Charlie Parker

American alto saxophonist, composer and bebop pioneer (b. August 29, 1920, Kansas City - d. March 12, 1955, New York City, aged 34). Widely considered to be one of the most influential of jazz saxophonists, jazz musicians, and indeed musicians in general. Also known as 'Bird' (a shortening of 'Yardbird', Parker acquired the nickname early in his career with many contradictory stories regarding the name's origin). Parker was an extremely fast virtuoso and introduced revolutionary harmonic ideas into jazz, including rapid passing chords, new variants of altered chords, and chord substitutions. Parker died on March 12, 1955 in the age of only 34 in the suite of his friend and patron Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter at the Stanhope Hotel in New York City. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but Parker also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated Parker's 34-year-old body to be between 50 and 60 years of age.

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