“Americans don’t have any original art except Western movies and jazz” - Clint Eastwood

1. “Americans don’t have any original art except Western movies and jazz” - Clint Eastwood

2. Bebop is linked to Charlie Parker • Bebop reached its highest level during Parker’s lifetime • Bebop was developed by and for virtuosos • Improvisational freedom • Black musicians reasserting their dominance • Jazz was maturing • Early Bebop drew small audiences • Only a few musicians could do it well • Sophisticated chord structures • Irregular melodies • Lightening speed • Listeners became confused

3. Four Important Changes • Bebop required a greater understanding of jazz theory and called for virtuoso technique • Bebop introduced complex instrumental melodies and phrases • Bebop introduced complex chords and rhythms to the rhythm section • Bebop developed a serious cult of musicians

4. Technique • Improvisation shifted from ornamenting the melody to organizing new patterns of fast and active melodic lines • Patterns often ended with an abrupt two-note figure that suggested the word “be-bop” • The musicians developed theoretical relationships between distented chords and esoteric scales to justify what had been dissonance. These notes are called melodic extensions

5. New Melodies • The important notes (the top notes of the melodic line) were accented • The accented notes outlined a new melody • Bebop melodies are not very tuneful

6. “I Can’t Get Started” - 1945 • The band: • Trumpet - Dizzy Gillespie • Trombone - Trummy Young • Tenor sax - Don Byas • Piano - Clyde Hart • Bass - Oscar Pettiford • Drums - Shelly Manne

7. “I Can’t Get Started”SCCJ 3 - 10 • 0.00 Intro using chords from the last phrase of the song, tenor sax and t-bone play long chord tones, bass stays around a 4-to-the-measure beat, drums use brushes in a slow swing pattern • 0.30 1st 8 measure section begins, trp. Creates a melodic variation using the shape and most of the original Vernon Duke tune. Tenor sax and t-bone play a unison countermelody • 0.58 melodic extensions end the phrases • 1.05 countermelody returns with a repeat of the (A) section • 1.39 bridge (B), new countermelody, the original melody becomes more obscure • 2.12 last (A) section, countermelody by tenor sax and t-bone in unison • 2.47 the chorus is extended into an ending • 2.55 short solo break (trp.) • 3.00 ending

8. The Rhythm Section • Carried the weight of harmony and rhythm • The pianist discovered new ways to play familiar chords • The bass played walked more often and faster • The drummer added complicated patterns • Use of polyrhythms • In “Un Poco Loco” Max Roach punctuates with bombs

9. AABA Form • Most bebop performances are heavily weighted with solos and little arrangement • Big band arrangements are completely rejected • Emphasis on improvisation created new melodies for old songs and often eliminated the original melody completely • “Embraceable You” from the Broadway Show “Girl Crazy”sung by Kiri Te Kanawa • “Embraceable You” Charlie Parker Quintet • “Embraceable You” Charlie Parker Quintet • “Embraceable You” from the Broadway Show, “Crazy For You” • Newly written tunes minimize the melody and expand time for the solos • Used standard 32-bar AABA form with the 8 bar (A) section having the only written melody • AABA is not a new form

10. 32 - bar song form Melody Same Melody Improvised solo Original Melody Chords and chords and new chords and chords A A B A

11. “KoKo” - 1945 • Not the same “KoKo” as recorded by Ellington (SCCJ 3 - 4) • Fast tempo with a bass note on each beat • Parker composed a new melody to the popular standard “Cherokee” • Requires great technical skill • Parker and Gillespie play in unison • Max Roach creates a steady roar and dominates the rest of the rhythm section

12. “KoKo”Intro. To Jazz 1 - 9 • 0.00 Intro with double time unison melody by alto sax and trp. • 0.06 trp solo with drum accmpt (brushes) - bombs • 0.12 sax solo with drums • 0.18 duet (harmonized melody), drums continue, uniform inflections • 0.25 1st chorus (AA); alto sax solo; bass walks; drums play ride pattern; piano comps • 0.50 Bridge (B) - last notes of phrase are extensions • 1.03 last (A) of 1st chorus • 1.15 2nd chorus (AA) • 1.40 bridge (B) very complicated • 1.54 last (A) of 2nd chorus • 2.06 drum solo; bass drum and snare drum, accents on snare, the beat becomes difficult to find • 2.29 unison melody line returns • 2.35 muted trp solo with drum (cymbals) accomp. • 2.41 sax solo with drums • 2.47 duet ending • 2.51 end

13. “Parker’s Mood” - 1948 • An example of “not fast” bebop • Combines the blues with the intensity of bebop • Lyric piano solo complements Parker • The band: • Alto sax - Charlie Parker • Piano - John Lewis • Bass - Curley Russell • Drums - Max Roach

14. “Parker’s Mood”SCCJ 3 - 19 • 0.00 alto sax makes the opening statement • 0.05 piano continues, bass walks, drums start playing steady time, a 12 - bar blues • 0.16 1st chorus: Alto solo, piano comps and fills, drums and bass continue • 0.29 Repeated melodic pattern • 0.37 Double-time melody • 0.52 2nd chorus: Relaxed lay-back style • 1.22 Extended harmonic changes leading into next chorus • 1.30 3rd chorus: Piano solo, with Lewis humming; a simple lyric melody • 2.06 4th chorus: many inflections • 2.46 Coda (same as intro) Alto sax followed by piano, bass, and drums • 3.00 end

15. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • in the 1940’s prisoners were called “yardbirds” - Parker’s jail time • partial to fried chicken • “Bird” is the artist who brought bebop to maturity • born Charles Christopher Parker, Jr. 8/29/20 • age 13 became absorbed in jazz and began to frequent the clubs at night • his mother bought him a sax for $45.00 and he taught himself to play • joined the Deans of Swing

16. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • at 15 quit school, married Rebecca Ruffing and let his wife and mother support him while he learned jazz • bought a new sax in 1936; son Leon was born • 1937 - got up and uninvited, sat in with the Basie drummer Jo Jones - became lost in the changes and Jones threw a cymbal at him • practiced and memorized Lester Youngs solos by listening to the records • returned to KC and began his career • 1938 - hired by Tommy Douglas and learned theory

17. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • 1938 - encouraged to “move out” by his wife and mother; pawned horn, moved to NYC, washed dishes at Jimmie’s Chicken Shack in lower Harlem - heard Art Tatum • NYC • Parisien Ballroom (taxi dance hall) • Clark Monroe’s Uptown House • Jay McShann in KC • 1943 - Earl Hines in NYC • worked with Dizzy and developed Bop • 1945 stayed in NY • small groups

18. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • recorded • got Miles as a sideman • went to Hollywood to play with Dizzy, Milt Jackson, Ray Brown, Stan Levey, Al Haig • the band returned to NY in two months • Bird stayed - traded ticket for drug money • 1946 drug habit • unable;e to play at a recording session • set fire to his hotel room • committed to Camarillo State Hospital for the mentally disordered from 1946 - 1947 • released, improved

19. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • 1947 - 1950 productive years • 1948 - declining health - ulcers • relationship with Chan Richardson (she became his last “wife” (of 4) and had his daughter and son • 1949 - fulfilled a dream and played with strings • 1951 - lost his NYC cabaret license • Bird and Red Rodney (trumpet) joined Norman Granz’s Jazz at the Philharmonic show in Hamburg, Germany, but were sent home because of drug problems

20. Charlie “Bird” Parker1920 - 1955 • 1954 - booked into Birdland - the NY nightclub named after him • brought his string players • fired the string players in the middle of a set • walked out, went home, drank a bottle of iodine, swallowed a bottle of aspirin and ended up in Bellevue • committed himself to the Psychiatric Pavilion • died on March 12, 1955 at the home of a friend • the cult developed “BIRD LIVES!”

21. “BIRD” • a film by Clint Eastwood • 1988 • Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora

22. Dizzy Gillespie1917 - 1994 • John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie • b. 1917 in Cheraw, South Carolina • first bop trumpet player and innovator of this style along with Charlie Parker • played with • Teddy Hill • Cab Calloway • Billy Eckstine • established reputation with Parker in small groups • formed his own big band in 1946 and became the best known jazz musician in America

23. Dizzy Gillespie1917 - 1994 • played throughout the world • “Shaw ‘Nuff” is one of the earliest bop recordings and typifies the new style • many bop tunes are composed on the “changes” of popular songs - among the most popular of the “changes” are the chord changes based on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” so they are called rhythm changes! • these chords can be modified without disrupting the harmonic progress

24. Dizzy Gillespie1917 - 1994 • Gillespie’s style: • angular melodies of 8th notes • irregular length phrases • chromatic • emotional virtuosic playing • high-middle range • listen to: • Dizzy Gillespie All-Star Quintette • “Shaw ‘Nuff” (SCCJ III-10) • “Bird Songs” (Telarc CD-83421) • “To Diz With Love” (Telarc CD-83307)