Weekend Summertime Bird Music

Had he lived, legendary jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie "Bird" Parker would have turned 95 tomorrow.  Tragically, the troubled genius died in 1955 at the age of 34, but not after having achieving greatness as a soloist and highly influential catalyst in modern jazz.  Known as one of the founders of the "bebop" jazz style which emphasized fast, improvisational riffs, Parker also had an interest in ballads and classical music.  An example of this interest is the 1949 "Charlie Parker With Strings" album, which contained this seasonally- appropriate George Gershwin classic, "Summertime."