Easton Davy on Charlie Parker

“Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker” could play very fast! His music seemed to flow from his fingers without any effort. A genius, creating improvisations like water. He was one of a kind. People always tell me: Easton, you are painting so fast! In that sense I feel related to Parker.”

“I am not like the great masters that spent months or even years on their work. When I was younger, I felt a bit less than the academic painters because my approach is so different. Even though I went to art school, I like to be around people from the street. During the eighties I hung around with graffiti artists. I liked the way they express themselves. I started to paint faster and faster with traditional art and paint, that’s why I can do live action painting on jazz festivals. The way “Bird” played his music, inspired me as much as his “sound”, his ability to improvise and still hitting the notes right and fast is quite frankly unique and astonishing.”

Charlie "Bird" Parker, born on August 29, 1920, and passing away on March 12, 1955, was an influential American jazz saxophonist and composer. He is widely considered one of the most significant and influential musicians in the history of jazz and one of the greatest saxophonists of all time.

Parker played a key role in the development of bebop, a complex, improvisational style of jazz that emerged in the 1940s. Parker's innovative approach to improvisation, his virtuosic saxophone playing, and his groundbreaking compositions had a profound impact on the jazz world. 

He was known for his fast tempos, intricate melodic lines, and advanced harmonic progressions. His recordings, such as "Koko," "Yardbird Suite," and "Confirmation," are considered classics of the bebop era.Tragically, Parker's life was marked by struggles with drug addiction and alcoholism, which ultimately led to his untimely death at the age of 34. Despite his short life, his musical legacy continues to inspire generations of musicians, and his contributions to jazz remain highly regarded to this day.