My blog on Bird was brief, emphasizing his music. Bird had run-ins with police, and so did many other jazz musicians. The instrument of police control was the infamous cabaret card. The occasions and excuses for this particular form of oppression was often drugs, but it could be many things. The card was a license to perform issued by government. This practice ended in 1967. I haven’t looked into what has replaced it, if anything. Nate Chinen has an article on the “police state” operation of the cabaret card in which he informs us: “A cursory background of the legislation … Continue reading Jazz Birthday Addendum: Charlie Parker and the Cabaret Card