Charlie Parker

5 Minutes That Will Make You Love Charlie Parker

Bird helped usher in bebop and transformed the alto saxophone into an instrument of startling possibility. Here’s an 11-song primer on his enduring legacy.

Magic, mastery and magisterial power: 10 of Sonny Rollins’ greatest recordings

After his death aged 95, we look back at a remarkable catalogue of work that stretches from vivacious mid-50s sets to his evocative performance after 9/11• News: Sonny Rollins, colossus of jazz saxophone, dies aged 95A 30-year-old Sonny Rollins had already made his unique mark with Miles Davis and Thelonious Monk by the time this 1956 session was cut, just a year after bebop sax revolutionary Charlie Parker’s death – but hooking up with his contemporary and admirer John Coltrane happened by...

Miles Davis’s superior musical intelligence | Letters

Dr Richard Carter and Meirion Bowen respond to an editorial which argues that the musician still shapes modern music 100 years after his birthYour editorial marking the centenary of Miles Davis’s birth rather understates his musical intelligence (The Guardian view on 100 years after Miles Davis’s birth: why he still shapes modern music, 24 May). Unable to play with the facility of dazzling trumpeters like Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro, it was less a case of his preferring “restraint and...

Miles Davis’s superior musical intelligence | Letters

Dr Richard Carter and Meirion Bowen respond to an editorial which argues that the musician still shapes modern music 100 years after his birthYour editorial marking the centenary of Miles Davis’s birth rather understates his musical intelligence (The Guardian view on 100 years after Miles Davis’s birth: why he still shapes modern music, 24 May). Unable to play with the facility of dazzling trumpeters like Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro, it was less a case of his preferring “restraint and...

‘He May Be the Greatest Virtuoso That Jazz Has Ever Produced’

In August 1958, Esquire invited 58 jazz musicians to meet on a stoop in Harlem for a photo shoot. The resulting picture, now known as Harlem 1958, became legendary for collecting some of the genre’s greatest talents, stretching from the swing era (Count Basie, Gene Krupa) to the peaks of bebop (Charles Mingus, Dizzy Gillespie). The assembled musicians may not have realized that rock and roll was on the verge of taking over pop music, thus sweeping jazz to the margins—but the fact that it was...

England's WAGs can splurge on £1,000 bottle of wine and £500 champagne at World Cup base

England's WAGs can splurge on £1,000 bottle of wine and £500 champagne at World Cup base England's squad will be joined by their wives and girlfriends at World Cup 2026 and the players' other halves can enjoy the Three Lions' base of operations England will soon call Kansas City home. And the players' wives and girlfriends can take full advantage of some Midwestern hospitality. Thomas Tuchel's World Cup 2026 squad jet into Missouri on June 13.

Magic, mastery and magisterial power: 10 of Sonny Rollins’ greatest recordings

Jazz saxophone legend Sonny Rollins has passed away at the age of 95. His extensive catalogue of work is being celebrated, spanning from energetic mid-50s performances to later evocative recordings. The article highlights his early inventive period, noting his work with Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

The Guardian view on 100 years after Miles Davis’s birth: why he still shapes modern music | Editorial

Future Power Rankings: How all 68 Power 4 college football teams stack up

Projecting a college football program's future is harder than ever. Rosters and fortunes change dramatically and championship pathways are more open than ever. The assets that make a program great in 2026 might not be there in 2027.

Big 12 preview: Despite the drama, Texas Tech stil...

Back when the NIL era was in its nascent stages, with a new Big 12 and a 12-team College Football Playoff on the way, I wondered if there was room for the emergence of a Clemson-style dynasty from a conference known primarily for the endless number of close games. If some team could craft a recruiting boost from both solid spending and sustained success, perhaps they could ride that to a series of conference titles and, perhaps, even playoff runs? I admittedly didn't have a specific team in...