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Charlie Parker's Ornithology

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Charlie Parker's Ornithology
Charlie Parker was born in Kansas City, Kansas on August 29, 1920. He was born under the name Charles Christopher Parker. His father did not play a huge role in his life and left Charlie and his mother after Charlie was born. Charlie's mother, Adelaide "Addie" Bailey, was a strong independent woman who was half African American and half Choctaw Indian. She soon moved the family to Kansas City, Missouri. Charlie then began going to school. In 1931, Charlie went to Lincoln High School in Kansas City where he played in the school band. Around this time Charlie started experimenting with Kansas City's jazz scene. In 1933, Charlie asked his mother to buy him an alto saxophone and she bought him a used one for $45 dollars. Charlie had no proper …show more content…
During this performance, Bird was at his peak of heroin addiction and abuse. His life was chaotic and unorganized and it reflects in some of the songs. I liked every single song on the album and as I listened to it more I liked it more and more. The first song was titled "Ornithology", this song seemed sort of angry to me, very wild and be-boppy. He would just rip through the scales going a fast and as wild as he seemed he could. It felt like he was getting out all of his aggression. The trumpet wasn't as wild as the sax but still kept up and stood its ground. The piano was a quite low sound compared the Charlie screaming saxophone. I liked it, it seemed angry. The second song I heard was "Cheryl". This song is a lot more laid back and relaxing it still has a be-boppy feel to it but it wasn't so frantic. It was a sweet jamming song, it had a really mellow bass line and made you tap your foot. The next song was called "Ko-Ko" and the title fits it. At the very beginning it is kind of sexy then it just goes crazy. It breaks into crazy lines that are outrageously fast and the trumpet keeps right up with the sax, and at the very end it gets all sexy again for a minute. The number four song is one of my favorites, "Bird of Paradise". This one is different from every other song on the album it is a lot mellower and laid back. It still has fast lines but not half as fast as the other ones. It is a really sweet song it reminds me of a love song. The song is very sweet sounding and soft. It almost sounds sad and soulful. I really enjoy this song. The last song is my absolute favorite. I love this song. It's called "Now's The Time". It is song that makes you want to tap your foot and bop your head and dance. It is great. It has a really great bass line and ripping solos and everything you could want in a swinging tune. The melody is great and the trumpet and sax keep up with
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