Tune in from August 27th-29th when WKCR will be holding our annual Lester Young/Charlie Parker birthday broadcast celebration! On the 27th we’ll be playing just the music of Young, the 28th we’ll be playing a mix of the two, and on the 29th we’ll be playing the music of Parker.

Early in Lester Young’s career, he spent time in Kansas City, making huge connections as a sideman. In 1933, Young left Walter Page’s Blue Devils, and went to play with King Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, and Count Basie. Young played in Basie’s band, but would leave for Henderson’s as a temporary replacement for Coleman Hawkins. Young was not a harmonious fit in Henderson’s band, and left after several months. Young spent time with Andy Kirk, and assisting other bands between Kansas City, and Minnesota. In the early 1940’s, Young played in Los Angeles with his brother, Lee Young, and toured with the USO. Young rejoined Basie’s band in 1944 which gained him brief popular recognition before being drafted into the army. Young returned to existing as a musician in 1945, but addiction deteriorated the frequency, and consistency of his recordings. Until his death in 1959, Young occasionally played with Jazz at the Philharmonic, developed his sound within bebop, and recorded through Europe.

Charlie Parker knew Kansas City as his hometown, and joined Jay McShann’s Orchestra in 1937 when still a teenager. Parker was a founder of bebop, and perhaps the most dynamic saxophone player of all time. During the early 1940’s, he spent time in New York playing with Dizzy Gillespie, Earl Hines, and Billy Eckstine. Beginning 1945, following the recording strike, Parker and Gillespie were prolific in writing striking compositions such as Anthropology, and Groovin’ High. Gillespie, and Parker worked in Los Angeles, selling out nightclubs, and concerts. In 1947, Parker formed a quintet as leader in New York which featured Miles Davis, Duke Jordan, Tommy Potter, and Max Roach. Parker continued to record, and toured Europe despite difficulty with his cabaret license, and drug-abuse. Parker tragically died at the age of 34, but his influence on jazz music and his virtuosity as a musician remain unparalleled. Listen in as WKCR celebrates these two giants of jazz!