Charlie Parker. “Bird.” “Yardbird.” After saying his name they shout “amen” and holla “Hallelujah.” He’s revered like a saint (the jazz saint of improvisation). After him there is no other. If Frankie Crocker was the Eighth Wonder of the World, surely Bird is flying high at number nine, no ifs or buts. Damn, maybe even number one depending on the source. You know he inspired a trove of memorable compositions named in his honor, even a jazz club; musicians wanted to play like him. But that’s impossible, his playing style had a wizardly aspect—fast tempos with varied chords had more speed than Satchel Paige’s pitch, and those complex harmonies and rhythms captivated audiences similar to pilot Bessie Coleman’s daredevil maneuvers of figure eights and loops. And while listeners were holding on to their seats, Parker laid out intoxicating blues tones prompting grown men to weep in their tea cups. (listen to “Charlie Parker with Strings” (Vols. I & II, Mercury, 1950/Verve 1995 compilations). Yes, he did have a terrible habit that eventually led to his demise, but during his time on this planet, man what a whirl! That Bird was a revolutionary, a genius, it’s easy to see why his name is synonymous with bebop; it was his furious notes that gave the sound life, a unique movement for hipsters and beyond. A sound the squares and critics couldn’t grip, they just weren’t hip. Charlie Parker, sometimes Bird or Yardbird, damn, what a cat.
In his honor, the annual Charlie Parker Jazz Festival returns to New York City, now in its 31st year, for a three-day celebration of live jazz in the neighborhoods near where Parker improvised and lived, including Harlem’s historic Marcus Garvey Park (124th Street and 5th Avenue) and Tompkins Square Park in the East Village.
The festival kicks off on August 25, 7pm at Marcus Garvey Park (in association with Jazzmobile) with pianist and composer Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band featuring Grammy award winning vocalist Lisa Fischer, who for many years was a background singer for Luther Vandross, Tina Turner, and the Rolling Stones. (She is replacing Dianne Reeves in the lineup). Also on the roster will be T.K. Blue and “Latin Bird” in tribute to Charlie Parker. “Latin Bird” (Motema Records) was recorded in 2010 for the 90th birthday tribute to Bird. The same band will perform at the festival which will include: alto saxophonist and flautist T.K. Blue, Steve Turre on trombone and shells; Benito Gonzales on piano; bassist Essiet Essiet: drummer Willie Martinez: and percussionist Roland Guerrero. T.K.’s entire repertoire will be devoted to Parker’s compositions, with the saxophonist’s arrangements.
On August 26, the Parker celebration continues (3pm-7pm) at Garvey Park with a line-up featuring The Cookers septet, a concerted collaborative of established all-star band leaders and composers, consisting of saxophonist Billy Harper, bassist Cecil McBee, pianist George Cables, trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, drummer Billy Hart, and alto saxophonist Donald Harrison. Also on hand will be bassist Endea Owens and the Cookout; some may know her as the house bassist for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Many in Harlem will never forget the Detroit native and the Cookout for their great music and altruistic community cookouts giving out hundreds of free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pianist Nduduzo Makhathini was acknowledged as an intriguing talent in his native home of South Africa in jazz, art, and academia long before coming to the states. He brings his latest trio to perform selections from “The Spirit Of Ntu,” his 2022 album for Blue Note Africa. Rounding out the bill is Akua Allrich and The Tribe, led by the jazz and pan-African vocalist offering deep roots in the blues, and R&B.
The finale takes place downtown at Tompkins Square Park (7th Street and Avenue A) on August 27, at 3pm. Featured artists will include iconic alto saxophonist Charles McPherson, whose well-documented playing ability definitely deserves much more attention, having performed with Charles Mingus and recorded ensemble renditions of Charlie Parker works for the soundtrack to the 1988 Parker biopic “Bird.” He performs here with Terell Stafford, a veteran of his quintet and versatile trumpeter with adventurous expressions of lyricism. Vincent Herring’s Septet, Something Else!, takes its name from Cannonball Adderley’s 1958 classic “Blue Note” LP. Chelsea Baratz’s HERA collective—named after the Olympian queen of the gods—is a unique group of female artists and bandleaders assembled to showcase original works, like featured vocalist and Growing Up Jazz founder Andromeda Turre. The trumpeter Michael Mayo offers genre movements of jazz, pop and classical music that’s in the groove. There will also be DJ sets by Uptown Vinyl Supreme.
Berta Indeed, Harlem’s consummate jazz producer/promoter, recently celebrated her first anniversary of Berta “Indeed” Alloway Day as proclaimed last year on August 8, 2022 by Mayor Eric Adams. The celebration took place at Harlem’s Ralph Ellison Memorial Park on 150th Street and Riverside Drive, the site of her weekly Sunday jazz series (2pm-5pm), that was filled with jazz-loving friends.
The trio performing on that sunny Sunday afternoon included seasoned bandleaders: drummer Willie Martinez, keyboardist David Brand, and bassists Belden Bullock and Melissa Slocum.
It was a busy afternoon for the trio as they accompanied a string of noted singers that included one of Harlem’s favorites lady Catrese, who was mentored early on by the sassy Irene Reid. Her repertoire ranged from “Pennies from Heaven,” to Ruth Brown’s bluesy “Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean.” Theresa Phillips kept the audience moving with her version of King Pleasure’s “Moody’s Mood for Love,” Barbara Jean English’s reputation dates back to the 1950s and 1960s when she was a member of the popular New Jersey girl group the Clickettes. Her repertoire included standards and her version of Frankie Lymon’s the popular doowop song “Goody, Goody,” Kim Austin swung through “Night and Day,” and Annette St. John, grabbed the audience with Ray Charles’ “Let the Good Times Roll.” As a native of Harlem, St. John currently leads her own band but in her early stages, she was a back-up singer for Al B. Sure, saxophonist Lou Donaldson, and George Benson.
Berta’s Sunday jazz series continues to September 3. On the final day, the featured guest will be vocalist Ghanniyya Green and Friends.
On a more serious jazz note, one of the most significant events of the year will be happening on Saturday, August 26, the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The ATU is partnering with the AFL-CIO and the National Action Network, and the family of Martin Luther King Jr. for the commemoration/continuance and rally in Washington, D.C. The struggle for civil rights is still in full force with the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade; voting rights being attacked and disassembled; books being banned; and affirmative action, diversity programs, Black studies curriculums all being attacked and dismantled. All that our elders fought and died for and everything that Black people have fought ever since is now hanging by a string, a frayed thread. The March on Washington is a necessity, an obligation—it’s compulsory!! Visit the website nationalactionnetwork.net for more information.