Charlie Parker Memorial, Memorial in the Jazz District, Kansas City, United States.
This eighteen-foot sculpture by Robert Graham depicts Charlie Parker's head with closed eyes and pursed lips, arranged in a segmented grid pattern with a green patina finish.
Dedicated in March 1999, the memorial honors Charlie Parker, who was born in Kansas City in 1920 and became a pioneering bebop saxophonist in the 1940s.
The inscription 'Bird Lives' on the memorial base reflects the enduring reverence for Parker's revolutionary contributions to jazz and American music as a whole.
The memorial is located at East 18th Street and Vine near the American Jazz Museum and is accessible daily from early morning until midnight for visitors.
The phrase 'Bird Lives' originated as graffiti appearing across New York City after Parker's death in 1955, symbolizing his lasting influence on generations of musicians.
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