POSTPONED Fly Higher: Charlie Parker at 100

On March 10th, UCLA’s Center for the Art of Performance postponed all performances through April 10th in alignment with UCLA’s policy to suspend gatherings of 100 people or more in an effort to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Fly Higher is one of the shows currently affected. Please check our homepage for further updates.  

“They teach you there’s a boundary line to music. But, man, there’s no boundary line to art.” —Charlie Parker

“One of a handful of musicians who can be said to have permanently changed jazz, Charlie Parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time. He could play remarkably fast lines that, if slowed down to half speed, would reveal that every note made sense. “Bird,” along with his contemporaries Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell, is considered a founder of bebop; in reality he was an intuitive player who simply was expressing himself. Rather than basing his improvisations closely on the melody as was done in swing, he was a master of chordal improvising, creating new melodies that were based on the structure of a song.” —Scott Yanow

Fly Higher: Charlie Parker at 100 celebrates one of the most innovative and influential artists in modern musical history and examines his impact on pop, hip hop, rap, rock and jazz. Acclaimed co-musical directors Rudresh Mahanthappa and Terri Lyne Carrington honor Charlie Parker’s centennial year by showcasing his uncompromising musical joy, humor and beauty, mining his deep repertoire and showcasing new, modern compositions. Rather than imitating the original, Fly Higher strives to forward the artform by developing new perspectives on tradition. Mahanthappa (alto saxophone) and Carrington (drums) will be joined by Charenée Wade (vocals), Adam O’Farrill (trumpet), Kris Davis (piano), Larry Grenadier (bass) and Kassa Overall (dj) for this extraordinary musical tribute to an American master.