For my first post, I offer an audio interview with Charlie Parker from 1954 that has NEVER been heard before. At almost 14 minutes, it’s one of the longest recorded interviews with Bird. (This is Not to be circulated among non-subscribers nor posted on Youtube, etc.) In the future, audio, video, etc. will be for paid subscribers only, but I want to share this with ALL subscribers!
I could sob with joy and other emotions after my first hearing of this interview. Bird was a genius. The interviewer was trying to provoke Bird into trash talking? Possible? Bird was uniformly generous and kind with his remarks. He praised a lot of guys as musicians and humans. Davey Schildkraut. Another moment to sob. Ranks along side with the Paul Desmond interview. The audio quality sucks but is beside the point. Beautiful thank you Lewis!
Please allow me to gallop in on my hobby horse and rant. We are often told that Bird suffered from mental illness at the end of his life, usually "latent schizophrenia," the Bellevue diagnosis. Unlike the Paul Desmond interview, this one was recorded AFTER his daughter Pree's death, which, by Bird's own account, brought on a profound depression. But listen to him here! He couldn't be more lucid or rational, not to mention sober, and he endures this problematic interview with extraordinary forbearance and grace. I submit that only a very sane and perceptive man could have tiptoed through this minefield so skillfully. It flies in the face of everything we've been told about Bird's final months. Thank you, Lewis, very much indeed!
This is such a wonderful interview - the way Bird spoke of other musicians is wonderful and reflects such respect for the music, musicians and the art and craft. It reminds me of an interview with Paul Bley (from decades later) that I read or heard at some point. Some interviewer was similarly pressing Bley to categorize some musicians as great and others as just good, as just copyists. The interviewer tried to suggest, for example, that Bird was great and Stitt a copyist, and presented several pairings musicians, free jazz and not, and wanted Bley to chose. Bley initially started with his not uncommon spacey, offbeat remarks to dodge the questions, and after he kept being pressed, finally stopped the spacey replies and said (this is a close paraphrase): "Do you know how hard it is to play this music?? Everyone you mentioned, they are all great!" Bird was even more calm, controlled and and as another commenter mentions, also praised them as people. A beautiful interview. Thank you for this and for the wonderful jazz scholarship!
I'm a little late getting to this party, but I've made a transcription of this interview which I will get to Mr. Porter soon. It's a great interview, and consider this hilarious (and very well-intentioned, and even thoughtful) wind-up from Mr. Bachelder, and Bird's simple, but heavy, answer:
BB: Uh, do you feel that Jazz is like a civilization, it starts to grow and grow, like this country of ours, it started with a revolution, and certain patriots expose themselves to the hangman’s noose by their speeches against the powers to be, and so forth and so on, and next thing you know you have an independent country – do you feel that’s what’s happening with Jazz, that every once in a while a guy appears on the scene that has something new to offer, and naturally some of the old schoolboys say “oh, he’ll never make it” and “those guys are crazy” and so forth, and then there’s a leveling off point, where it all is absorbed in one great feeling of expression?
10:11 CP: Well, there, Bob, I’d have to say again it’s a matter of opinion, but if you want mine, I sincerely hope the musicians [will] be much more successful with music than the populace of the earth has been with the idea of civilization.
I could sob with joy and other emotions after my first hearing of this interview. Bird was a genius. The interviewer was trying to provoke Bird into trash talking? Possible? Bird was uniformly generous and kind with his remarks. He praised a lot of guys as musicians and humans. Davey Schildkraut. Another moment to sob. Ranks along side with the Paul Desmond interview. The audio quality sucks but is beside the point. Beautiful thank you Lewis!
Fascinating! Thanks Lewis!
Wonderful! Can’t wait for more.
Wonderful! Can’t wait for more. Are there more of Bob’s interviews?
It's great to see you on Substack—and this is an impressive debut. Congrats and thanks for sharing this.
Thanks for posting this! I’m feeling sad that Phil Schaap isn’t here to enjoy it, and that we will never hear him ruminate on it for hours.
Thank you, Lewis. This is a very interesting interview, and shows what a big heart Parker had.
Thanks Lewis -- this is a fascinating document!
Hello dear Professor Porter! Fantastic 14 minutes. Thank you!
Please allow me to gallop in on my hobby horse and rant. We are often told that Bird suffered from mental illness at the end of his life, usually "latent schizophrenia," the Bellevue diagnosis. Unlike the Paul Desmond interview, this one was recorded AFTER his daughter Pree's death, which, by Bird's own account, brought on a profound depression. But listen to him here! He couldn't be more lucid or rational, not to mention sober, and he endures this problematic interview with extraordinary forbearance and grace. I submit that only a very sane and perceptive man could have tiptoed through this minefield so skillfully. It flies in the face of everything we've been told about Bird's final months. Thank you, Lewis, very much indeed!
I'm an enthusiastic japanese Bird fan and study him.
If it's possible, Mr. Lewis Porter, could you post this trascript on you site or give me it, please?
Thank you, Mr. Porter.
Hi, anyone, could you make a transcript of this interview, please?
Thank you for sharing this, Lewis! It's always a treat to hear Bird speak. Looking forward to reading your material here on Substack
This is such a wonderful interview - the way Bird spoke of other musicians is wonderful and reflects such respect for the music, musicians and the art and craft. It reminds me of an interview with Paul Bley (from decades later) that I read or heard at some point. Some interviewer was similarly pressing Bley to categorize some musicians as great and others as just good, as just copyists. The interviewer tried to suggest, for example, that Bird was great and Stitt a copyist, and presented several pairings musicians, free jazz and not, and wanted Bley to chose. Bley initially started with his not uncommon spacey, offbeat remarks to dodge the questions, and after he kept being pressed, finally stopped the spacey replies and said (this is a close paraphrase): "Do you know how hard it is to play this music?? Everyone you mentioned, they are all great!" Bird was even more calm, controlled and and as another commenter mentions, also praised them as people. A beautiful interview. Thank you for this and for the wonderful jazz scholarship!
I'm a little late getting to this party, but I've made a transcription of this interview which I will get to Mr. Porter soon. It's a great interview, and consider this hilarious (and very well-intentioned, and even thoughtful) wind-up from Mr. Bachelder, and Bird's simple, but heavy, answer:
BB: Uh, do you feel that Jazz is like a civilization, it starts to grow and grow, like this country of ours, it started with a revolution, and certain patriots expose themselves to the hangman’s noose by their speeches against the powers to be, and so forth and so on, and next thing you know you have an independent country – do you feel that’s what’s happening with Jazz, that every once in a while a guy appears on the scene that has something new to offer, and naturally some of the old schoolboys say “oh, he’ll never make it” and “those guys are crazy” and so forth, and then there’s a leveling off point, where it all is absorbed in one great feeling of expression?
10:11 CP: Well, there, Bob, I’d have to say again it’s a matter of opinion, but if you want mine, I sincerely hope the musicians [will] be much more successful with music than the populace of the earth has been with the idea of civilization.
BB: Mm-hmm, wonderful.
Thanks to Elaine and Craig, and also to you. This is a remarkable find.