[..]
Back in New York, he had a fateful encounter with the legendary saxophonist Charlie "Bird" Parker, who had watched him play from the sidelines at the Apollo Bar. As Barretto was preparing to leave, Parker stopped him.
"As Bird was walking on stage, he put his hand on my shoulder and he said, 'You stay!' " Barretto once told an interviewer. "I spent a week jamming with Bird, and I was in heaven for seven nights. He could have had my services until I died."
[..]