"Bird Lives!" at the Jazz Room

Overview

UNC Charlotte partners with JazzArts Charlotte to continue a Charlie Parker 101 celebration, including his own bebop jazz compositions plus featured selections from the rarely played Charlie Parker with Strings albums. The JAZZ ROOM provides a casual and intimate setting with tables and a full bar, reminiscent of the classic jazz rooms of yesteryear.

Legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker, “Bird”, led the development of bebop with his musically blazing virtuosoity and revolutionary harmonic ideas. Parker's identifiable tone ranged from clean and penetrating to sweet and somber. While Charlie Parker is recognized as developing the fast-paced sound of bebop, he was a keen lover of classical music.  His Grammy award winning album “Charlie Parker with Strings” – a visionary album of ballads incorporating a classical string section and a jazz rhythm section - is dubbed one of the most beautiful jazz recordings of all time.  An icon for the hipster subculture, Parker personified the jazz musician as an uncompromising artist and intellectual rather than just an entertainer. His tragically short life was lived to its fullest and his contributions continue today. “Bird Lives!”

Dr Will Campbell, UNC Charlotte Director of Jazz Studies, will be leading this musical collaboration, including a full string section and jazz combo. Will Campbell has toured internationally as a member of the Harry Connick, Jr. Orchestra. Recording credits include Blue Light, Red Light, When My Heart Finds Christmas, and The New York Big Band Concert (DVD). This JAZZ ROOM performance is part of a full set of Charlie Parker 101 events led by UNC Charlotte celebrating Charlie Parker’s Centennial +1.