“Bird”, is about the life of saxophonist Charlie Parker and is a 1988 film directed by the legendary Clint Eastwood. This film falls under the category of “one of the ones who got away” from the publication of “Mirror Mirror: The Astrology of Famous and the Actors Who Portrayed Them”.

Birth Data

Charlie Parker; 29 August 1920, 1:45, Kansas City, Kansas, Rodden rating: B, collector: Lepoivre

Forest Whitaker: 15 July 1961, 10:30, Longview Texas, Rodden rating: A, collector: Steinbrecher

Charles MacPherson: 24 July 1939, Joplin Missouri, time unknown, source: Wikipedia

Film released: 30 September 1988

Synopsis

For jazz fans, there is no better film than “Bird” which features previously unreleased music by saxophonist Charlie Parker. Parker was known for his improvisation skills and his legendary collaborations with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Sadly, Parker was also known for his drugs and alcohol addictions and he died at the age of 34.

In the film, Parker found a kin spirit in Gillespie and they developed a particular style of jazz that would become known as “be-bop”. Parker fell in love with a dancer and jazz aficionado who would break his heart when she became pregnant by another man. Parker began a steep decline into addiction but made a serious attempt to find sobriety. He begins touring all over the world but, as the music world is full of fellow addicts, he succumbed to his addictions following the death of his daughter.

The Astrology

Many films feature musicians who mime the characters they are playing. Whitaker has been praised for his portrayal of Parker and given the actor’s Moon and Uranus in Leo are conjunct the musician’s Mercury within a one-degree orb, it is easy to see how Whitaker stepped into the role. However, it must also be pointed out that a different actor was a body double for Parker: Charles MacPherson. Actors portraying musicians are often problematic in film-making: professional musicians (or sometimes even amateur musicians) can easily spot the fakery. MacPherson went above and beyond his call of duty. Not only was he a saxophone player in real life but he carefully listened to Parker’s breathing and was able to completely embody the musician style. MacPherson’s Mercury in Leo, like Whitaker’s, was within a 2-degree orb of Parker’s. It is perfect mimicry and a spellbinding performance no doubt enhanced by MacPherson’s Neptune being exactly conjunct Parker’s Venus. Incredibly, transiting Venus was at 25 degrees of Leo when the film was released. Although regarded as a commercial failure, “Bird” is a must-have film in every jazz lovers’ collection.