1928-1964. Virtuoso woodwind player; main horns: alto saxophone, flute, bass clarinet. His career spanned late-40's bebop to 60's free jazz, including stints in legendary Charles Mingus groups; his death came just as he found a generation of players who could grok his (and friend John Coltrane's) unique styles. Node-sized take: Charlie Parker's style (on alto), cut-and-pasted into alien keys and rhythmically askew; he could make a clarinet talk, and a flute sing like a bird.