Parker is no kind of husband and father and really doesn't want to be. He plays at it occasionally, but he brings Beckerie crabs, leaves love letters lying around, and even puts a pistol to her head. All Parker's really good for is music, and sometimes he isn't even good for that--missing gigs, pawning his sax for drugs, falling asleep on the bandstand.
There are those who recognize his talent, but believe God made a mistake giving it to Bird--a little like Salieri's attitude toward Mozart in Amadeus. But those folks are not God, and beneath all Parker's apparent deficiencies is a drive toward perfection, toward creating with his horn what he hears in his head. He seeks out mentors--probably Buster Smith is the most prominent--who are educated in music, who can take him through the theory he needs in order to understand the mysteries of the scales and chords and other harmonic complexities necessary to give his improvisations the power he yearns for.
Day and night, often going with little or no sleep, Parker works his horn and his mind. But ultimately what he accomplished came as much from intense study and practice as talent. And all that made it impossible for him to fit into in everyday world. But on the bandstand? Different story, And unlike Gary Giddins in his bio of Louis Armstrong Satchmo Crouch never lets his feeling for his material get bogged down in technical jargon, though he doesn't shy away from that either when necessary. Instead, he helps us feel the pulse. With the Jay McShann Orchestra shouting behind him, Parker--a great ballroom dancer himself, whose high-arched feet force him to move from his heels--choreographs his improvised melodies through the saxophone.
Feinting, running, pivoting, crooning, he is inspired by the dancers and inspires them in turn, instigating them to fresh steps.
And thus, in passage after passage, does this superb writer paint for all of us an intense portrait of the triumph and tragedy of the gift to the world that is Charlie Parker. Sep 03, John rated it it was ok Shelves: Here's a telling thing that showcases in miniature what's nutty about this book: You've got to wonder: Who on earth does he imagine would pick up a biography of jazz's greatest sax player and arguably it's greatest Here's a telling thing that showcases in miniature what's nutty about this book: Who on earth does he imagine would pick up a biography of jazz's greatest sax player and arguably it's greatest player period and not understand what a reed is?
Why include that info? And then you realize the answer is, "hey, why not? Crouch has spent years -- decades -- talking with the men and women who knew Parker and are still around, and those conversations form the backbone of his research. This heavy reliance on reminiscences which is bolstered to a great extent by jazz musicians' memoirs -- reminiscence in another form gives Crouch a conversational style that's so informal and so removed from any careful, scholarly, traditional biographic narrative voice that he could have started the whole book with "Once upon a time That same impulse -- plus, I suspect, a paucity of information about Parker's early life -- leads to an endless series of digressions, and digressions from the digressions, until you're scarcely surprised at anything that gets a couple of paragraphs, as long as it's tenuously related to jazz, Kansas City, or race.
Birth of a Nation? It's in there, though I can't remember why. The migration of prehistoric Asiatic peoples to North America? And since he's digressing anyway, there's no need to support or even explain some of his wilder assertions -- that European artists feared urban life, that the blues was an industrial art form at heart, that Parker could plausibly be called part Asian because he was part Native American and we know where they came from -- see above.
Digressions periodically give way to free association -- Parker hops a train for Chicago, which leads to a meditation on the place of the railroad in the American psyche, which leads to a paragraph on the Underground Railroad because why the hell not. It's a crazy quilt, perhaps designed to structurally emulate a jazz piece -- spinning further and further away from its ostensible theme before returning -- but more often sounding like a gigantic Grandpa Simpson anecdote.
Not that that's a bad thing -- Grandpa Simpson has no bigger fan than I -- but it makes for a really strange read. Did I enjoy reading it? I suppose I did; I like being told a good story and have the patience to listen to someone digress to the point of rambling those who live in glass houses Did I learn things about Charlie Parker?
I'd imagine so, with the caveat that Crouch takes old memories at face value and spends a lot of time imagining and asserting rather than demonstrating or verifying especially the inner thoughts and emotions of Parker and those around him. So maybe more like 2. But in the end it's less a book for jazz buffs or students of Parker than for fans of Stanley Crouch.
I suspect that's a more rarefied audience. Jan 06, Sally Ooms rated it really liked it. I am assuming that there have not been sweeping changes to the final version. As a Kansas City native, I found this book totally engrossing and informative. Besides seeing my parents roll their eyes at the mention of the Pendergast "machine" before I was born, I did not really know much about the era that partly nurtured, partly s I recently read an advanced review copy of Kansas City Lightning that I picked up at the Northern California Independent Booksellers Association trade show this fall.
Besides seeing my parents roll their eyes at the mention of the Pendergast "machine" before I was born, I did not really know much about the era that partly nurtured, partly suppressed the jazz artists in the , 30s and 40s. But this book is not limited to views of Charlie Parker's life or just the Kansas City scene. It gives amazing insights into the general lifestyles and mores of the country.
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The book also details the lives of a multitude of jazz musicians and demonstrates the author's intimate understanding of the art form. It took stamina, grit and—of course— talent, to get hired on with bands and make a name for yourself. The personalities are engaging. The bygone era depiction is well done. Thanks to Stanley Crouch for such great research and writing.
Nov 05, C. Michael rated it really liked it. Crouch, New York Daily News columnist, jazz expert and cultural critic, is best known for his collections Considering Genius: Essays and Reviews, Oxford University Press, , proves to be no kind of standard biography. Rather, Crouch casts a well-worn story, many times told, within the frame of an exhaustively-researched social history of Black America surrounding World War II.
Add to the the cult of personality that surrounds Crouch's writing, making this biography as much a vehicle for that writing as for telling the story of America's great 20th Century composer. Not that this is bad in any way. Crouch is as much a biographer of Parker as Nick Tosches, another enigmatic culture writer, is of Jerry Lee Lewis in Hellfire Grove Press, , and that biography is a most festive read. Both men speak with their own singular voice and add their own mirepoix of expertise, knowledge and raconteur spirit to the stories they tell.
Likewise, Crouch's biography has more in common with Russell's based on the narrative, story-telling quality of each. Both men spend much time setting a stage, a mood, and a perspective in which to place Parker when telling his story. While, Crouch's story, as would be expected, is more sympathetic and empathetic than Russell's, neither biography replaces the other, each offering their own important perspectives.
This is amply illustrated in the opens of both books, where Russell and Crouch each sharpen their respective lenses on a Charlie Parker in full flight. Parker is debuting as part of the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, who were in residence at the club from December 10, through February 4, The scene opens with a self-indulgent Parker eating two complete Mexican dinners and drinking the better part of a fifth of gin as he cheerfully carries on with Dean Benedetti, the wait staff before Berg himself, finally encourages Parker to do his job and go out and play. Colorfully presented, to be sure, Russell, nevertheless, writes as a modern jazz church father from the perspective of one who had professional dealings with Parker, dealings that did not end well for either party.
It was on this West Coast junket that Parker decided to stay after the rest of the quintet returned to New York City, cashing in his ticket home for heroin. Parker dissipated and become strung out on bad dope during this period, resulting in his six-month stay in California's Camarillo State Mental Hospital. This story is told dispassionately by Russell with an emphasis on Parker's progressive and profligate slide into dissolution.
A competition between the bands was highlight with Millinder's group portrayed as suave big-city musicians while McShann's band is depicted as hillbilly "western dogs" from the middle of nowhere. McShann brought in his raggedy band, blowing Millinder off the stage. The narrative surrounding this event is scintillating and spark filled.
Crouch has always been able to turn a phrase in his own sweet way and he fills his bandstand descriptions with such. Further, what Crouch provides is a dense and terrible level of dignity to Parker's story. There are no lurid or prurient descriptions here, only neutral, accurate characterizations told within a historical framework. However, Crouch spares no one when describing the rampant racism of the period, but he does so in as balanced and even- handed way as this history deserves. He pulls no punches when framing this story with Jim Crow America. This, coupled with Crouch's exceptional humanizing of Parker make the biography that much more compelling and real.
This first half of Crouch's portrait of Parker leaves off with the artist in just after abandoning his first wife, Rebecca Ruffins, and just before the vignette that opens the biography. Parker has yet to fully develop and make his seminal recordings that would change the face of jazz. Let's hope that Crouch gets the rest of the story written before another 30 years pass.
Jan 03, Britt rated it it was amazing. He was extreme and it is hard to tell if he was undone by music or by drugs. The books paints a large and beautiful portrait of a time before mine.
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Nov 12, Duffy Pratt rated it liked it Shelves: The subtitle of this book is accurate, so I guess it is shame on me to expect a full blown biography of Parker. It's not even really a biography of Parker's rise, although that story is strongly in the mix. Instead, its composed of a scattershot history of jazz and the Kansas City scene, drawing on just about anything that Crouch thinks might be relevant. A lot of this stuff is fascinating on its own, especially things like the glimpse of Lester Young and Count Basie, and even more so The subtitle of this book is accurate, so I guess it is shame on me to expect a full blown biography of Parker.
A lot of this stuff is fascinating on its own, especially things like the glimpse of Lester Young and Count Basie, and even more so with the more extended treatment of lesser known sax player Buster Smith. Another large part of it is Crouch's imaginings of how things "must have been" or "must have felt like" to Parker.
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This may even be intelligent extrapolation from things Crouch actually knows. But a good portion of the time it sounds like Crouch is simply making stuff up. That makes me think that there is a very large part of Parker's early days that is basically completely unknown. For example, it appears we don't know how or why he first started using hard drugs, what drugs they were, or who supplied them. Crouch makes some guesses and is upfront about it. In other areas, however, Crouch will delve directly into how Parker "must have felt" about something, and it sounds like bullshit to me.
A decent portion of the book is describing music, and for the most part, Crouch does very well. Then, when he gets into something technical, I have to wonder whether he has no idea what he is talking about, or whether he has deliberately dumbed things down for his readers. So this is a mixed bag, but for the most part I enjoy anyone intelligent and passionate who is talking about music I love. And then there is more than a heaping helping of race talk. This seems to bear more on the scene itself than it does on Parker.
And I understand why its here. But it seems strange to me that he dwells so long on Birth of a Nation and Gone With The Wind, when neither have much, if anything, to do with Parker. He also gives lip service to players paying attention to anyone who could play, regardless of race, and yet I'm left with the impression overall that he deeply feels that Jazz is a black man's field, and whites have no business having anything to do with it. The rumor is that this is only the first part of a longer biography.
If so, I will likely read the next part, but do so with different expectations. Nov 11, Donna Lewis rated it it was amazing. I usually have difficulty reading a long non-fiction book just because of the density and huge amount of information. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I am a long time jazz lover, and I appreciated reading about which artists emulated others. Although the book is about Charlie Parker, it is also a book about the birth and development of jazz. And, it's about the development and growth of this country, the movement of immigrants and African Americans north from New Orleans to Chicago, t I usually have difficulty reading a long non-fiction book just because of the density and huge amount of information.
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And, it's about the development and growth of this country, the movement of immigrants and African Americans north from New Orleans to Chicago, the pervasive political corruption in Kansas City, Chicago and New York City. It's about the effects of the Depression on family life, as men abandoned their families to travel on freight trains. It touches on the beginnings of heroin addiction, particularly as it affected musicians. And, I loved the language! Stanley Crouch spent 30 years researching the facts of the book. But he also uses the language of the times, the musicians, and the African Americans in the 20s and 30s.
What a rich, relevant, captivating story. And the bonus is that I could follow the movement of jazz through this time period. As Miles Davis once said, "You can tell the history of jazz in four words: Dec 21, David rated it really liked it. With a flair for digression that only Melville could love, Crouch deftly paints pictures of the early factors in the life of Charlie Parker. It is not a dry litany of historical facts, dates, and figures as some might expect. It is more of a fanciful attempt to reveal the environment and climate that contributed to Bird's life and development.
Being a lover of Charlie Parker, it is an enjoyable read t With a flair for digression that only Melville could love, Crouch deftly paints pictures of the early factors in the life of Charlie Parker. Being a lover of Charlie Parker, it is an enjoyable read that I had a hard time putting down. Despite Crouch's solid writing, I did find myself wishing there were more stories about Bird and his playing instead of so much background and back story about everyone and everything but Bird.
Nevertheless, it's a good read and full of plenty of information for further research into jazz and into what influenced the great Yardbird. Worth checking out for any fan of Bird. Sep 29, Tim rated it really liked it. I say I hope there's a 2nd part as this one only goes up to about , so obviously there's a bit more of the story to tell. Oct 08, Halli Casser-Jayne rated it really liked it. Reads like the syncopated rhythm of a Charlie Parker riff. Mar 23, Erin Cataldi rated it really liked it Shelves: A fascinating look at Charlie Parker's beginning.
I assumed wrongly that this would be a full biography of Parker's life, but it stops before he truly hits the big time. It traces his rice in Kansas City, his hoboing to Chicago and then to New York to see the world and prove his worth, and ends with his eventual return to Kansas City. Included are many pictures, interviews with his first wife and a wonderful array of Jazz history and culture so that the reader can gain a better understanding o A fascinating look at Charlie Parker's beginning.
Included are many pictures, interviews with his first wife and a wonderful array of Jazz history and culture so that the reader can gain a better understanding of how Parker created a unique sound all his own while studying the Jazz masters of the day. A wonderfully informative book that makes me wonder if it's the first in a series.
I want to know about his rise to fame, not just the beginnings! May 25, Tom Brannigan rated it it was amazing. Stanley Crouch is one of my favorite writers on all things Jazz. He has an "edge" to anything he gets involves with whether it be writing or doing a spin on the drums in a Jazz band. The only problem is that Stanley needs to write book two!! He leaves the reader at about Right away I decided to review it, because I love Charlie Parker and his music.
But the review morphed into something else. Reading Kansas City Lightning became one of those pleasant experiences where one thing links to another — a six degrees of separation sort of thing; it lead me into other stuff. I expected a rather straightforward biography. Kansas City Lightning is not straightforward. Crouch performed a great deal of primary research over many years, including interviews with Parker's first wife. It ends just as he begins to establish himself in New York, where he became the Bird we know and love.
I saw no indication that Crouch intends a second volume. He may, and I hope he does. Crouch is a jazz authority and an incisive social commentator, and a follow-up would be invaluable. But with several other Charlie Parker biographies already extant, Crouch may think his later life is a well-worn trail. His Music and Life, by Carl Woideck. It is plain that Stanley Crouch has not only researched Charlie Parker extensively; he also shared his research with Giddins and Woideck, both of whom acknowledge this generosity.
I didn't mind, though. They provide context, and got me interested in, for example, checking out Jack Johnson, the boxer. One of these digressions got me looking further into the legendary Buddy Bolden. This meant another trip to the library. Bolden was a New Orleans cornetist active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is considered among the first, if not the first, to play the style of improvisational music that evolved into jazz.
Of course, Bolden did not play in a vacuum, so such claims are dubious. But Bolden ceased playing around Marquis describes a near-mythic recording by Bolden and his band, said to have been made on one of those old-fashioned cylinders. In , one of Bolden's old sidemen told journalist Charles E.
The cylinder was supposedly made by one Oscar Zahn. And what about Charlie Parker? Be sure to read Kansas City Lightning. I've been on a kick of jazz musician biographies, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington most recently. This is the best and the most readable of the three. It's not bogged down in music theory and minutiae. It's very readable and there's quite a bit about the LIFE of Parker not just facts and descriptions of music chord changes. Charlie Parker was an amazing musician and pure genius.
He also had demons. When the coroner performed his autopsy he didn't know who Parker was , he guesstimated him to I've been on a kick of jazz musician biographies, Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington most recently. When the coroner performed his autopsy he didn't know who Parker was , he guesstimated him to be in his 50's.
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Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker by Stanley Crouch
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