126 - How Charlie Parker's Music Changed My Life

This is a much shorter version of the original episode. Listen to the entire episode here: https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/126-how-charlie-parker-changed-my-life/

In this episode, Thomas Milas appears solo and talks about how being exposed to the music of alto saxophonist Charlie Parker in his late teens completely changed his relationship with music. Previously, he used music to stimulate emotional responses, but soon he began listening to music for its very beauty, with or without emotion. This immediately opened up a whole world of contemplation (musical and otherwise).

After discussing this deeper way of listening to music, Thomas explains how to follow the musical form of jazz performance, drawing on the music of Charlie Parker and the new style of jazz known as bebop that he pioneered in the 1940s and early ’50s. Introducing the format.

If you want to hear a wider range of jazz artists heard in this episode, check out the following albums (these albums are always out of print on various compilations, so we don’t have links to them):

Listen to Charlie Parker, The Complete Savoy and Dial Master Takes on the compilation you can find

Bud Powell giant of jazz

Basin Street’s Clifford Brown and Max Roach

sonny rollins plus four

Music heard in this episode:

Blind Lemon Jefferson “Rising High Water Blues” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsFNi0ZVzj4

Charlie Parker “Maybe” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LOOvq1sJvw

Charlie Parker “Blues for Alice” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7USMqAH8qk

Charlie Parker “Parker’s Mood” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wa7El-k3jQ

Charlie Parker “Anthropology” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HkFBT4h190

From Bud Powell’s “So Sorry Please” giant of jazz https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-IoDXFWr1c&list=PL9C4lRUjCkCt_oXThX81D3LhhRIUXVDqb&index=6

From “Gertrude’s Bounce” by Clifford Brown and Max Roach At Basin Street https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ7TdrmmDkc&list=PLUJ7V33M1wR3yDePSuvG8W1LmV3uuPg-S&index=8