December 7, 2020

Dec. 10, All-Star Livestream “Bird Calls” Tribute to Charlie Parker, Fundraiser for COVID-19 Relief

JFA Presents: BIRD CALLS a Tribute to Charlie Parker

Thursday December 10, 2020 | Livestream starting at 8:00PM EST

Proceeds Support the JFA’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund

In just FOUR DAYS, the Jazz Foundation of America will present “BIRD CALLS,” a livestream concert/fundraiser, celebrating the centennial of saxophonist, composer, and legendary musical innovator Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.

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December 10, 2020 —  The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present our music community with some of the greatest challenges it has ever faced. Persistent economic uncertainty, dwindling work opportunities, and limited options for relief have devastated the lives of many working musicians. In response—following strict safety protocols—we were honored to convene a spectacular lineup of musicians to celebrate Charlie Parker’s centennial and bring attention to the needs of our jazz and blues community.

 

Featuring Performances by:

Alex Al * Kenny Barron * Gary Bartz * George Cables * Kim Clarke * Chris Colangelo * The Dirty Dozen Brass Band * James Genus * Keyon Harrold * Antonio Hart * Billy Hart * Craig Haynes * Vincent Herring * Sheila Jordan * Steve Jordan * Dave Kikoski * Kiyoshi Kitagawa * Russell Malone * Roy McCurdy * Gary Novak * Bill O’Connell * Jimmy Owens * Patrice Rushen * Tom Ranier * Tom Scott * Jaleel Shaw * Erena Terakubo * Nasheet Waits * Buster Williams * David Wong * Nioka Workman’s Firey String Sistas

 

Musical Director: Steve Jordan

 

The show will also feature special appearances by JFA Board Member Danny Glover, Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Jeffrey Wright and GRAMMY-winning historian Phil Schaap, reminiscences by jazz legends Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter, Roy Haynes, Sheila Jordan and Barry Harris, and archival material focusing on Charlie Parker’s contributions to American music.

 

“BIRD CALLS” pays tribute to a peerless artist and musical genius by capturing stunning performances and heartfelt reflections at an extraordinary moment in our shared history. Most important, “BIRD CALLS” will raise funds for COVID-19 assistance, as the JFA continues to provide support for basic needs including rent, groceries, and utility bills to artists and families across the country struggling under these harrowing circumstances.

 

We are so grateful to the Herb Alpert Foundation which has generously created a $100,000 Challenge Grant to support the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund and will match contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $100,000. Please DONATE NOW to double the impact of your gift, so that we can provide urgently needed assistance to this community of artists, as quickly as possible.

 

“BIRD CALLS” will commemorate the August 29 centenary of bebop titan Parker, who wrote his name large in jazz history and revolutionized music during a furiously creative career before his untimely death at 34 years of age in 1955. Jazz critic Gary Giddins has noted that Parker was “the only musician after Louis Armstrong to influence all of jazz and almost every aspect of American music – its instrumentalists and singers, composers and arrangers.”
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