Charlie "Bird" Parker stayed as a resident at the Camarillo State hospital for six months in 1946 / 1947. Parker had a big drug and alcohol problem and in June 1946 entered the lobby of Hollywood's Civic Hotel completely naked, playing his saxophone. He was sent back to his hotel room, where he lit a cigarette, fell asleep and subsequently then set his bed on fire. The judge sent him to the Mental Hospital. And upon his release, he recorded the famous song "Relaxin' at Camarillo".
Watching this guy play live was like what I imagine seeing Mozart live, or watching Picasso paint something, or Da Vinci make something. Absolute command and mastery of the instrument and just sublime to listen to and experience.
Or how to play a blues unaccompained over ten minutes, displaying all kind of technique, and yet sound fresh, unrepetitive, soulful and honest, not showing off. Bravo!!!
This is a lifetime of listening distilled but beyond that into something unique - probably does realize how he plays upside, downside, backwards, sideways and at and around the circular edges. It is a genius intuition rooted in but bursting beyond tradition. And with a sound that braces a backbone. Modest and half-aware, he does not realize what has just overtaken him, what to him is so fluently natural.
I just love when people hear a genius and relate to it like some kind of contest. He’s better, no he’s better. What a joke! Spend 40 or 50 yrs getting into music, deeply into music the essence of it not just your concept of it. You won’t look at music or comment on it in this superficial way any more. The experience of Stravinsky is much more than the analysis of Stravinsky. I’ve done both.
