1955 |
Charlie
Parker Chronology |
|
|
Created
by Leif Bo Petersen |
Last
Update: January 23, 1023. |
Date |
Event |
References/Further Details |
January
2 |
Concert Charlie Parker Open Door, New York, NY. 9 p.m. Bob Reisner (prod). |
Notice in Villager, December
30, 1954, ? |
January
9 |
Charlie Parker and His All Stars Open
Door, New York, NY. 5:30–7:30
p.m. and 9:30 p.m.–2 a.m. |
K. Vail (ed.), Charlie
Parker & Jazz Club Memorabilia (2007), 36: Handbill. |
January
24 |
Charlie Parker Acc.
by local musicians later replaced by Wade Legge (p), Earl May (b), and Will
Bradley Jr. (d). Comedy
Club, Baltimore, MD. January
24-30. |
Ad in Baltimore
Afro-American, January 22, 1955, 18: Parker opening January 24. “Now in Person,” Baltimore
Afro-American, January 25, 1955, 6: Parker playing nightly at Comedy
Club. Ad in Baltimore
Afro-American, January 29, 1955, 21: Charlie Parker. Don Gardner and His
Trio opening January 31: Ahmed Basheer in R. Reisner, Bird:
The Legend of Charlie Parker (1975), 41: Tells about this gig. |
February |
Charlie Parker Release of Clef 89129. 10” 78 rpm. record. Recorded December 30, 1952 Charlie Parker Quintet Clef 89129 A Kim Clef 89129 B Cosmic Rays |
“Sounds,” Daily Tar Heel, February 12, 1955, 2: Review
mentioning Kim. “Reviews,” Metronome, April 1955, 42: Cosmic Rays: A-
(excellent); Kim: B (good). |
February |
Metronome All Stars Alto Sax 1. Paul Desmond 2. Lee Konitz 3. Charlie Parker 4. Bud Shank 5. Art Pepper |
“Four New Faces in Latest Metronome All Stars,” Metronome, February
1955, 15–17. |
February
5 |
Charlie Parker acc.
by Candy Johnson Quartet Madison
Ballroom, Detroit, MI. February
5-6. |
Ad in Detroit Free Press, February 5, 1955, 10. |
February
11 |
Charlie Parker Ira
Sullivan (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Norman Simmons (p); Victor Sproles (b);
Bruz Freeman (d). Bee
Hive Lounge, Chicago, IL. February
11-14. Sunday
Matinee 4 pm. Joe
Segal (mc). |
Ad in Chicago Daily News, January 11, 1955, 20. J. Segal, “Bird in Chicago,” Down Beat, March 11, 1965, 19:
Memories and photo by Segal. K. Vail, Bird’s Diary
(1996), 169–71: has photos and memories
by Joe Segal and Norman Simmons. Parker was in bad health at this engagement and unable to complete
sets the first days. |
February
14 |
Johnny Smith Quartet Charlie Parker Charlie Parker (as); Barry Harris (p); Major
Holley (b); Elvin Jones (d). Rouge Lounge, Detroit, MI. February 14-20. Matinee Sunday jazz concert 4–6:30 pm. |
Ad in Detroit Free Press,
February 14, 1955, 18: Opening tonight. Ad in Detroit Free Press,
February 18, 1955, 14: Last three nights. Elvin
Jones in https://amhistory.si.edu/jazz/Jones-Elvin/Jones_Elvin_Transcript.pdf: Tells of a 2-week gig with Parker at Crystal Lounge [sic]:
Charlie Parker, Barry Harris, Elvin Jones, and “Mule” (b). Gives date as just
before Parker committed suicide. “Mule”
was the nickname of Major Holley (information from Jay Becker). |
February
21 |
Charlie Parker Blue
Note, Philadelphia, PA. February
21-27. |
“Bird on the Wing,” Down Beat, March 9, 1955, p. |
March
4 |
Charlie Parker Kenny
Dorham (tp); Charlie Parker (as); Bud Powell (p); Charles Mingus (b); Art
Blakey (d). Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson Quintet Birdland,
New York, NY. March
4-5. The
engagement stops on March 4, after disorderly scenes between the musicians at
the stage. |
“Goings on About Town,” New
Yorker, February 26, 1955, 6: Joe Loco Band, Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson
Quintet. Ad in New York Amsterdam
News, February 26, 1955, 28: Winding/Johnson; Joe Loco. “Goings on About Town,” New
Yorker, March 5, 1955, 6: Joe Loco Band, Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson
Quintet. All closing March 9. Opening March 10: Gillespie band, Stan Getz
Quintet, and Chris Connor. Jam Session on Mondays. C. Haddix, The Life and
Music of Charlie Parker (2013), 159–60 and note 62 178: Leonard Feather
states that it was a two-day gig, which stopped the first night. Chan Parker (Richardson), My
Life In E-Flat (1993), 51: Chan Parker tells about this gig and the row
on the stage, which she heard about from others. See also P. Pullman, Wail: The
Life of Bud Powell (e-book ed. 2012), chapter 11 for a detailed and
well-documented account of this gig: Pullman has Parker’s gig stopping the
second evening. |
March
5 |
Bop vs Dixieland Miles Davis (tp), Charlie Parker (as), Coleman
Hawkins (ts), and others. Bobby Hackett (tp) Miff Mole, (tb); Pee Wee
Russell (cl); Joe Sullivan (p); Pops Foster (b); Zutty Singleton (d); Jimmy
Rushing (voc). Stuyvesant Casino, New York, NY. March 5-6. |
“Bopsters at Casino,” Daily News, March 3, 1955, 67. |
March
9 |
Charlie Parker Charlie
Parker visits Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswater at
the Stanhope Hotel, New York, NY. He is ill and a doctor is called. He stays
there the following days. |
R. Reisner, Bird: The
Legend of Charlie Parker (1975), 131–35: Reisner gives a summary of the
press reactions and accounts from Baroness de Koenigswater and Dr. Freymann. |
March
10 |
Charlie Parker Lee Konitz Quartet Storyville, Boston, MA. Opening Thursday, March 10. |
Ad in Boston Daily Record,
March 9, 1955, 31. Not realized by Parker. |
March
12 |
Charlie Parker Stanhope Hotel, New York, NY. Charlie Parker dies in the apartment of Baroness Pannonica de
Koenigswater. |
Baroness de Koenigswater in R. Reisner, Bird: The Legend of Charlie Parker (1975), 133–34. L. Kopitnik, “Bird Documents,” JAM (Jazz Ambassador Magazine),
August/September 2015, 12–13: Here excerpts of the City of New York autopsy
report are shown and quoted. |
March
21 |
Charlie Parker Abyssinian Church, New York, NY. Funeral Service. |
“Two ‘Mrs. Parkers’,” New
York Age, March 26, 1955, 1: Photos of Doris Parker and Chan Richardson. |
March
21 |
Charlie Parker 9 p.m. Broadcast WQXE: World of Jazz: Memorial program for
Charlie Parker. |
“Today’s Radio Program,” Bridgeport
Post (CT), March 21, 1955. |
April
2 |
Memorial Concert for Charlie “Bird” Parker. Henry Red Allen, Pearl Bailey, Louis Bellson, Art Blakey, Kenny
Clarke, Sammy Davis Jr., Erroll Garner, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Gigi Gryce,
Roy Haynes, Milt Hinton, Billie Holiday, Lena Horne, Herb Jeffries, J. J. Johnson, Wynton Kelly, Lee Konitz,
Baby Lawrence, Clifford Brown, Mat Matthews, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus,
Oscar Peterson, Tommy Potter, Paul Quinichette, Timmie Rogers, Aron Sachs,
Hazel Scott, Charlie Shavers, Sahib Shihab,
Horace Silver, Lucky Thompson, Lennie Tristano, Barry Ulanov, Sarah
Vaughan, Mary Lou Williams, and Lester Young. Carnegie Hall, New York, NY. Midnight. Benefit Concert. Dizzy Gillespie, Hazel Scott, and Mary Lou
Williams (arr.) |
“Jazz World to Salute Parker on This Sat. Nite,” New York Age, April 2, 1955, 17. K. Vail (ed.), Charlie
Parker & Jazz Club Memorabilia (2007), 36: Concert Program. |
April
3 |
Charlie Parker Memorial Concert Birdland, New York, NY. Benefit Concert Oscar Goodstein (arr.) This is cancelled in favor of the Carnegie Hall concert. |
“Jazz World to Salute Parker on This Sat. Nite,” New York Age, April 2, 1955, 17. |