Be Bop

Charlie Parker played Be Bop.
Charlie Parker played saxaphone.
The music sounded like Be Bop.
Never leave your cat alone.

A couple of nights ago I was reading to the kids at bedtime and one of them had chosen one of our old favorites, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka. It’s a delightful little book about Bird (though they don’t even refer to him as “Bird” which you would think would be perfect for a children’s book. No mention of heroin use, either) and the sound he helped create. The kids were refreshingly excited about Parker and Be Bop. So much so that I told them that I would play them a Parker CD the next night. This drove them into a frenzy, which is just what I was looking for at bedtime. The next night they actually reminded me about the CD. I pulled out Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie - Diz ‘N Bird at Carnegie Hall. C knows of Dizzy from The Cosby Show, of all places, from his guest appearance on that show some 15 years before C was even born. I cued it up to “Confirmation,” which then went into “Koko,” both Parker compositions and two great performances. The kids made it through the first few bars before leaving the room for the safety and familiarity of the television and all it has to offer. My work here is not even close to done.

Be Bop.
Fisk, fisk.
Lollipop.
Boomba, boomba.
Bus stop.
Zznnzznn.
Boppitty, bippitty, bop.
Bang!