Bird Page #2

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Take a few careful minutes

by yourself.

Frankie!

- How are you?

I got great photos to show you later.

I'm not late, am I?

Good evening, professor.

How you doing?

Here we are at the 18 Club.

Yes, yes.

It's Harry "The Hipster" Gibson.

Stop that shouting up there.

Art, you keep bringing in

them stiffs from Oyster Bay...

...and not one got a dime for a tip.

You're breaking my heart here.

Here we are on the street of dreams.

Swing's the thing, jazz is the king.

You like it hot, you've come

to the right place. Step in.

No cover, light minimum

and Dixie till 4 a.m.

- Who could ask for more?

- What are you doing?

- Give me a break. It's my birthday.

- Get out of here.

Excuse me, sir.

Hey, sailor!

Come here.

You leave and don't see Miss Virginia

Knight, you'll live to regret it.

She goes all the way for servicemen.

Right down to the curlicues.

If you don't see pay dirt,

I'll refund your money. Stiffs.

Good evening. Good evening.

Here we are at Poulez Roulez.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

- Get out of here. Get out of here.

- F*** you.

Art Tatum,

the first show just started.

Yes, sir! First show just started.

I got one table left.

You hurry, you can get it.

Go on in, tell them

the Mayor sent you. Ask for Gino.

- Who's that?

- Gino.

Yes, sir.

Table near the door.

The 3 Deuces. B.S. Pulley,

the funniest man in New York...

...with the dirtiest lines.

Bebop, the music of the future.

Give it a break. What do you got

to lose? Oop-bop-sha-bam.

Oop-bop, my ass!

Hey, Buster!

You finally got a suit that fits you.

Where you working?

- I'm back with Basie.

- You going inside to hear the new guy?

There's 300 people in there.

Half are saxophone players.

Ain't no new guy. That's just Dizzy

Gillespie drumming up publicity.

I remember Parker

from eight years ago in Kansas City...

...when he couldn't play

"Come to Jesus" in whole notes.

Don't trifle with him.

He's played with Moten

and you ain't done sh*t.

Just play a chorus and get off.

Come on here. Come on up here.

- What's your name?

- Charlie.

- Who'd you play with?

- Just around.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this here's Charlie...

...from just around.

Not bad. Now get off.

Get off!

Man!

Ain't no new guy.

It's Charlie, from just around.

Charlie from just around.

CHAN [VOICE-OVER] : I remember when

Don Byas was leaving Dizzy's group.

I knew the club 's press agent.

I asked him, "Who could you

possibly get to replace Don?"

And he said, "Some cat in Kansas City.

His name is Charlie Parker. "

And I said, "Is he cute?"

And my friend said,

"No, but you'll dig him."

All right, what do you think

about Yardbird?

What do you think about Yardbird?

I won't sign.

We have to release him then.

Yes, you do.

Did you know that within three hours,

a committee formed to get you out?

Get me out?

How'd they know I was in?

It's a hell of a moment here.

- I finally made the front page.

- I shouldn't have called Bellevue.

No, you did right.

A little detox, it did me good.

I told you about Bernie?

Twenty bucks a tune, those bastards.

Wait till you hear the tunes.

But you know, this Morello thing...

...it sounds good.

- If it wasn't so far off.

- We'll get there.

Oh, by the way...

...Dizzy sent you a birthday card.

So I guess he's back.

Do you owe him a phone call?

I owe Dizzy everything.

Except a phone call.

He knows where to find me.

Who the hell are you,

the Good Humor man?

You wouldn't answer your knock.

Will you listen to this?

Listen to this.

What the hell is going on?

It's 4 a.m. in the morning, you fool!

You got a woman in there?

- Yeah, I got a woman in there.

I married her

so she'd stay in there with me.

Where's yours?

Hello, Lorraine.

Hello, Bird.

And if you coming in, I'm leaving.

Will you write this down for me?

- Why don't you write it down?

I got no paper and people

are waiting for me in the cab.

Write it down in the morning.

I won't be here in the morning.

I'm going on the road from here.

Where?

Nice apartment.

Maybe I went out on my own too soon.

- Where? Where are you going?

- I don't know.

They know.

Will you write this down for me?

If I get this gig in California,

am I going to be able to find you?

California?

Not supposed to be easy

to score in California.

Sh*t.

Hey!

Got a gig. I gotta go.

Whenever you get to where

you're going, call me. All right?

I thought I told you to shut him up.

Good night.

Night.

I thought you were in Philadelphia!

- I was.

- What are you doing here?

- I'm rehearsing.

- You got a dance job?

- You bet.

That's nice.

I was checking on a record date.

Oh, wow.

So you're looking splendid.

When are you gonna marry me?

When you straighten up

and walk like a jazz musician.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

You want a bite of this?

It's my third one.

I got gum.

Maybe that's the secret.

To play like Bird, eat like Bird.

All those 2 and 4 bar breaks.

What you mean is, I eat

an awful lot for a junkie, don't I?

Don't tell me what I mean, man.

Sorry, man.

So how you come to know

so much about music?

Will you talk to me?

Heritage.

My father produced nightclub shows.

Broadway Ben, they called him.

I had my sweet 16 party

at the Cotton Club.

It's always been musicians.

You weren't seeing about

any record date tonight.

No. And you knew I wasn't in Philly.

Everyone knows I lost that gig.

- That's right.

- That's right.

- So?

- So?

So why are we conning each other?

Everyone assumes we're an item

because I show up wherever you play.

You do?

I don't always say hello. And you

don't usually leave alone either.

And while we're on the subject...

...how many wives do you have?

I have met more women

who claim to be...

...Mrs. Charlie Parker!

And all of them wearing rings!

Rings are cheap.

Rings are cheap?

Is that what you want to say?

Is that all you want to say?

- What size ring you wear?

- Oh, no. Not me.

Tell me more about Broadway Ben.

He had a way about him.

The year I was born...

...he opened up a place on 58th Street

across from the Plaza Hotel.

He called it the Club Grandeur.

- That way.

- Is that where you lived?

Oh, no. By that time,

I was in Westchester.

Where?

Westchester, why?

Nothing, I just like the way

you say that. "Westchester, why?"

I wasn't typical in those days.

I'm half Jewish and my hero's

Duke Ellington. I mean, wow!

And now who is it?

Billy McNabb?

Oh, no. Billy's sexy

and he's dangerous...

...but I don't buy his records.

But I didn't kill you.

Took me a while to get used to the sound,

I was brought up on Johnny Hodges...

...but you always killed me.

I didn't think I had to say so.

You buy my records?

Yeah.

- Show me.

- Pretty crude. Come.

Yardbird, Yardbird, man.

We were just talking about you.

- Was it good?

- Always good, man. Always good.

Sid, what's going on?

Nothing. But if you don't treat

that lady right, great as you are...

- ...I'll kick you in the head.

- Me and Sid took a liking to her.

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