Bird And Diz And Downbeat, 1946, 1947

In addition to vinyl, I collect jazz books, magazines and other ephemera. Once in a while I go through my old copies of Downbeat. Here’s something I pulled a few years ago:

The Dec. 16, 1946 Downbeat offers a prime example of the divergent fortunes of the two leaders of the be-bop movement. On the front page there is a picture of Dizzy Gillespie having fun and joking around. On page six, at the top of the page, there’s a small article with the headline: “Parker Fund Does Fine at L.A. Benefit.” It was a four-paragraph item, noting that a benefit for Charlie Parker in Los Angeles raised a total of $500.86. The purpose of the money: “To assist Parker, upon his release from a sanitarium, to secure instruments, clothes and what

he needs to get on his way to a new start.

Imagine the indignity for Bird. This was followed a few weeks later, Feb. 16, 1947, by an article headlined: “’Bird’ Parker Working Again.” Here’s the text: “Charlie Parker has been released from a California sanitarium after several months confinement. He suffered a nervous breakdown here last fall. The be-bop altoist has no immediate plans, but it is likely he will return to New York after a couple of recording sessions for Dial with Howard McGhee. McGhee has had Parker working with him recently and says “Bird” is playing as well as ever.” Indeed, after his release from the Camarillo State Mental Institution, Bird recorded some of his best and most lasting work.