Charlie Parker,1920-1955: His Music Influenced Jazz During his Lifetime and Even Today
02 May 2009
VOICE ONE:
I’m Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember with the VOA Special English program, People in America. Today, we tell about one of America’s greatest jazz musicians, Charlie Parker. He influenced the direction of jazz music during his short lifetime. His influence continues today.
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VOICE ONE:
Charlie Parker forever changed the performance and writing of jazz music. He developed a new style of jazz called “bebop.” It was different from the dance or “swing” style that was popular for years.
Performers of bebop left the traditional musical melody and played a song freely, with the music and rhythm that was felt at the time. So, the same song could be played in a different way each time it was performed. Charlie Parker said: “Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn. ”
VOICE TWO:
Charlie Parker was born August twenty-ninth, nineteen twenty, in the middle western state of Kansas. He had his first music lessons in the local public schools. His mother bought him a saxophone in nineteen thirty-three.
Two years later, he decided to leave school and become a professional musician. For the next four years, he worked mainly in Kansas City, Missouri, where jazz music had become popular. Charlie developed as a musician by playing with different groups in public eating and drinking places called nightclubs. He also
learned by listening to older local jazz musicians. During this time, Charlie developed serious problems that were to affect him the rest of his life. He became dependent on alcohol and the illegal drug, heroin.
VOICE ONE:
One night in nineteen thirty-six, the young musician decided to take part in a “jam session.” Musicians from all over Kansas City would play for fun during these unplanned performances. These jam sessions often became musical battles. The better, the faster, the stronger, the more creative musician would win.
Charlie began to play the saxophone that night. He played well for a while. But he then became lost in the music. The drummer threw down his instrument and brought Charlie to a halt. Charlie later said: “I went home and cried and didn’t play again for three months.” The incident, however, made Charlie work even harder to improve his playing.
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen thirty-nine, Charlie went to New York City. He stayed for almost one year. He was able to get a few paying jobs playing the saxophone. Most of his time, though, was spent playing in unpaid jam sessions. It was during this time that he began to develop his own style of jazz.
He said later that this was when he made a big discovery. He was unhappy playing songs the same way all the time. He thought there had to be another way to play. He said: “I could hear it sometimes, but I couldn’t play it.” He began working on the song “Cherokee.” He used the higher notes of a chord as a melody line and made other changes. He now could play the things he had been hearing.
It was in December, nineteen thirty-nine, that Charlie Parker made this discovery. He later said that with it, he “came alive.” Here he is playing “Cherokee”:
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VOICE ONE:
Charlie Parker’s name first appeared in the press reports about music in nineteen forty. During the next five years, he joined different bands. He played with the Earl Hines orchestra and the Billy Eckstine orchestra. He also played with other young jazz musicians who helped make the new sound known. Trumpet players Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, and pianists Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell were some of them. Parker was considered the greatest of the bebop jazz musicians. This song, “Now’s the Time,” is one of his hits during this time:
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VOICE TWO:
Parker’s continuing drug habit was affecting him. He often was late for performances. Or he missed them. He had decided he did not like the music of the big bands. He apparently did not feel at ease playing with a big band, even one that followed his own musical ideas.
In nineteen forty-five, he returned to New York City. He had the idea of starting a small jazz group. In New York, he joined Dizzy Gillespie. Their work together was among the greatest in American music history. They enjoyed the support of younger musicians. Yet, they had to fight the criticism of those opposed to any new development in jazz.
That year, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie took the new jazz sound to California. Charlie continued to record and perform in Los Angeles, even after Dizzy returned to New York. It was during this time that Parker recorded “Ornithology:”
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VOICE ONE:
In nineteen forty-six, Charlie Parker suffered a nervous breakdown. His dependence on heroin and alcohol led to this severe mental condition. He was sent to a hospital and stayed there for six months.
He returned to New York City in nineteen forty-seven. The following four years are considered his most successful. He formed his own small bands and played with other groups. He visited Europe three times, where he recorded about half of the albums he ever made.
In July, nineteen fifty-one, New York City officials took away his right to play in nightclubs because he used illegal drugs. His debts greatly increased. His physical and mental health began to fail.
VOICE TWO:
Charlie ParkerCharlie Parker was given a permit to play in New York again two years later. Jobs, though, were difficult to find. He finally got a chance to play for two nights in March, nineteen fifty-five. It was at Birdland, the most
famous jazz nightclub in New York City. Birdland had opened in nineteen forty-nine. It was named after “Bird,” as Charlie Parker’s followers called him.
Parker knew those performances might be his last chance to re-claim the success he had gained only a few years earlier. His last public appearance was on March fifth, nineteen fifty-five, at Birdland. It was not a success. He died seven days later of a heart attack. He was thirty-four.
VOICE ONE:
Charlie Parker’s influence on modern jazz music continues to live. He led many artists to “play what they hear.” Jazz musicians continue to perform his music, often copying his sound and style. But, experts say, no one has ever played the same as “Bird”.
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Vivian Bournazian. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another People in America program on the Voice of America.
Katharine Graham, 1917- 2001: She Was the Powerful Owner and Publisher of The Washington Post
Under her leadership, The Post became one of the most important newspaper companies in the country. Transcript of radio broadcast:
25 April 2009
VOICE ONE:
I’m Shirley Griffith.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Doug Johnson with the VOA Special English program, PEOPLE IN AMERICA. Today we tell about Katharine Graham. She was the owner and publisher of The Washington Post newspaper.
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VOICE ONE:
Katharine Meyer Graham was once described as “the most powerful woman in America.” She was not a government official or elected representative. She owned and published The Washington Post newspaper. Under her leadership, it became one of the most important newspapers in the country.
Katharine Meyer was born in New York City in nineteen seventeen. She was the daughter of Eugene and Agnes Meyer. Her father was a successful investment banker. He became an important financial official. Her family was very rich.
Katharine grew up in large houses in New York and Washington. Her parents were often away from home, traveling and working. Katharine was often lonely.
Katherine Meyer graduated from the University of Chicago in Illinois in nineteen thirty-eight. She got a job as a reporter for a newspaper in San Francisco, California.
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen thirty-three, Eugene Meyer had bought a failing newspaper, The Washington Post. It was the least successful of five newspapers in Washington.
Katharine returned to Washington and got a job editing letters to the editor of her father’s newspaper. She married Philip Graham. He was a lawyer and former assistant to two Supreme Court justices. Mister Graham soon accepted a job at his wife’s father’s newspaper.
In nineteen forty-six, Eugene Meyer left the newspaper to become the first president of the World Bank. Philip Graham became publisher of The Washington Post.
VOICE ONE:
Mister Graham improved The Washington Post. He bought Newsweek magazine and several television stations. He also established close ties with important political leaders. However, Mister Graham treated his wife badly. He made her feel unimportant. He had a sexual relationship with a young reporter. For many years, Mister Graham suffered from mental illness. He killed himself in nineteen sixty-three.
VOICE TWO:
Katharine Graham had four children to raise and a newspaper to operate. At first, she was concerned only with finding a way to keep control of The Washington Post until her sons were old enough to supervise it. She was an insecure person.
She did not think she had the ability to do an important job.
She had no training in business or experience in operating a large company. In those days, it was unusual for a woman to be the head of a business. Women were expected to supervise only their homes and children.
VOICE ONE:
Katharine Graham met with officials of The Post. She told them the paper would not be sold. She said it would remain in her family. She was elected president of The Washington Post Company. She had no idea about how to operate a newspaper. So she decided to learn. She began by hiring Benjamin Bradlee. He later became chief editor. Mister Bradlee improved the newspaper. He hired excellent reporters and editors. They began doing important investigative reporting. In nineteen sixty-nine, Missus Graham became publisher as well as president of The Washington Post Company.
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VOICE TWO:
In the nineteen seventies, The Washington Post became famous around the world because of two major successes. In nineteen seventy-one, The New York Times newspaper started publishing secret government documents about American involvement in the Vietnam War.
They were known as the Pentagon Papers. The administration of President Richard Nixon appealed to the courts to stop the publication of the documents. It said publication would endanger national security. A temporary restraining order from a federal judge stopped The New York Times from publishing the documents.
VOICE ONE:
Washington Post reporters also got a copy of the Pentagon Papers. They also wanted to publish the documents. Missus Graham had to decide if the paper would publish the stories and risk possible punishment by the government. The newspaper’s lawyers advised her not to publish them. Yet she decided to publish the Pentagon Papers in The Washington Post. The Supreme Court finally decided the issue. They ruled against the judge’s order restraining publication of the Pentagon Papers. That ruling was considered a major success for freedom of the press.
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VOICE TWO:
The next year, in nineteen seventy-two, The Washington Post had another major success reporting on a different story.
Five men had been arrested after breaking into the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate office building. Reporters at The Post began an intense investigation of the break-in. The Post published a series of stories by two young reporters, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
After much investigation, the reporters linked the Watergate break-in to President Nixon and his top advisers. Their stories proved that the Nixon administration directed a plot. Its goals were to illegally gather intelligence on the Democratic Party and dishonor opponents of the president.
VOICE ONE:
Missus Graham supported her reporters and editors through the long Watergate investigation. The Post published the stories even though government officials threatened Missus Graham and her company. The newspaper was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for public service in nineteen seventy-three for its Watergate reporting. The next year, President Nixon resigned from office.
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VOICE TWO:
Katharine Graham was recognized around the world as an important leader in newspaper publishing. She was the first woman to head a major American company.
She successfully expanded The Washington Post Company to include newspaper, magazine, broadcast and cable companies.
Katharine Graham played an important role in supporting women in the workforce. More women were employed at The Post and at Newsweek magazine. Missus Graham also was active in groups seeking to improve public education in Washington. She traveled around the country to make many public speeches about news media issues. She also traveled around the world to meet with foreign leaders.
VOICE ONE:
Katharine Graham was well known for having dinner parties at her home in Washington. She invited the most important people in the city. An invitation to one of her parties was almost as valuable as an invitation to dinner at the White House. Missus Graham was a close friend of American and world leaders. Her friends included leaders in government, media, business and entertainment. They included presidents, prime ministers and princesses.
In nineteen ninety-one, Donald Graham replaced his mother as publisher and the chief official of The Washington Post Company. At that time, the company was valued at almost two thousand million dollars.
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VOICE TWO:
When she was eighty years old, Katharine Graham wrote a book about her life. It was called “Personal History.” She wrote about the struggles and tragedies of her life as well as the successes. She wrote about how she battled her own insecurities to move from a traditional job as homemaker to a position of power. Critics praised the book for its honesty. The book won a Pulitzer Prize for biography in nineteen ninety-eight. It was extremely popular.
VOICE ONE:
Katharine Graham died of head injuries three years later after a fall. She was eighty-four. More than three thousand people attended her funeral. They included many government and business leaders. Friends of Katharine Graham said she would be remembered as a woman who had an important influence on events in the United States and the world. They said she used her intelligence and bravery to improve the American media. And they said everyone who cares about a free press would greatly miss her.
Katharine Graham once wrote: “A world without newspapers would not be the same kind of world.” After her death, the employees of The Washington Post wrote: “A world without Katharine Graham will not be the same at all.”
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VOICE TWO:
This Special English program was written by Shelley Gollust. It was produced by Caty Weaver. I’m Doug Johnson.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Shirley Griffith. Join us again next week for another PEOPLE IN AMERICA program on the Voice of America.
Celia Cruz, 1925-2003: ‘The Queen of Salsa’
Her records document the history of the Afro-Cuban music known as salsa. Transcript of radio broadcast:
18 April 2009
VOICE ONE:
I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Faith Lapidus with People in America in VOA Special English. Today, we tell about Celia Cruz. She was one of the most influential and energetic female singers in the history of Afro-Cuban Music. More than seventy of her albums help document the history of the music known as salsa.
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VOICE ONE:
That song was “Tu Voz”, which means “Your Voice” in Spanish. It was a hit song performed by Celia Cruz and her band, La Sonora Matancera, in nineteen fifty-two. They performed many hit songs. They toured all over the world together spreading the sounds of Cuba. “Tu Voz” is about love and desire. The music helps to transport you to the sunny streets of Havana, Cuba. Like most of the songs of Celia Cruz, this music makes you want to start dancing.
VOICE TWO:
Celia Cruz was born in nineteen twenty-five in Havana, Cuba. Her parents were not musicians. But music played an important role in her childhood. Her grandmother once said that Celia could sing before she could talk. Celia would often sing at school and community gatherings. Later, as a teenager Celia started competing in singing contests. She won many competitions.
Her father wanted her to be a teacher. But Celia wanted a career in music. She later said that she was both a singer and a teacher. She said that her music taught the world about Cuban culture and the happiness of living life to the fullest.
VOICE ONE:
Music is an important part of the cultural life of Cubans. During the nineteen thirties and forties in Havana, Celia heard many kinds of music. Famous music groups and singers would perform live on the radio. She could listen to dance music like the rumba, mambo and guaracha. These kinds of songs were influenced by the music of Africa and Spain. This Cuban music or “son” is defined by the beat of the drum and the call of the singer. It is music made for dancing.
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen forty-seven Celia started studying at the Cuban Conservatory of Music. She was discovered a few years later by the music group La Sonora Matancera. This group of was one of Cuba’s most famous orchestras. Their lead singer had just left the band, so they needed a new performer. When the group heard Celia’s voice, they hired her immediately.
At first, listeners missed the band’s former singer. But soon, they fell in love with the powerful voice of Celia Cruz. Here is another of her songs recorded with La Sonora Matancera. It is called “Caramelos”. Cruz tells about a candy seller singing in the streets about his delicious goods.
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VOICE ONE:
In the early nineteen sixties, great political changes took place in Cuba. After a revolution, the communist leader Fidel Castro took power in the country. Like many other Cubans, Celia Cruz decided to move to the United States. She later became an American citizen and never again returned to her country.
A few years later, she married the trumpet player of her band, Pedro Knight. Soon Cruz and her husband separated from La Sonora Matancera. They had played together for fifteen years. But it was time to explore new musical choices.
VOICE TWO:
Celia CruzCelia Cruz lived in New York City where Latin music could be heard in many forms. Many musicians were experimenting with mixing different traditions, rhythms, and styles. The music known as salsa was a combination of Cuban “son” with other Latin sounds. This music expressed the happiness and the pain of life in Latin American communities.
Celia Cruz soon became the voice of salsa. She performed and made records with many musicians. She would wear wildly colorful clothing with tall shiny shoes. Her face was often painted with bright makeup.
And her dancing was as energetic as her voice. Here is a recording of Cruz singing “Isadora” with Johnny Pacheco and the Fania AllStars.
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VOICE ONE:
During the nineteen seventies Celia Cruz became famous for calling out “Azúcar!” while singing. This word means “sugar” in Spanish. Cruz would shout out this word to energize her band and her audience. You can hear her saying this word in many recordings.
Celia Cruz always enjoyed taking on new projects. She sang many songs with musicians that were not salsa performers. For example, she sang with the hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean on one of his albums. She also sang with musicians such as David Byrne and Patti Labelle. Cruz also appeared in several movies. One of her most well known roles was in the film “The Mambo Kings” in nineteen ninety-two. Not surprisingly, Cruz plays the part of a salsa singer. Here is Cruz performing the song “Guantanamera” from the sound track of this movie.
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VOICE TWO:
Celia Cruz enjoyed a full and successful life. She won many Grammy Awards. With her seventy albums, she became the most famous voice of salsa music. She was a strong and powerful woman in a music industry made up mostly of men. Celia Cruz also used her fame to help other people.
In two thousand two, her husband started the Celia Cruz Foundation. This organization gives money to poor students who want to study music. It also helps cancer patients.
In two thousand three, Celia Cruz died as a result of brain cancer. Her life was celebrated at two funerals. Hundreds of thousands of people attended the funerals. Actors, politicians, musicians as well as thousands of fans attended to say goodbye to the Queen of Salsa.
We leave you with the song “Rie y Llora” from Celia Cruz’s last album. It is a song about laughing and crying. Cruz reminds her listeners to live their lives fully and enjoy every moment.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.
