Bird Page #8

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Come on and see the lovely Suzette!

Bird, what's going on?

When did Buster start playing

rhythm and blues?

Ain't no such thing

as rhythm and blues.

DJs don't like to call it that.

This is rock 'n' roll.

Music of today. Yeah! Go!

It don't fit. All this

off of playing in B-flat?

You figure it out.

B flat tonight, F sharp tomorrow.

Twelve notes in the scale.

Buster's got 12 different shows

without repeating once.

It don't fit.

All right, let's hear it

for Buster Franklin!

Everybody, everybody--

All right, here you go.

Give me that.

Chan said he was driving down.

- Could be he got stuck in--

- Traffic.

Sure.

I don't want to hurt you, but I will.

Now let go! Let go!

Everybody said you flipped out.

What are you, a goddamn thief?

I just wanted to see if it could

play more than one note at a time.

What?

You want money?

Never mind.

Never you mind.

Come on, come on.

Damnedest thing.

The damnedest thing!

I couldn't remember

where I parked my car.

And my horn is

in the back of the car.

I'd have called you, but I couldn't

remember the number. I couldn't.

Storyville in Boston,

three nights starting tomorrow.

House band, 400 bucks.

- What did he say?

- What do you think?

"Get me somebody half as good

who shows up."

I showed up.

Yeah, you always do.

Eventually.

Bernie, this is the studio where

we recorded the Metronome All-Star day.

- You remember?

- Yeah.

The trumpet section was...

...Dizzy...

...Miles...

...Fats.

Poor Fats.

You know, he wasn't in good health.

He died right after that.

When you didn't show up,

I called Chan.

She was worried.

Maybe you ought to give her a ring.

Storyville?

Storyville. Copley Square.

Boston. Massachusetts.

Earth!

- Operator.

- Operator? Operator?

This is a collect call.

- Hello?

- Collect call from Charlie Parker.

Will you accept?

Yes, I will.

Hello?

Hello, pudding?

Pudding, are you there?

Are you there?

Oh, my God.

I was....

I just had an awful dream.

I told you time and again...

...to stop indulging so frequently

in overly spiced food.

The spices'll kill you.

Will you get the hell out of there

and come home?

I can't let my Boston audience down.

I can't come home right now.

You know, I still do

have an audience here.

You didn 't ask about Morello.

Well, that's shop.

How long is this Boston gig?

I should be home around Monday.

You know, you might as well take care

of that lawn in the meantime.

It's like a jungle out there.

The lawn?

Oh, yeah, sure.

And you remind me...

...when I get home...

...I want to paint that garage.

You know, if you have a home...

...the least that you can do

for that home is maintain it.

Have you got any medication?

I got everything.

I hate to hang up.

You didn't always, you know.

What?

You need me to get evil with you?

Yeah.

Get evil.

Goodbye.

[THUNDER RUMBLES]

I don't think sitting up

is the thing just yet.

You fainted.

Very undignified of me.

Nonsense.

You're always welcome here.

No matter what the condition.

Give me Chan's phone number

and I'll ring her up later.

No.

Please.

And no doctor.

I've already phoned the doctor.

When was the last time you fainted?

Don't know.

Been a while though.

You should be in a hospital.

I don't ever want to go back

to the hospital again, doc.

You drink a good deal?

Sometimes I have a little sherry

before dinner.

He should be in

the emergency room, not here.

Tell me it'd help him

and I'll take him.

Help him? He's got a history

of advanced cirrhosis...

...perforated ulcers,

insult to the heart...

...and I'm fairly sure

he's bleeding internally.

It's you I'm trying to help, Nica.

I'll phone you if there's a change.

There won't be.

Good night.

You've drunk it all.

That's what I call

a prodigious thirst.

Prodigious.

That's nice.

What do you think about Yardbird?

I'm not mad.

That's you, man.

Hi, I'm Chan Richardson.

Has Mildred come in yet?

I can't reach her at home.

When she does,

tell her to phone me immediately.

And tell her I need

to reach Chan right away.

I'll fill you in later.

Barbara, I got another one after this

so get down the preliminary...

...I'll give you

the full report tomorrow.

Charles Christopher Parker, Jr.

Preliminary diagnosis: heart attack.

Stocky, male, Negro...

...approximately 65 years of age.

He was 34.

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