Charlie Parker

Advantages The music, the directing, the performances.
Disadvantages Very depressing.

...I bought 'Bird', the Charlie Parker story from Amazon, for £5.99. Though the film was released initially in 1988 it has been quite hard to get on DVD (even though it was released in this format in 2006), for some reason, and as a big Charlie Parker fan I was thrilled to see lots of copies now available. It carries a British '15' rating. and is a mammoth 154 minutes long (yep, that is nearly three hours). Clint Eastwood directed this film, partly as a labour of love, as it was never going to be an all time best seller or break any box office records, though it did win best actor at Cannes film festival for Forest Whitaker who plays Charlie Parker. Deservedly so, as Forest Whitaker puts in a dark, moody and believable performance, even some of his sax' 'playing' looks convincing. On top of that the New York Film critics award... Read review

Advantages Charlie Parker of course.
Disadvantages None.

...Crazeology - Charlie Parker Jazz time again folks, well bebop to be precise (mostly). I make no secret of being a huge Charlie Parker fan. Not just because he was arguably the greatest alto saxophone player ever, but because he was a pioneer. At a time when black music was seen as something that was somehow less accomplished, and the musicians somewhat less worthy than their white counterparts (in fact it was thought that hardly any black musicians could read music, a common myth), Parker broke the mould. He wrote, he practically invented a new genre (be bop), well maybe I exaggerate, he was certainly one of the leading lights. He also played with chord structure and melodies and harmonies, tearing up the rule book and inventing his own style. His sound is incredibly distinctive, despite the fact that he played... Read review

Advantages A great jazz trumpeter - one of my favourites
Disadvantages Often not listened to as much as he should be because of the fame of Miles Davis

...Dizzy Gillespie (full name John "Dizzy" Gillespie) was a great jazz trumpeter, having worked with many great jazz musicians, notably with Charlie Parker, and he even once played piano on some Charlie Parker recordings when Miles Davis was playing trumpet. Watching Dizzy Gillespie play is fantastic, if also a little amusing. He has a speicially made trumpet, with the bell sticking up in the air to give him greater projection. Also, when he plays, he puffs his cheeks out a lot (as all trumpeters these days are told not to!), to allow him to do circular breathing, and it has the effect of pushing his glasses up when his cheeks puff out! While Dizzy Gillespie showed his true skill and ability to play fast, frenetic phrases in his recordings with Charlie Parker, he also recorded with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt and Stan... Read review