Chasin' the Bird

It's complicated. I suppose that's part of the reason I'm drawn to the controversial legacy of Charlie Parker. The jazz immortal was only 34 when he died in 1955. He reportedly didn't want to be buried in the Kansas City area. Incredibly, his grave marker depicts the wrong type of saxophone. In 2009, his fans are increasingly cantankerous and gray. Approximately 125 of them, including the dozen or so saxophonists who played "Now's the Time," gathered Sunday at Lincoln Cemetery to pay their respects.