| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Abdullah Ibn Buhaina | |
| 7 -- 01/14/2005, 14:45:58 -- #10397 | |
| The story I've always heard of Bird's death was that Parker was watching a TV commercial featuring the Tommy Dorsey band, and during a spot where a juggler showed his tricks he began laughing, which brought on a coughing fit. When he stopped coughing, the Baroness' daughter who was watching TV with Bird turned and said "He's all right now, mama." Recently, I ran into an article that said the Art Blakey went over to the Baroness' apartment on that day and when he found Bird there, they got into a fist fight and killed him. Remember that in the initial story above there is a young girl involved. Could she have been she a witness to this fight? Does anybody know the true story? | |
| Dr. Whack -- 01/14/2005, 15:13:19 -- #10399 | |
| I heard he O.D.d and when he was found, no one knew who he was and the coroner guessed his age to be 55-60 - ahh folklore:) | |
| Dr. Whack -- 01/14/2005, 15:14:51 -- #10400 | |
| and one cop said - "it look like he be bopped" and so was born the term "bebop" (actually I made that up - why not start some new ones?) | |
| Mike -- 01/15/2005, 00:18:19 -- #10407 | |
| he was an extra in the Hitchcock flick "The Birds" The scene with the birds pecking on peoples heads got out of hand. There were some regretable casualties. | |
| 7 -- 01/15/2005, 11:49:04 -- #10418 | |
| You guys aren't taking me seriously! What I really need to know is: a) Did Bird die laughing, or b) is Art Blakely actually the Jack the Ripper of Jazz? | |
| Mike -- 01/15/2005, 13:24:28 -- #10420 | |
| I have never heard the Art Blakey twist until reading your thread the other day. Sounds far fetched to me. The story has always seemed pretty solid that he just died while sitting there watching tv. from total abuse of his body via drugs and alcohol over time. | |
| Mike -- 01/16/2005, 09:11:32 -- #10441 | |
| actually, Bird Lives | |
| pleonasmo -- 01/16/2005, 17:11:09 -- #10454 | |
| True. Bird Lives and Mike Rules. The "regrettable casualties" line was just fantastic. | |
| sid -- 01/19/2005, 04:26:08 -- #10517 | |
| I have a shelf full of Bird books and went back and read all the accounts I could find about his last hours. Art Blakey was indeed in the band at the final, chaotic gig in Birdland (the one where a crazed Bud Powell played Little Willie Leaps irrespective of the number called, then walked off the stage), but reports speak of Blakey and Bird "chatting amicably". The Baronness's personal account of events in her apartment is usually accepted as definitive and makes no mention of Blakey. I'm not sure why anyone would want to damage Art Blakey's memory - a great man, head of the research laboratory for post-bebop jazz and one of the very best drummers in history. I don't think Bird needed any help to die - he did it all by himself. As someone replied when asked what Bird died of: "everything". sid | |
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