"Charlie Parker with Strings" – Charlie Parker

Charlie Parker was punk rock before there was punk rock. His bebop was underground music: subversive, intellectual, and a major departure from popular music of the day (think: Nat King Cole, The Andrews Sisters, Perry Como). He was an intellectual heavyweight, nearly untouchable in his technical ability and pushing music to places no one else was daring to go. So where did Charlie Parker with Strings, his most accessible album, come from? It's not Bird going commercial, like some have claimed. Charlie Parker with Strings is an album he fought to make. He loved Bach and Stravinsky (even quoting the opening of Stravinsky's 'Firebird Suite' mid-solo in one legendary performance), and had longed to make a record where his jazz saxophone was accompanied by strings. The resulting record is music's greatest improviser at his best. Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness listen to select tracks (like "Just Friends" and "Summertime"), breaking down the theory behind the music to understand what makes this album great. Jazz is the foundation of the most GENIUS music in recent history: Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Joni Mitchell, D'Angelo. In this popular music series, You'll Hear It, Adam and Peter break down the greatest albums of all time. These seasoned jazz pianists bring their deep musical knowledge to every joyful episode to help you hear the hidden qualities that make music AMAZING. You'll never hear music the same way again. Like the jam at the end of the show? Head to @openstudiomusic on YouTube for more. Visit Open Studio for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: 00:00 - Intro: Charlie Parker with Strings 01:10 - "Just Friends" 04:40 - Want to Be a Great Musician? Study This Track 10:20 - Early Recording: "Swingmatism" (1941) 12:45 - The Secret to Charlie Parker's Genius: Practice 15:20 - The Savoy Sessions: "Now's the Time" & Young Miles Davis 18:20 - The Contrafact Built in Real Time 21:45 - "Koko": Miles Davis Couldn't Play It?! 24:30 - Musicians NEED to Listen to This 27:15 - Think Parker Sold Out? Think AGAIN 28:55 - "April in Paris": Parker's Chosen Tune 33:55 - About Mitch Miller's Oboe ... 38:25 - "Summertime" 44:10 - "Out of Nowhere" 46:35 - We Have An Album! 47:20 - "East of the Sun" 53:00 - "I'll Remember April" 55:50 - Categories: Desert Island Tracks 56:35 - The BEST Moments on Strings 1:11:10 - Open Studio Plays "Just Friends"

You can listen to "Charlie Parker with Strings" – Charlie Parker online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

"Charlie Parker with Strings" – Charlie Parker is an episode from You'll Hear It - Music Advice by Peter Martin.

This episode is 76:12 long.

This episode was published on Feb 23, 2026.

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