The weeds sprouting at the base of Robert Graham’s bust of Charlie Parker at 17th Street and Paseo Boulevard used to bother me. I’ve since come to believe allowing for a bit of benign neglect is a healthy way to honor Parker’s legacy. Expecting Kansas City’s jazz musicians to methodically emulate Parker’s innovations is unfairly burdensome. A hundred years after his birth in Kansas City, Kansas, on August 29, 1920, Parker remains an imposing presence.
Although the global pandemic put a damper on celebrations of the centennial, the anniversary wasn’t forgotten. Parker was the subject of a KCPT documentary and an exhibit at the American Jazz Museum. And at least two sets of Parker’s recordings were reissued on vinyl. That’s why the icon who died in 1955 at the age of 34 is the obvious choice for Plastic Sax’s Person of the Year. Perhaps it’s time to allow the weeds to grow unattended.
The previous recipients of Plastic Sax's Person of the Year designation are Logan Richardson (2019), Peter Schlamb (2018), John Scott (2017), Eddie Moore (2016), Larry Kopitnik (2015), Deborah Brown (2014), Stan Kessler (2013), Doug and Lori Chandler (2012), Jeff Harshbarger (2011), Mark Lowrey (2010) and Hermon Mehari (2009). Bobby Watson was named the Plastic Sax Person of the Decade in 2009 and again in 2019.