Kansas City Lightning: The Rise and Times of Charlie Parker (Audiobook)

from ecataldi

A fascinating look at Charlie Parker's beginning. I assumed (wrongly) that this would be a full biography of Parker's life, but it stops before he truly hits the big time. It traces his rice in Kansas City, his hoboing to Chicago and then to New York to see the world and prove his worth, and ends...

from BooksForDinner

Wandered a little far afield at times, maybe a little TOO much background, but even these digressions helped to set the tone of the book and gave important context.

from ceg045

I received Kansas City Lightning as part of a Goodreads giveaway.As a big jazz fan, I was excited to read this biography of Charlie Parker and was not disappointed.Kansas City Lightning, the first of two volumes, represents over 30 years of research and personal interviews by Stanley Crouch. It's...

from pinkcrayon99

"There was a certain majesty to this young man, but also a delicate misery." Charlie Parker was a spoiled mama's boy and one of the greatest saxophone players that ever lived. At fifteen he was a drug addict and pawning the sax he loved so much to feed his addiction. Despite being flawed and seem...