In honor of the 100th year of his birth, Chasin’ the Bird is a graphic novel celebrating the life of revolutionary jazz musician Charlie Parker. Though his life was short, his influence is vast in the world of music. The title of this upcoming graphic novel comes from Parker’s 1947 standard of the same name. Colored by DreamWorks Animation Director Peter Markowski and written by Dave Chisolm, the comic follow Charlie Parker’s life in Los Angeles.
Here’s the official synopsis:
The graphic novel tells the story of Bird’s time in L.A. starting in December 1945, where Bird and Dizzy Gillespie brought frenetic sounds of bebop from the East Coast jazz underground to the West Coast for a two-month residency at Billy Berg’s Hollywood jazz club. This marked the beginning of a tumultuous two year-stint for Bird bumming around L.A., showing up at jam sessions, crashing on people’s couches, causing havoc in public places, and recording some of his most groundbreaking tracks, “A Night in Tunisia” and “Ornithology,” as well as “Relaxin’ At Camarillo,” inspired by the end of his time in SoCal at the Camarillo State Hospital. The novel explores Bird’s relationship with the characters and events he encountered during his time in L.A. including recording some of his signature songs with Dial Record founder Ross Russell, a brief but influential stay at the home of famed jazz photographer William Claxton, a party for the ages at the ranch home of artist Jirayr Zorthian, and others who found themselves in the orbit of the jazz genius.
“Charlie Parker is one of the most well-known figures in jazz, and to publish a chapter of his tragically short life story in comics is an honor,” says Z2 publisher Josh Frankel. “Jazz has always been a perfect complement to comic books, and certainly an inspiration to some of our greats as well. Robert Crumb would be proud.”
“I am so thrilled and incredibly honored to have gotten the opportunity to write and draw Chasin’ the Bird. My creative and professional life has basically consisted of a steady ping-pong between two obsessions of mine: music and comics,” says Dave Chisholm. “Needless to say, I’ve had the time of my life writing and drawing this book which has turned into an incredibly personal and meaningful project. I am beyond excited to share this with the world and help spread the word about Bird’s wonderful music.”
Chasin’ the Bird is planned for release in September from Z2 and is available for preorder now in standard and deluxe editions: https://z2comics.com/collections/shop/charlie-parker
