"My Life in Eb" by Chan Parker

[sgcim]

I knew she wrote a book with the title, "To Bird With Love", which I've never seen, but I think this is a different book. It's an autobiography; I don't know what "TBWL" is.

It covers four parts of her life- 1) Her pre-Bird life 2) Her life w/ Bird 3) Her life w/ Phil Woods 4) Her life after PW. PW has a DVD out called "A Life in Eb", which is interesting, considering her unflattering portrait of PW after their 17 year marriage broke up. Some things I found interesting were:

She said Bird was annoyed at people saying he was influenced by Lester Young. She said he didn't like playing behind the beat or rushing. He felt the placement of time right on. He claimed that Buster Smith was his main influence.

When Bird was in Bellvue, he was visited by Sherry Martinelli, who called herself "The Needle Lady".

She was the woman William Gaddis modeled the character Esme after, in "The Recognitions".

After Bird's death, they held a benefit concert for him at Carnegie Hall without her approval, that featured Sammy Davis Jr.

She thought that PW was a more likely successor to Bird than Jackie McLean or Cannonball.

[Gheorghe]

"To Bird with Love" is not really a "written book", it´s a deluxe collection of photos, letters, contracts, etc., and it was done as a co-production of Chan and Francis Paudras.

PW as a successor to Bird? Not really. A good player, yes, but not more.

The next genius musician who played a saxophone was Trane.

[Christiern]

I don't think there was a sincere fiber in Beverly Berg's body. She was an exploiter. Eastwood made a very bad mistake when he used her as a consultant for his Bird film.

[Gheorghe]

well the Bird film really disappointed me.

[Brad]

well the Bird film really disappointed me.

Well intentioned, but not too good.

[marcello]

Yes "Bird" is more than disappointing! In the book, she really fawns over Eastwood.

[medjuck]

Sounds like the two are the same book with different titles.

[marcello]

"To Bird With Love" was more of a coffee table book with photos and text:

http://www.amazon.com/To-Bird-love-Chan-Parker/dp/2903577005

[medjuck]

"To Bird With Love" was more of a coffee table book with photos and text:

http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/2903577005

You're right. I was confused. The book I have is My Life in E-Flat. There is also a long interview by Will Thornbury that was published in book form. It appears to be the first of a series entitled Conversations in Jazz but I'm not sure any others were published.

[sgcim]

I don't think there was a sincere fiber in Beverly Berg's body. She was an exploiter. Eastwood made a very bad mistake when he used her as a consultant for his Bird film.

Eastwood probably chose the love angle to make the film a commercial success. He called her, she didn't call him.

I couldn't stand the film, but I wasn't expecting much from a Hollywood actor.

I guess you could say she was trying to exploit her marriages with Bird and Woods with her two books, but I doubt she made any money with this one. Her endless descriptions of her depressions from the death of Bird and the end of her marriage with Woods made it a real downer. Still, if you're as fascinated with these two alto players as I am, her brain cells didn't seem to be as fried as some people have claimed they were, and you do get some insight into both of their careers that you might not find elsewhere.

[Christiern]

I know that Eastwood called her, that's why I refer to it as his mistake, and it is compounded by the fact that there were people around whose knowledge and honesty would have stood him (and us) in good stead.

The same mistake was made when Motown hired Louis McKay as advisor on the "Lady Sings the Blues" disaster. I mentioned that to the screenwriter, Suzanne De Pass, when she called me to ask about the film rights to my Bessie Smith biography. "I know what you mean," she said, "but we don't do that anymore."

[sgcim]

They don't do that anymore? That's all they do.

I didn't know you were the guy that Steve Post and Bob F. used to talk about on their shows.

Is it my imagination, or has NYC become a cultural cesspool since the glory days of BAI and channel 13 in the 60s?

I know this was after your time at BAI, but what ever became of John Fisk? He used to play some great Clifford Brown things.

That's probably why they fired him.

[Christiern]

I am not familiar with John Fisk, he must have joined WBAI after my time there. They got rid of most jazz programs when I left: Dan Morgenstern, Ira Gitler, Don Schlitten, Marian McPartland, et al. They also discontinued the 2-hour Saturday afternoon jazz show which was guest-hosted by such musicians as Ray Bryant, Jimmy Rushing, Coltrane, George Wettling, Toshiko, Bill Dixon, Cannonball, and others. Today, the station has lost most of its audience, resorted to fraudulent fundraising, and, basically, stagnated on a bland pedestrian groove. I think it is close to dying as a listener-sponsored station. Bob Fass (whom I rehired in 1965) is still there!

[John L]

She said Bird was annoyed at people saying he was influenced by Lester Young. She said he didn't like playing behind the beat or rushing. He felt the placement of time right on. He claimed that Buster Smith was his main influence.

Interesting, but a bit hard to believe, given how strongly Bird WAS obviously influenced by Lester Young. There is even the recorded evidence of the first known Bird recording - straight Lester Young.

[AllenLowe]

the book isn't bad (Life In Eb) but filled with too many sections of puffed-up and badly written prose, I think. The little section on Al Haig, however, is illuminating.

There are lots of arguments over who was the "real" wife; Don Schlitten told me he accepted Chan because she was the mother of bird's children.

[sgcim]

the book isn't bad (Life In Eb) but filled with too many sections of puffed-up and badly written prose, I think. The little section on Al Haig, however, is illuminating.

There are lots of arguments over who was the "real" wife; Don Schlitten told me he accepted Chan because she was the mother of bird's children.

Yes, she had a glib style that started to drive me crazy after a few chapters. I think this was written before "Death of a Bebop Wife", so her perception of Haig as the lunatic he seemed to be was pretty right on.

I think we've got a new genre here- "bebop wives tell all".

There's even a book about Bill Evans that was written by a woman who had a short relationship with him, towards the end.

[ValerieB]

the book isn't bad (Life In Eb) but filled with too many sections of puffed-up and badly written prose, I think. The little section on Al Haig, however, is illuminating.

There are lots of arguments over who was the "real" wife; Don Schlitten told me he accepted Chan because she was the mother of bird's children.

Yes, she had a glib style that started to drive me crazy after a few chapters. I think this was written before "Death of a Bebop Wife", so her perception of Haig as the lunatic he seemed to be was pretty right on.

I think we've got a new genre here- "bebop wives tell all".

There's even a book about Bill Evans that was written by a woman who had a short relationship with him, towards the end.

this is actually a book i wanted to write years ago. a lot of the widows that were on my list are also gone now. what i had in mind was not necessarily a "tell all" book but still lots of interesting info that only the widows could supply. or just their perspective on things we've already heard about. one of the problems is that at least a couple of them are now writing their own books, which is even better, of course. can't wait to read Maxine Gordon's book on Dexter.