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BEBOP

A NEW DIRECTION FOR JAZZ

IN THE WAKE OF BIG BAND

(CHAPTER 11)

THE FALL OF BIG BAND •  World War II

•  Changing fads / tastes

•  The rise of the Star Singer

•  Sinatra, Holiday, Fitzgerald •  Artistic unrest

•  1942 Recording Ban

•  Musicians’ Union strike over Juke Box royalties

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AN EVOLUTION?

BIG BAND

Arrangements

•  Charts, less solos

Large groups

Controlled

Dance music

Commercial

Concert Halls

BEBOP

Short melodies

•  Focus on solos

Small combos

Spontaneous

Extreme tempos

Artistic & free

Jam Sessions

The Jam Session home of Bebop in its formative years

MINTON’S PLAYHOUSE

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THE BEBOP STYLE •  Jagged, surprising rhythms

•  Comping

•  Dropping bombs

•  Dramatic bass drum accents •  Dissonance

•  Chord substitution •  Tritones

•  Raging tempos

The grand wizards of Bebop

THE REVOLUTION

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CHARLIE ‘BIRD’ PARKER •  (1920 – 1955)

•  Raised in Kansas City

•  Blues, jam session training •  Relentless practicing

•  1942: 1st recordings with ‘Dizzy’

•  1947: His peak period

•  Charlie Parker with Strings •  Introduced Miles Davis

•  1955: Died of a heart attack

BIRD’S INNOVATIONS •  New kinds of Dissonance

•  Complex harmony •  Outside Playing

•  Virtuosic technique

•  Bright, edgy sound

•  Contrafact

•  New melody to the chords of a standard •  Complex, intellectual improvisations

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JOHN BIRKS ‘DIZZY’ GILLESPIE •  (1917 – 1993)

•  Raised on Swing trumpet masters

•  Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldridge •  1937: Cab Calloway’s Band

•  Strong Latin influence •  Led “The Quintet” with Parker

•  Organizer and promoter •  The main promoter & teacher of Bebop

•  60’s: Pioneered Latin Jazz

DIZZY’S INNOVATIONS •  Virtuoso: super high, super fast

•  Dramatic, playful style

•  Iconic fashion

•  Bebop’s promoter & teacher

•  Popularized Latin Jazz

•  Rhythms & Harmonies •  Brought Latin players to the U.S.

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BUD & DEX •  Bud Powell (1924 – 1966)

•  Piano virtuoso •  Huge influence on modern piano

•  Pioneered “right hand” style •  Slowly went insane from a head injury

•  Dexter Gordon (1923 – 1990)

•  A mix of Lester and Parker •  Part of the expatriate jazz clan •  Intricate, laid-back style