New Graphic Novel Profiles Jazz Legend Charlie Parker

Z2 COMICS AND THE CHARLIE “BIRD” PARKER ESTATE ANNOUNCE THE FIRST-EVER GRAPHIC NOVEL CHRONICLING A CHAPTER IN THE LIFE OF THE JAZZ LEGEND ‘Instrumental’ Creator Dave Chisholm Returns To Premier Publisher of Music-Inspired Comics For “Chasin’ the Bird: Charlie Parker in California” with Peter Markowski NEW YORK, NY—In honor of the 100th anniversary of Charlie “Bird” Parker’s birth, the life of the jazz icon will be told in the pages of an upcoming graphic novel to be released by Z2 Comics later this year. During his short life, Bird changed the course of music. He was a pioneering composer and improviser who ushered in a new era of jazz and influenced subsequent generations of musicians, writers and artists. Music industry legend Quincy Jones once said, “I believe that a hundred years from now, when people look back at the 20th century, they will view Bird, Miles and Dizzy as our Mozart, Bach, Chopin and Tchaikovsky.” With the publisher’s highly anticipated Grateful Dead: Origins graphic novel due out in just over a month, Z2 switches genre and tempo to the story of perhaps one of the most overlooked times in the life of the late great father of bebop. Chasin’ the Bird is named for Charlie Parker’s 1947 standard, and adapts one of the sunnier, but darker chapters in the life of Bird, beautifully told by Dave Chisholm and colored by DreamWorks Animation Director Peter Markowski. The book will be released in September, and will include an exclusive flexi disc record featuring a recording from Parker’s time in Los Angeles. The deluxe limited edition will include a vinyl 45 with two tracks to be announced ahead of release. In conjunction with the graphic novel, Verve Records/UMe are currently working on a new album spanning Bird’s L.A. period that will be released in September as well. 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 being released during the centennial of Bird, dubbed Bird 100, as one of the many initiatives celebrating the extraordinary career of the trailblazing jazzicon, including exciting new music releases, a tribute tour, festivals and events, prestigious exhibitions, special partnerships, exclusive collectible art, and myriad of independent appreciations and concerts. Chasin The Bird is available for preorder now from Z2's website in both standard and deluxe editions.  www.charliebirdparker.com ###   About Charlie Parker: If jazz history can be divided into two epochs — danceable swing and improvisational bebop — then Charlie Parker is the fault line. During his brief but remarkable career, the alto saxophonist nicknamed “Bird” gave jazz lightning tempos, mind-bending chord substitutions, and previously unexplored harmonic depth, paving the way for hard bop, free jazz, fusion and everything after. Miles Davis summed up his accomplishments: “You can tell the history of jazz in four words. Louis Armstrong. Charlie Parker.” Parker, who died in 1955 at only 34, was a meteoric musician that burned bright and much too quick. But his legacy more than lives on; it’s jazz scripture. Jack Kerouac called him “as important as Beethoven.” Four of his recordings were inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame including albums Charlie Parker With Strings and Jazz At Massey Hall and the songs “Ornithology” and “Billie’s Bounce.” In 1974, he was awarded a posthumous Grammy for Best Performance By A Soloist for “First Recordings.” In 1988, the Clint Eastwood-directed biopic “Bird” brought his story to the silver screen. The U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in his honor in 1995. The Parker composition “Koko” was included in the National Recorded Registry in 2002, declaring the song as “culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform(s) or reflect(s) life in the United States.” Although his life and career were short, the New Yorker has praised Parker as “one of the wonders of twentieth-century music” and the New York Times deemed him “matchless” and a “bebop exemplar.” Parker’s popularity continues to grow as the world celebrates the 100th birthday in 2020. About Z2 Comics: Z2 is the premier destination for top quality music-based comics and graphic novels, having worked across genres to deliver an authentic experience to diverse audiences. Some of the publisher’s best-selling books include Apocrypha: The Legend of BABYMETAL, YUNGBLUD Presents: The Twisted tales of the Ritalin Club and Eden: A Skillet Graphic Novel, alongside debut works of graphic fiction by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys), Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), DJ Paul Oakenfold, internet sensation Poppy, jazz trumpeter Dave Chisholm and others. Z2’s upcoming works include books created with partnership with The Grateful Dead, Sturgill Simpson and others. About Jampol Artist Management: Jampol Artist Management, Inc., which has been an effective and discerning steward for such legends as The Doors, Janis Joplin, Ramones, Charlie Parker, Jim Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Johnny Ramone, The Mamas & the Papas and Jefferson Airplane, utilizes all available platforms to connect fans new and old with their clients and provide new avenues for discovery and exploration. JAM Inc.’s work on behalf of its legacy clients includes feature and documentary films; worldwide retail apparel and licensing campaigns; powerful uses in film, TV and other media; innovative use of social media; stage productions, museum exhibitions, books and more.

Eastman & Laird Return To TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES

A Miniseries Three Decades in the Making, A Heartwrenching Tale of Justice and Family SAN DIEGO, CA (April 27, 2020) – Springing from a lost 1987 storyline by TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastmanand Peter Laird, the much-anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin will be available this summer from IDW Publishing (OTCQX: IDWM) in an epic oversized five-issue miniseries! In a future New York City far different from the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. Kinetic layouts from Eastman, atmospheric inks from Andy Kuhn, and a thrilling script full of surprises from longtime TMNT scribe Tom Waltz all combine to make this one of the most memorable TMNT stories that fans will ever read. In his own words, Kevin Eastman reflects on the conception of this important TMNT milestone: "About ten years ago, I re-discovered a twenty page outline for a TMNT story that Peter and I wrote together back in 1987. The story was set thirty years in the future, which (as written then) was set in 2017. Reading through it again, I drifted back to a very different time in TMNT history — back when it was all about the comics, mostly just Peter and I writing and drawing the issues, pre-everything the world would soon come to know about these characters that we'd created and called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. “It has been an INCREDIBLE thirty-six year journey, thanks to the brilliant talents of so many that brought new visions and TMNT stories to life, and especially the fans who supported all of them. Nine years ago, I was invited back into the TMNT comic universe, via my friends at IDW Publishing. Aside from the original run with my friend and co-creator Peter Laird, working on the IDW TMNT universe has been the best time I have had with the Turtles for a very, VERY long time. “A little over a year ago, as the ongoing series headed towards issue one hundred, I showed a rough revised and updated version of the story outline (now set in the year 2040) to Tom Waltz, who equally fell in love with the possibilities of it. The Last Ronin is a heartfelt love poem to all the TMNT universes of the past, and offers up an intense look at one possible future — firmly based on and adapted from an original thirty-three year-old idea, from the original creators. “Trust me — Tom, Andy, and I have just started on a two-hundred page journey... and it IS going to be one HELL of a ride..." Series co-writer Tom Waltz says, “When Kevin first showed me the outline that he and Peter had created back in the ’80s, I was gobsmacked. Beyond Peter Laird’s eerily prescient technological and sociological predictions, the story idea itself was exciting and versatile, designed in a way that it could be easily modified to fit into the many different TMNT iterations that have existed over the years, without losing any of the core elements injected into it by both Kevin and Peter. I have the absolute honor to join these legendary creators to craft a TMNT story set in a chaotic future, rife with revenge, honor, tragedy, hope, and over-the-top ninja-action sequences that’ll blow any Turtles fan’s mind, no matter what version of the beloved franchise is their favorite.” “After hitting TMNT #100 last year, we were interested in doing something even larger in scope and also something that really plays to everyone’s strengths,” says editor Bobby Curnow. “The Last Ronin is that project: the future New York we’re building is a perfect place for Tom’s immersive world-building and characterization, and Andy’s art is more innovative and engaging than we’ve ever seen. This is Kevin and Peter’s vision, but the entire team is making it their own and that’s really exciting to see.” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin #1 will be available with multiple cover variants for retailers and fans to enjoy, including Cover A by Kevin Eastman and two Retailer Incentive editions by Eastman and Mateus Santolouco (TMNT: Shredder in Hell), respectively. Each issue is a blockbuster 48 pages and 7.5x11 trim size! For information on how to acquire copies of TMNT: The Last Ronin comic books, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.

About IDW Publishing IDW Publishing (IDWP), a division of IDW Media Holdings Inc. (OTC: IDWM), is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, trade paperbacks, and tabletop games. IDWP is one of the top four publishers of comic books and graphic novels in the U.S. with a library of world-renowned licensed content and original series. IDWP’s critically-acclaimed imprints include Top Shelf Productions, Artist’s Editions, The Library of American Comics, and Yoe! Books.

Eddie Cochran - Weekend

Weekend, recorded 1959.  R.I.P., Eddie.

EDDIE COCHRAN - SOMETHIN ELSE

Something' Else from 1957. Imagine if he had lived beyond 21 years. (Killed in car accident in England)

Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (Town Hall Party - 1959)

1958 Summertime Blues

Eddie Cochran - Twenty Flight Rock

1957, as featured in the movie "The Girl Can't Help It"

Eddie cochran C'mon everybody

MUSIC FAVORITES 1951-1960 #1 Eddie Cochran. He released mostly singles so I'm not going to single out (ha) a particular album here.  1958