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Born in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, Parker grew up listening to jazz bands like Count Basie's and Bennie Moten 's. Although he sometimes played tenor saxophone, he primarily played the alto saxophone. He first recorded with Jay McShannJames Columbus (Jay or Hootie) McShann (born in 1909 or January 12, 1916) is an American blues and Swing pianist, bandleader, and singer. He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma. He began working as a professional musician in 1931, performing around Tulsa, Okla's Kansas City orchestra.

Parker moved to New York CitySkyline, with Statue of Liberty New York, New York" redirects here. For alternate meanings, see New York, New York (disambiguation). New York — officially named City of New York and often called New York City to distinguish it from the state of New York,, where he emerged as the leading figure in the generation of artists that created bebopBebop or bop is a form of jazz which uses a fast tempo and complex improvisational techniques. It was developed in the early and mid- 1940s. Hard bop later developed from bebop combined with blues and gospel music. History Many big band musicians in New Y. Building on the innovations of the preceding generation of players — especially Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young — Parker developed a revolutionary musical vocabulary and style. He worked with and inspired the most prominant and influential jazz musicians of the era, producing a series of classic recordings with artists including Dizzy GillespieCarl Van Vechten, 1955 Dizzy Gillespie ( October 21, 1917 January 6, 1993) was born John Birks Gillespie in Cheraw, South Carolina. He was an African-American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and composer. Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, was a major fi, Bud PowellBud Powell ( September 27, 1924 July 31, 1966) is widely regarded as one of the finest and most influential pianists in the history of jazz. He was instrumental in the development of bebop. His virtuosity as a pianist has led many to call him the Charlie, Thelonious MonkThelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10 1917 February 17, 1982) was a jazz pianist known for his unique improvisational style and many contributions to the standard jazz repertoire. While Monk is often regarded as a founder of bebop, his playing style evolved, Charlie ChristianCharlie Christian ( July 29, 1916 March 2, 1942) was a famous jazz guitarist and is often considered the first electric guitar innovator. Chistian was born in Dallas, Texas and was raised in Oklahoma. In the late 1930s he came to the attention of record p, Kenny ClarkeKenny Clarke ( 1914 1985) was a jazz drummer and an early innovator of the bebop style of drumming. As the house drummer at Minton's in the early 1940's, he participated in the birth of modern jazz. He is credited with creating the modern role of the ride, and Miles Davis.

Parker's soaring, fast, rhythmically asymmetrical improvisations could amaze the listener; nevertheless close inspection shows each line to hold a complete, well-constructed phrase with each note in place. Parker's harmonic ideas were revolutionary, introducing a new tonal vocabulary employing 9ths, 11ths and 13ths of chords, rapidly implied passing chords, and new variants of altered chords and chord substitutions. His tone was clean and penetrating, but sweet and plaintive on ballads. Although many Parker recordings demonstrate dazzling virtuoso technique and complex melodic lines — the early "Ko-Ko" is a superb example — he was also one of the great blues players. His themeless blues improvisation "Parker's Mood" represents one of the most deeply affecting recordings in jazz, as iconic as Armstrong's classic "West End Blues."

Parker became an icon for the Beat generation, and was a pivotal figure in the evolving conception of the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just a popular entertainer. At various times, Parker fused jazz with other musical styles, from Igor Stravinsky to Machito , blazing another path followed later by others.

Parker suffered tragically from drug abuse — as a teenager he developed a morphine addiction while in the hospital after an automobile accident, and subsequently became addicted to heroin. His heroin addiction ultimately killed him at the age of 34 after a lifetime of abuse (though the "official" cause of death was a bleeding ulcer and pneumonia). The coroner mistakenly estimated Parker's age to be between 50 and 60.