Kansas City PBS is proud to present a documentary that looks back at the years Charlie “Bird” Parker spent in Kansas City and his lasting legacy on the Kansas City jazz scene. Bird: Not Out of Nowhere features rarely seen archival footage of Parker, interviews with musicians and historians, and live performances from Kansas City’s most talented jazz musicians.

Conductor Gunther Schuller leads 30 renowned musicians in this spectacular world-premiere performance of Charles Mingus's epic composition, "Epitaph," filmed at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall on June 3, 1989. Clocking in at more than two hours long, the landmark piece was unearthed only after the jazz legend's death in 1979. The orchestra includes such musical luminaries as Wynton Marsalis, Lew Soloff, Bobby Watson and Urbie Green.