. Still a case somehow of now's the time!

Photo: Library of Congress/Gottlieb collection.

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First track from milestone Michael Wollny record Mondenkind streams

There is a beautiful new solo piano version of 'Velvet Gloves and Spit' by Canadian band Timber Timbre on Michael Wollny's new solo piano album Mondenkind ['Moonchild'], his first in the solo idiom, to be released in late-September. Wollny adds deft …

Published: 28 Aug 2020. Updated: 3 years.

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There is a beautiful new solo piano version of 'Velvet Gloves and Spit' by Canadian band Timber Timbre on Michael Wollny's new solo piano album Mondenkind ['Moonchild'], his first in the solo idiom, to be released in late-September. Wollny adds deft sometimes baroque touches as he strips the melody back to its bare bones.

Inspired by the moon landing of 1969 the album was recorded during lockdown. Says Wollny: "The situation was surreal. I spent two days in the large live room in Berlin's Teldex Studio. It was the first time in a very long time that I had been alone and without fellow musicians in a studio. On the way to the recordings I would be alone in a car, travelling through the empty city, and in the evening I would walk back to my empty hotel. Not only were there no other guests, there were no hotel staff either. I was absolutely alone with myself and with the music, and the ideas that surfaced in this situation went far beyond the original concept of the album.''

Half the pieces on the ACT release are by Wollny, the remainder by Tori Amos, the Toronto band Timber Timbre, Alban Berg and Rudolf Hindemith, Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner and Nico Muhly.