How did Charlie Parker get the nickname Bird?
Also question is, how did Charlie Parker receive the nickname Bird?
It was also during his time with McShann that Parker earned his famous nickname "Bird," short for "Yardbird." As the story goes, Parker was given the nickname for one of two possible reasons: 1) He was free as a bird, or 2) he accidentally hit a chicken, otherwise known as a yard bird, while driving on tour with the
Then, what made Charlie Parker Great?
Charlie Parker was one of the most important figures in the development of jazz and in particular Bop. His was a thoughtful kind of jazz, a saxophonist unrestricted by arrangements made him the master of improvisation. A troubled man, with drugs and drink at the heart of his problems, he was also a genius.
It's true Jones threw a cymbal at him. It's true Parker was laughed off stage, humiliated, and thereafter dedicated himself to better practice habits that improved his skills drastically over the next year of his life. It's false that Jones threw the cymbal at Parker's head and “nearly decapitated him.”