Jazz & Poetry: BIRD. The Charlie Parker Legend - Daniela Baumeister & Jan Prax Quartett

The Jazz & Poetry programme "BIRD" portrays Charlie "Bird" Parker - saxophonist, bebop pioneer, and one of the most defining figures in jazz history. The show draws on recollections from people who knew him: label managers, club owners, fellow musicians, neighbours, women in his life, and friends. From these voices emerges a reconstruction of his extraordinary life in the New York jazz scene of the 1940s and 50s - his music, his excesses, and his early death.

Daniela Baumeister (editor at hr2 Kultur) reads short, precise texts tracing Parker's development and personality. Between readings, the Jan Prax Quartett performs bebop pieces by Parker and his contemporaries in fresh arrangements: Jan Prax (alto saxophone), Manuel Seng (piano), Florian Werther (bass), and Axel Pape (drums).

The event is presented in cooperation with Jazz-Initiative Frankfurt.