The Greg Abate Jazz Quartet will perform A Tribute to Charlie Parker Friday night at 8 at Chan’s in Woonsocket. Joining Abate, above, will be Artie Cabral on drums, John Repucci on bass and Greg Wardson on piano.

Charlie Parker, one of the inventors of modern jazz saxophone, was born 88 years ago tomorrow, so Greg Abate, one of Rhode Island’s top jazz saxmen, decided his show at Chan’s would be a natural opportunity to mark the occasion.

“[Abate] being the Prince of Bebop, I thought it would be a great idea,” Chan says. “Coinciding with Parker’s birthday, everything fell into place.”

Abate, who lives in Coventry, says that his show tomorrow night will be “a regular Greg Abate show” with an emphasis on Parker’s compositions (as well as a few Abate originals that borrow from the harmonic flavors that Parker favored).

“A technical genius on the horn, plus he had great harmonic continuity,” Abate says of Parker.

“When I look at his lines, they’re really easy to follow harmonically.”

Parker, of course, died from the ravages of a long-term heroin addiction in 1955. He was 34; those in the know say he looked about twice that. Abate recalls how Dizzy Gillespie, another of Abate’s musical heroes, “kept him as straight as he could. Gillespie was more happy naturally; he didn’t need to have that stuff going on.”

Abate is one of Rhode Island’s road warriors of music, playing with various backing groups all over the world. (He’s got locals Artie Cabral on drums, John Repucci on bass, Greg Wardson on piano for this show). Abate’s off to Ohio and Los Angeles in the first couple of weeks of next month; a trip to Wisconsin is on the docket for fall, as are a few weeks in England.

A British album is coming out this month, while another, recorded in California, is still in the can due to record company financial problems, Abate says. “It seems a little bit harder” to keep up the hard-traveling lifestyle, says the saxophonist, who also teaches at CCRI.

“It’s really a difficult life, I’ll tell you that,” but he adds that it’s worth it.

Abate says he feels a special debt to Parker: “He was a catalyst for me to really understand bebop and jazz improvisation — spontaneous, creative stretching out with a lot of energy [that’s] not premeditated.

“I feel really honored to be able to play the way I do. So a tribute is a serious thing for me.”

Abate emphasizes that, apart from doing Parker’s tunes, it isn’t a sound-alike show: Parker was an original, and the best way to honor him, Abate says, is to be original.

“I never wanted to copy people,” Abate says. “I want to interpret the great playing he did my own way.”

Greg Abate plays at Chan’s, 267 Main St., Woonsocket, Friday night at 8. Call (401) 765-1900.

rmassimo@projo.com