August Composer Birthdays

This August we celebrate the birthdays of two of the great jazz legends, saxophonist, Charlie Parker (August 29, 1920 - March 12, 1955) and pianist, Bill Evans (August 16, 1929, September 15, 1980). Both instrumentalists were virtuosos and pioneers of their respective styles, forever changing the jazz soundscape.

Charlie Parker, commonly known as "Bird", was best known for his virtuosity at the bebop style of jazz. This style was known for it's blazing fast melodic lines and for it's demanding ability to improvise. Parker began his first lessons through his high school and his father. The bulk of his learning, though, was self-taught. It was reported that towards the end of the 1930s, Parker was practicing up to 15 hours a day! During these years, he was injured in an automobile accident, which led to his addiction to morphine. This addiction led him to seek out other drugs, such as heroin, which ultimately led to his demise at the young age of 34.

According to a 1950s interview, Parker stated that he developed the bebop style of improvising while performing the song "Cherokee". He discovered that the chromatic scale could lead to virtually any key with the right harmonic movement. After moving to New York City, Parker's career took off and skyrocketed him to fame. Some famous pieces by Charlie Parker are "Ornithology", "Bird Gets The Worm", and "Billie's Bounce".

Bill Evans was a contemporary of Charlie Parker's. What Parker did for bebop improvisation, Evans did for chordal harmonization. Evans took a more traditional approach to learning music, starting with private lessons and later attending Southeastern Louisiana University studying classical music. His jazz skills were virtually self-taught. After a short stint in the Army, Evans studied at Mannes College, in New York City. Here he met Miles Davis and a slew of other jazz musicians.

Evan's created a style of harmonic playing known as quartile harmony. These harmonies are created with notes stacked at an interval of a fourth. The impressionist style of classical music played an important role in these voicings. Some famous pieces by Bill Evans are "Waltz For Debbie", "Peri's Scope", and "We Will Meet Again". As with Charlie Parker, Bill Evans led a drug riddled life, tragically dying at the age of 51.