Ron Frankl - Charlie Parker: Musician and Composer

One of the greatest and most popular jazz trumpeters of all time, Dizzy Gillespie, is pictured outside Three Deuces in around 1948.

Source: Library of Congress, William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, LC-GLB23-0327 DLC.

Parker's popularity increased slowly through 1948, and by the following year his records were selling well for the first time in his career. He and his quintet also reached thousands of listeners through their exciting early morning performances broadcast weekly on the radio from the Royal Roost nightclub. The public, it seemed, was finally beginning to appreciate the musical genius of Charlie Parker.

Parker was enjoying his growing fame. In May 1949, he made a triumphant concert tour of Europe, where he was greeted by wildly enthusiastic audiences everywhere he performed. Six months later, he realized a long-standing dream by recording with a string orchestra. Among bebop musicians, only friend and former bandmate Dizzy Gillespie surpassed Bird in popularity as 1949 drew to a close.

On December 15, 1949, Birdland's opening night, Parker had stood at the pinnacle of his popularity. A large crowd jammed the club to hear an all-star roster of jazz performers. Included in the show were saxophonist Lester Young, Parker's idol when he was a teenager; another brilliant saxophonist, Stan Getz; and an exciting new singer named Harry Belafonte. Headlining the bill was Parker himself.

Yet only five years later, on a Saturday night in March, Parker was desperately trying to reestablish himself in a jazz scene he had helped create. Many of his former associates had become major concert, nightclub, and recording stars, playing music that was often only a weaker version of his own ideas. Musicians were growing rich from the style and vision of Charlie Parker, yet he was homeless and often had to stay with friends for days or weeks at a time. On several occasions, he even slept on park benches and subway trains.

By March 1955, Parker was a forgotten man to many in the music world. It was a tragic situation, made sadder still by the fact that he was largely to blame for his own troubles. Years of erratic behavior, worsened by heroin and alcohol abuse, had severely damaged his reputation in the music industry, and it had become difficult for him to find opportunities to perform.

Parker's heroin use had also gotten him in trouble with the New York City Police Department. As a result, in 1951 he had lost his cabaret card, a permit issued by the New York State Liquor Authority to all performers who wished to work in New York City nightclubs. Even though Parker was not convicted of drug possession or any other crime, the police recommended that his cabaret card be suspended. Without it, he could not work in any of the city's night spots.

By the time Parker was finally issued another cabaret card in 1953, his reputation and career had been ruined. He had landed the March 1955 gig at Birdland only by pleading with his booking agent, who had finally agreed to arrange the saxophonist's return to the stage. This show would mark Parker's first appearance at the nightclub since a troubled engagement the previous summer, during which he had fired the accompanying string orchestra in mid-performance! For that unprofessional outburst, he had been barred from performing at Birdland.

Parker's personal life was also very troubled. He and Chan Parker, his common-law wife, had split up at the end of 1954, and he seemed entirely lost without her. His years with Chan had provided him with the only period of domestic happiness and stability he had experienced since childhood; she had seemed to understand him better than any of the other women in his life. Without her, he seemed to lose the will to fight the troubles that now all but overwhelmed him.

As if all these problems were not bad enough, Parker's health was also beginning to fail. He was once the hardiest of men, but years of overindulgence in heroin, alcohol, and food had taken their toll. He had suffered from heart trouble for years, and even though he had finally managed to kick his heroin habit, the liquor he used as a substitute worsened his severe stomach ulcers.

Charlie Parker plays at Three Deuces in August 1947.

Source: Library of Congress, William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, LC-GLB23- 0689.