THE JAZZ FOUNDATION CELEBRATES CHARLIE PARKER ON DECEMBER 10

The Jazz Foundation of America will continue its fundraising efforts on behalf of musicians affected by the pandemic, with “BIRD CALLS,” on Thursday, December 10th, a livestream concert celebrating the centennial of saxophonist, composer, and legendary musical innovator Charlie “Yardbird” Parker.

The two-hour all-star show – recorded at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York, Vibrato Grill in Los Angeles, and the New Orleans Jazz Museum, observing strict health safety protocols – will benefit the JFA’s COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund, established in March to provide direct financial assistance to musicians and families affected by the pandemic to help cover basic living expenses like rent, groceries, and utility bills.

The Jazz Foundation sincerely thanks the Herb Alpert Foundation for its $100,000 Challenge Grant to support the COVID-19 Musicians’ Emergency Fund by matching 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 our artists, as quickly as possible.

BIRD CALLS

THURS, DECEMBER 10

8 p.m. EST

(Replay at 8 p.m. PST)

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

“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.”

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

THE CAUSE

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 community.

“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 living expenses like rent, groceries, and utility bills to artists and families across the country struggling under these harrowing circumstances.