Chuck Perrin

All of us look for ways to help us navigate our personal journey through life.
We seek inspiration and direction in the places that speak straight to our souls.
Music speaks to mine, especially jazz music.
One of my main mental mentors is a musician from last century known as Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. He was a black man trying to create musical art at a time when blacks were relegated to a narrowly restricted space, both physically and conceptually. Sadly, they were woefully under appreciated for the uniquely special human beings they are.
In those oppressive circumstances, Charlie Parker pioneered the beautifully explosive sounds of bebop. He dared to soar beyond the common public conception of sonic-ness to create a new music – one that captured and channeled the frustrated energy which had built up inside of him, fueled by the troubled times he was living through.
His music inspires me. It tells me I should stretch beyond what appears to limit me, and that it’s okay to be myself, to trust what my instincts tell me – and to play the music I hear in my head, whether anyone else likes it or not.
I don’t know about you, but I think this world would be a far better place if we all learned to listen to and trust what we feel inside. Bird Lives!