Alto saxophonist Charles "Yardbird" Parker was born August 29, 1920 in Kansas City, Kansas. He started playing the saxophone at age 11. From 1935 to 1939 he played in competitive Kansas City bands, developing his own expressive style. In Harlem, he congregated after hours with jazz greats like Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Christian, Max Roach, and Kenny 'Klook' Clarke. A leading figure in the bebop scene, he enthralled listeners with his revolutionary harmonic ideas and fast, asymmetrical improvisations.
