(eb) in session with charlie parker fixed.pdf

8/18/2019 (Eb) In session with Charlie Parker fixed.pdf

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N I C O L A S C E L I Z

n i c o s a x @ g m a i l . c o m



CharleParken the Book...

roduction r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r . 4

otesn heSolo nalysis , , , , ,

% TheGD..,Track 1 TuningTones

Billie'sBounceïrack2 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack3 Fast empobackingrackTrack 4 Slow empo withsaxophoneTrack5 Slow empobackingrack

OrnithologyTrack6 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack7 Fast empobacking rackTrack Slow empo withsaxophoneTrack9 Slow empobackingrackYardbirduite

Track10 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack11 Fast empobacking rackTrack12 Slow empowithsaxophoneTrack13 Slow empobackingrack

Now'sTheTimeTrack 14 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack 15 Fast empo backingrackTrack16 Slow empo withsaxophoneTrack17 Slow empobackingrack

DonnaeeTrack 18 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack19 Fast empobacking rackTrack20 Slow empowith saxophoneTrack21 Slow empobackingrack

AnthropologyTrack22 Fast empowithsaxophoneTrack23 Fast empobackingrackTrack24 Slow empowith saxophoneTrack25 Slow empobacking rack

nithology r r r r r r r r r rr r r r r . 15

rdbi rd Sui te , r r rr r r, r r r r r. 22

wts The Time r r r r r r . r r r r . 27

n n a L e e r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r . 3 4

thropologyt t t t t l t t t t t t l t 42

N I C O L A S C E L I Zn i c o s a x @ g m a i l . c o m



Blographyakea fewnarcotics, dd in a pinchof alcohol,stir insomeculturaltensionfuelledby a new and dangerousmusiclnowadd prohibition, a tragicallyshortened lifeand a musical giftas prodigious as it was revolutionary.Now you have thebasic ingredientsfor the life sroryof one of the greatestand

most influentialjazzmusiciansever- charlie 'Bird'parker.

He was born inKansasciry on 29th Augustr920,the only son of charlesand AddieParker. He started earningthe baritonesax but found his rueinstrumentwhen his mother gavehim an alto sax. Suchwas his infatuationwith the instrumenrthat at the age of 14 he dropped out of schoolcompletelyto dedicatehimselfto it. He got the nickname 'yardbird' fromhis loveof chicken.This inelegantsobriquetwas subsequently hortened othe altogethermore appealing'Bird',and it stuck.

His firstforaysinto the worldof the professioal azz musicianwereanything but successful,however. Kansas City musicianswere verycompetitive (HerschelEvans and Ben Ïíebster both came fromKansas) nd f youcouldn'tcutit,youwereout on parker'sirsttimeout,at theHighHat club,he driedup halfwaythroughasoloon BodyAndsoul and didn'ttouchthe instrumentorthree months afterwards. A potentiallymore damaging laterouting culminated in drummer Jo Jones throwing a cymbal atParkeras a subtleway of tellinghim to get off the stage Ratherthan discouraginghim this experienceseemed o stiffen Bird,sresolve,as he simply practisedmore diligentlyand for longerhoursthan he had before.

He startedo get egularwork,firstwithTommyDouglas1936-7)andthenwith Bustersmith(1937-8).At thistimehe startedostudyharmony with pianistcarrie powell,a move that laidthe first brick in the impressivewall of his mastery ofjazz improvisation.

In 1938he joined he bandoÍ JayMcShann,and started o makea name or

himselfas ahard-swingingaker-of-libertieswithiazzharmony.

ln 7939he madehis firstvisitto NewYork,wherehe was greatlynfluencedbythe musicalstyleof the BigApple. t wasduringhistimewithMcShannhat he madehis firstrecordings in1941,). hese earlyrecordings includingSepianBounce,Jumpin'Bluesand LonelyBoy Blues)broughthimto theattentionof a wrderazz

public,and his reputationas a harmonicinnovatorbegan o spread.



Duringthe Second orld var he hookedup withEarl Hines (1942and BillyEckstine1944)where he metDízzyGillespie, prodigioyoung rumpeterwitha cutting soundand an attitude o match.

rn 1,942 Birdmoved to New York where, with a vafiety of musiciaincluding Dízzy and drummers KennyClarke and Max Roach, anwith TheloniousMonk on piano, he helpedpioneerbebop.

By 1945 bebop had caught the narion's attention from its New Yorspiritual home,and Parker was by this time leadinghis own outfit.'síest Coast residencyat BillyBerg's helped widen the appeal of hmusic.In 1.946he playedat the LA Philharmonic,and in rhe same yehe cut a number of landmarkrecordings or the Dial recordlabel.

During all this time Parker had been living up ro his 'rabble rouseimage, with a growing record of narcoticand alcohol abuse, whicculminatedin the famous 'Loverman session' ncident in 1,946wheafter a recording session he was so desperate hat he set light to hhotel room.

A spell inthe psychiatricwing of the LAcounty jailwas the consequenof that affan, followedby six months rehab, which Birdironicalcelebrated n the recordingRELAXIN'AT CAMARILLOin 1947.

\$7henhe returned to normal life he immediatelyset to work recordifor Dial, this time withErroll Garner. The appeal of New York proveirresistibleand in t947 he returnedto form a band with the hot yountrumpet sensationMiles Davis and drummerMax Roach. It was witthis bandthat Parkerarguably hithis peak.

1949saw Parker ouringa foreigncountry forthe firsttime whenhplayed he Paris estival,ollowingthat witha trip to Scandinavi1950.

In the same year, and in an attempt to reacha wider audience,hreleased n album of musicwith string orchestra,and the success

;|ilï:ïï:'.:::.ïïHï1ï:ï"ï:'j_,*.a .a

something his sanitised,unashamedlypopuliststyle of mus

5 5

couldn'tsuPPlY''- -MUSiC iS VOUf OWn ThedefinitiveParker ecordingseremade or two lab

. .r' Íduring he midto late40s:on Savoy etween 945-8h

=xperience,our houghts,our 'Ëïli ,"1ïo'',.*,"J::,"\: ::::?;^t ,L^|i,Zdom. If you don't live it, itwon't ?:i?lii;i,iet

tnrunisia,ouer anndcra

Ome Out on yOur horn. ,, His ast ublicppearanceas n 1955 t Birdland,heclunamedafter him,but it was not an auspiciousinale. He rowe

.\r r. Ír _-t_ _- publiclywith pianist Bud Powell,who srormed oÍf stagLnaflle fafkef. qui.kly'follo*.d

by bassistCharlie Mingus.Depressedisillusioned,his body wastedby disease nd yearsof abuse,Birsought solacewith the great patron and friendof bebop, Baronessd

Koenigswater.Eight days after that fateful gighe was found dead inher hotel suite.

rdom.



Musical tyleParker's interests and influences \Mere as diverse andfar-reaching as onecould imagine - from the classicalsophisticati on of Hindemith andStravinskyto the primitivedirectnessof the Kansas City blues tradition,which Parker was immersed in from his upbringing and earlyprofessionalemploymentwith the

JayMcShann Orchestra, of which he was a

conscientiousead altoplayer.

? ?As an intelligentnd deeplysensitiveman, he livedthroughhe Á Áwhole anoramafhuman motionsrom oyand ove, - - BifdrS mind and fingefS Wthrough to tragedyand despair andit'sallhere n his playing.

withincrediblepeed. e can mfourchordchangesn a melodicp

whereanothermusicianwouldtroublensertingvvo.3t

Leonard Feather.

His conception of soundwas based on that of the altoistBusterSmith, and the leading tenor saxophone player of theday Lester 'Pres' Young, whose comparatively vibrato-lesssound was adopted by Bird on the alto saxophone.Parkersaysof 'Pres', I was cÍazy aboutLester,he playedso clean and

beautifullv'.

AlthoughParker completely overhauledLester's harmonicandrhythmic concepts, he had indeed transcribed and memorised muchof the tenorstar's recordedoutput with the Count BasieBand, and as theformativebebop drummer Kenny Clarkerelates: 'W'ewent to listento Birdat Monroe's, for noother reason except that he sounded ike 'Pres',untilwe found out that he had something ofhis own to oÍf.er,somethingnew'.

That 'something new' was a melodic appreciationof the upper extensionsof conventional chordprogressionsand cadenceswhich Bird had beenpractisingat jam sessionswith theguitarist BiddyFleet.As Parker himself

explains: 'Well that night I was working over Cherokee, and asI did Ifound that by using thehigher intervals of thechord as a melody line,andbacking them with appropriatelyrelated changes, could play the thing I'dbeenheari.rg Icamealive.'

This explanationfrom the saxophonistis both clear and informative, butitfails to do justice to the depth of his innovation, which includedchromaticisation of melody andharmonic introductionof passingchords,chord substitution, displacement of theharmonic metreand, on occasion,extensivereharmonisation.W'henyou combine thiswith anawe-inspiringrhythmic approach, containing completefreedom of accentuation andarticulation,you have he musicalpersonalirywho went on torevolutioniseconcepts of smallgroup playingon everyinstrument.

\íhile not wishing to devalueParker's greatnessor individualachievement,he was part of an extraordinarilyfertile musical environment amongst anexpanding circ le of young musicians , whose dar ing andmusicalexplorationwere leadingthem down similarroads of enquiry.

The nightlyfam sessionsat Minton's Playhouse nNew York provided thefocal point for this group, which includedThelonious Monk, CharlieChristian,DizzyGillespie andKenny Clarke amongst others.It was at suchvenues that the smallgroup, consisting of two or threefrontline andrhythm section,began to asseÍt ts ascendancyover the larger ensemblesofthe swing era as the preferred working environmentfor the seriousimproviser.

6 CharlieParker

Photo:WilliamGottlieb



ere isa guíde to suggested iistening farch of the pieces ln this book:

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lie's Ëóunóê'- 26/11/45,New YorkCity* TheCharlierkerRe-boppers- TheComplete SavoySessionshMiles Davis(tpt),$adik HakÍm(pno),Gurly Russellss),MaxRoach {drums)Savoy/Arista 5850-1

mithologY'* 24/1U49* CamegieHall, New York Citywith Hed Ëiodney{tpt),Al Haig(pno),TommyPotter

ss), Roy Haynes(drums),S.C.A.M.JPGï ,,r*i .,,1i,:, i i : . .: '

dbird Suite'- 2813/46 witfi Miles Davis(tpt),cky'Thompson(tenorsax),ArvGanison{gtr),Dodormorosa{pno},VivMcMillan(bass),RoyPorter.ms) releasedon 'BirdSymbols' - Atlantic MusicrPoration407

,,,, ,w's the ïme' *24112149 -CarËËiiieHatl, New Yorky- wÍth RedRodney{tpt},Al Haig{pno),Tommyer {bass},Roy Haynesdrums)S.C.A.M.JPGÍ

na Lee' * 8/5i47* The C*ertie FarRerAll Stars- Thenplete Savoy Seseions- with Miles Davis{tpt},Bud ,ell (pno),Tommy Potter(bass),Max Roach(drums)oy/Arista3420-2 ,

. .{+rropologÍi;S/sf+9 *Radio Broadcast, Royat Roost^t Club,New York Ctty* with Charlie Parker, Kenny-*arn{tpt},Al Haig(pno},'Lucky'Thompsontenor. MiltJackson (vibraphone),Tommy Potter(bass),,Roach

drums)

Bird's style is the culmination of the musicaldevelopments of th eexperiments ofthe early 1,940s, aking in the harmonic knowledgeof thegreat pianistArt Tatumand giants of the saxophone suchas Don ByasandColeman Hawkins,all delivered with incrediblevirtuosity and the rawpassionof the blues.

PerformanceotesBillie'sBounce

' ' I rv'L\'\'

This is one of two blues compositions inthis selection and is an idealstarting point for any saxophone player who wants to get to grips withParker'ssryle. This isa comparatively shortsolo (see f you can memoriseit) and shows how Birdwas able to tailor hisplayingto the demandsofany situation.

OrnithologyThe theme of Omithology was originallya phrase Parker improvisedonJay McShann's TheJumping Blues,which Benny Harriscraftedover thechord progressionof the standard How High The Moon,a common

variant of the 32-barsong format ABAC(4 x 8-bar phrases).This'CarnegieHall' performance bears all of Parker's trademarks - fo rexample, fantasticsinging sound,time feeling,varied articulationand anindefiablesense f structure alliedto form.

YardbirdSuite'Yardbird' was one of CharlieParker's nicknames,derivedfrom his likingfor friedchicken. Thiscomposition, withits rigorous functional harmonyand modulation to the key of III minorin the bridge, recordsth esaxophonist'sagility and succinctness fphrasingover chord changesandhis understanding and masteryof the 32-bar song form.

Now's TheTimeJay McShann (one of Parker's first musicalemployers)consideredhisprotégé to be the greatestof bluesplayers,and while such comparativeterms are ultimately meaningless nany discussionof the human spirit,wecan perhaps forgive McShann forgetting carried away inthis case.Thisperformance of the blues, over sixmajesticallyconstructed choruses,illustrates Parker'sdepth of connection to and understandingof thismostarchetypal offorms.

Donna LeeAlthough credited to Parker, there isa strong suspicion amongst

musiciansthat this'line'

over the chord progressionof Indiana, wasactuallypenned by the young trumpeterMiles Davis,who spent muchofhis formativeperiod as the saxophonist's sideman. If this is indeedthecase, hen the tune is a classic exampleof how Parker'svocabulary wasidentifiedand applied byhis contemporaries.

AnthropologyThis is a daring virnrosicperformance at 'break-neck' tempo of a Parker'line' over the chordprogressionof I Got Rhythm (whichmusiciansnowrefer to as rhythm' changes).Thesechangeshavebeen a stalwart ofmanyjazz playersup to and includingthe present day. til7ithits rapidly movingharmony, albeit within tonic and subdominant keyareas, and its cyclicmiddleeight(III?I I I I I I Il aVl? II I I I I I I lrl1 || I I I I I I lV? | I I I I I I I lit remainsa challenge o contemporaryimprovisers.



Notesn heSoloAnalyIt willhelp us enormouslyn our appraisalof Parker'splaying if we cangaininsightinto how hichoicesunctionwithin themelodicine.

To illustratehis,we will examinehreeextractsn the following terms:1. Chordnotes the t,3, 5,7 of thechord2. Passing otes a noteor notes hat passbetweenwo chordnotes3. NeighÉournotes the four noteswhichare a tone and semi-toneaboveand belowa chordnote.

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Thisis bars22 and23 of the solofromBillie's Bounce.TheAl in bar 23is a chordnote of D7(the5th) andis the destina

target)of thenotes n bar 22. The B, B andAb respectivelyconstitutethe upperneighbournote, the chromaticuppernei

note,andthechromaticlowerneighbournotestotheA|,andservetodrawtheeartotÍreresolutionontothe5th

In bar 23, theA (5th),Ff (3rd)and D (root)are obviouslyall chordnotes of D7. The Gpasses etweenwo chordnotes,FÍ

and is thereforea passingnote. The B in bar 22isa neighbournote to óe A in bar23. Iíhilst appreciatingóat the Bqs theD7. t is also usefulo realisehat 13ths derivemuch of theirparticularqualityfrom theirrelationship withthe 5th

Ex2

The aboveexamples bars 32-33 (thesolo break)from Omithology.The Bfitt bar 33 is the 5th ofE major andis the targe

A, Ciand Bbwhich'prepare'and lead the ear to it. Again,whilst appreciatingÏat the Cfis thebtof Bt, óe mainquestion

howdoes henote unctionn termsof themelodicphrase?

.Ihe Gh n bar33 is thelower chromaticneighbour note tothe G*(the3rd ofE major).Notice thatthe Df and Ff(the7th

of E maior)are lower and upperneighbournotes to tlreroot of E. The7th and9th of chordsderive theirparticularqualr

theirrelationshipith theroot, and n the case f the9th the3rd also.

The descendingDd and Cf- whichpassbetweenE andB (chordnotes) are, n thissystem'passingnotes.You will notic

samenote canhave more thanonemelodic function,dependingonwhatprecedes ndfollowsit.



3

reaboveexamplebars11G117of Anthropologyl, heCÍ and Bb nbar 116arebothneighbour oteso the sth ofET(Bl).Thend Cl still functions asa neighbour noteto BIralthough the Bí is not sounded again until the beginning of the next bar. Aortant pointabout neighbournotes s that they dont haueo be resolvedand, altematively, theresolutioncan be delayed,asNote that when the Bc(thedestination of the descendinghrase n bar 116) isplayedat the beginningof bar 117, it is nowthe

ofA' insteadoÍ the 5th of 47.

in bar 116 isa chromaticpassingnote, comingas t doesbetween wo chord notes the root and the 7th oÍ E7:E and D.

vereiterate ater in the book, Parkeraccesseshiskindof detail and beauty ntuitively. That is to say,he wasn't thinking in these

sduringperformance,hewashearing t, Even with this brief introduction" it is helpful for us tothink aboutphrasingn óe waythe ear hears t - in terms of tension and release atherthan attempting tojustifyParker's chromatic choices n relation tod/scaleheory.That is not to say hat tÍris approach eplaceshord/scale heory,rather itcomplemene t. For óe musician whos to explore this further,a study of Schenkerian nalysis s recommended.

ation to the solos described n this book, thisapproach willhelpto shed ighton why certain things sound sogoodand, mostously, o understand arker'sseof chromaticism.

PlayinguideShort accentednote

" ? - Accented note

-- Tenuto mark- holdthenote for its fullvalue

Play the note a semitone belowthe written note,and very quicklyrelease nto the writtenpitch

A 'ghostednote', or note that is only half sounded



B I L L I E I g B O U N C EByCharlieParker

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ThéSoloBillie'sBounceIíithin the three choruses, he ideasunfoldnaturally andin

balance with eachother. The beginningof the second

chorus expands the openingphrase of the first inmuch the

same way as people mull over andreturn to themes n a

conversation.

Bar 23 returns odevelopedurther n

the motif in barbars 41,and42.

18, whichi tse l f s

In eachof theseexampleshe phrase eturnson a differentrhythmicplacementof the bar.Alsoseebars 33 and 34whichre-inventhe ascending uaver ripletphrase rombars26 and27, andbar 42 whichis reinforcedby bar 45.



This repet i t ionand, important lydeve lopmen t f ma te r i a l a i se san

enormously aluablemusical ssueor usas improvisers that is , i t ' s not

necessarily ow many ideasyou come upwith, buthow you work with andexpand

the ideas you do have and in how many

different ways and contextsyou can apply

Harmonically,we have the usual selectionof bounties thatParker regularlyservesup - so we haveunadulterated bluesplayingin bar 2l and bars 41-46, in combinationwith

gems of phrasing (bars 24 and 36) which simultaneousldescr ibe he cadencepoints and which areindividualmelodic statementsn their ownright.

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Bar 22 (and23) whichis shown n the exampleabove,containshighlydetailedchromatic ensionand releasewithin theline(see Noteson the SoloAnalysis')as does

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bar 19. The accentuationof the 7th of the D7 chord,prepares the move to the subdominant - a favourite

melodic traít of Parker.The subtletyof the man is evident

in the way he uses he tonic (D), initiallyto bring his first

chorus to a conclusionand then to launch the beginningof

the next, re-iteratingthe truth that clarity and simplicity

are usuallyindicativeof the greatest ntelligence'musicalor

otherwise.

TryryF-f.ryii.ï.{ejwPractice Tip :Takesome í the melodicphi&s fromth$irolo'&dtebifXiyoucan use he marenal

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comPtlseËyeltrou.nblueo eadand./orolo.Dont be afraido return1l

io phr"..* you'vealready sed this s partof ,hffir$i l " r r"di t ionof the blues anyway - th ^ t i$ , t ; rnakêi*

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O R N I T H o L o G YByCharlieParkerand BennieHarris

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TheSoloOruitbologyIt is an interesting exerciseo sing the melody of How High

The Moon overBird's solohere, because t becomesapparent

that far fromobscuringthe melodythe solo actuallyfunctions

as an elaboratecounterpoint.

One of thereasonsParker'smusiccommunicatesso directlyis

the completeness f his melodic statementswhich he expertly

frames with space,allowinghimselfand the music to breathe(bars 36 and 40). Alternativelg hemay followa seemingly

fullyself-containeddea with a complementaryandlorsatirical

afterthought,such as that whichappears n bar 44 (as in all

great art there is an in-buil t senseof proportion and

perspective, ndinternal balance)

Throughout the soloBird useschromaticism toembellish the

line,which further energises is playingwith the resulting in-

built tensionand release seebars 33r 37,45, 50and so on);

the use of the V7(v9)shape (bar 32 and,bars 42 and 46

amongst others);and strong descriptive andmelodic chord

shapes,utilisingTths and gths (forexamplebars 33,38,39,

41 and48 to namebut a few).

Bars 49-57showParkertakingone melodic ideaand adapting

it to effect,in this case he modulation toD major.In this

instance bars51 and 52 - he alters he givenharmony:

l E m T l l l ATl l l l D m a j l l l lD m a j l l l l

whichhe embellishes ith:

l E m T / E m - m a j 7E r n A 7 l D m a j l l l t D m a jl l l l l

Bird then exploitsthe inner line of root, major 7th,minor7th-3rd.

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This became a favourite harmonic deviceof the bebop

generationplayerssuch as Sonny Rollins,SonnyStitt, KennyDorhamand so on.

Bars 64 and,65 are nrerestingfor their use of the 87*chordand the way Birddecorateshe ensuing ineof the 9-(b13)-(9).

BTaug

Bar 65 is also interestingfor irsuse of the melodicqualiryofthe unresolvedmajor7th.

Bars74 - 78 utilisea three-notegroupinghntervalstructureofa semitone hen a tritone.

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Birdtransposeshe structurehrough he chordprogression,conceptusedby manycontempoÍarymproviserswho, sinceColtrane,haveexploredhis territory extensively.arkermayhaveconceived f thisidea fromhis studiesof Slonimsky'sThesaurus f Scales ndMelodic Patterns,whichretains tsrelevance sa researchesource.

Practice TiP ,,,The main rhythmicconstituentof Parker's solo"(ánd themelody) isthe quaveror eighthnote, so we must be able to

deliver thephrases n a way that ignitesthe rhythmic vitaliry

of the solo.Parker achieves his through the quality of

support he maintains for the air stream at àll timesiwhicha l l owsh im to accen t ,and inve r se ly o ' ghos t ' ( o r de -

emphasise)certain parcs of phrases. n bar 6 of the melody

the F is accented o enhance he syncopationof itsrhythmic

placement n the bar (noticeR"y Haynes' bass drumpush

here in conjunctionwith this) and theDhand gb in bar 8 arebo th subt ly in f lec ted to g ive them more emphasis .Throughout the solo be awareof how you attack and endn'ótes,and where you accent within phrases. This will help

bring the music alivefor you. (Farker's anguage s as much a

A good #áy.i.ot$fáctisi"g':thisapproaclt 1r i$.r"i"p[..'t[i..ohi$ëyou're working on ata slower tempo andplay it through

without tonguing so that you're relyingon the air-stream

alone for the projectionof eachnote. The next step is to

experiment with accents firstly using thesfi$port from thê

abdomenand secondlyby introducingthe tongue.Once you

can make all thenotes speak with an evenqualiryof sound



iiiiriii:rËri:itlirlii]Iliiii#lïri r.ft fr9,rËi S.:,:,4, Í',iít:s.. .ii:irilïjjr:Ilt:ir

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across he registersyou can use your tongueto accent,attackand inflectnotes o goodeffect.Stylisticallyhis isessential o

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the mdiióbecauset is partof therhythmicdialogueacrossrhewhole baád- that is, theibr infËË$layérw.ét thË'i:$narcand bassdrum accentsnd thepianocomping,accenrsn thebass ineand he soloistic tatements. '

. . : , , . , , i . . ,

À'i:goodip herê s t$l'ieferro rheoriginal recording"r,di:[olearnto sing someof thephrases or the wholesoloif you

like),so thatyoubegin o 'internalise'themusic.Remember' '

that the $óundyo'uhéáï'in yourhead and feelin your heart, . i ,is,'whatultimatelycomesout of the horn,as muchas any

I tsaxophone/mouthpiece/reed ermutation.If youare havingdifficulryat any time, for instancewith a particular phrase,: : : : : :pract ise t in the same way as you would a technical

exercise. Think of it a$a musical inve$tffientyoucan't fail tocash n on.

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TheSóloYardbirdSuiteThis is a miniature masterpieceof constructionover just

one chorus, and demonstrates he intuitivecompositionalmind of a great improviser.It is no coincidencethat thefirst two statementsof the solo are exactly thesame ength- 3 y, beats with identical rhvthmic stress.

E x í

The first four barsof this solo demonstratehe kind ofdetailand balance arker vascapable f manipulatingoffthe cuff'.The noteswrittenin ExampleLare he keypointsof the phrase bars 36-40)which the ea Í s l ed tomelodically.ncidentally he tune of'Yardbird'establishesthe top line here,but in the soloParkerembellishes othofthese inessimultaneouslSs well as a hint at therootmovement n bar38 - via theA on thelastquaverof bar

37 and n bar 39- melodicexploitation fthe ine#9 -b9 -Sth. líhen we arrive at bar40, the logicalcontinuationofthe upperlinewould beto descend o the root of theII7chord- 8,7 whichis why the Cfi,which contradictshisprepared xpectation,ets he maximumrom itsqualityasthe unresolved th. This all sounds ncredibly academic,and it is important toremember hat most of this detailwas accessedntuitively.On the otherhand, thiskind ofcognitiveappreciationan often'kickstart' the intuition '



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In bars42 and43 Parkerwent on'riff'bluesheadentitledCoolBlues.

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Herethe root movements melodicallyembellished ithinthe line,and bars46 and47 arcunified by the ascending

semitoneo firstly emphasisehe G and secondly heFf

E x 3

The above example details thedescending ine inherent in

bars 45-47as alreadyshownin example2.

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I n t h e b r i d g e o f t h i s s o l o ba rtransposes he contour of the phrase

bar 52 down a tone from Cfiminor to

minor.

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Bar 58 reinforceshe 'gesture'of Bar 57.Subtly,Birdwaitsto resolve heAfi in bar57 untilbar 59.

Theseexamples howParkermaking a mockeryof thedifficultiescontained n the chordprogressionand theyresult n a highly organisedompositionaltatementver32 bars.

Instrumentallypeaking,Parker's laying hereuses racesof vibratoin the sound n what, for him, is quiteanunusualway. As a saxophonisthe was one of the first,

afterhis

originalmodelLesterYoung,to curtailthe use

of vibratoand to use t more discerningly,n a veryvocalway. In thissolo the delicacyand finesse f Parker'ssoundcounter-balanceserfectlyhe invincibilityof hismusicalhoughtprocess

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moveon to singinghe 'lines'in Ë á*pte t HavE r6"ràt

vocallyimprovising8uttd the line and theni"iépeathewholeprocedurewiththe saxophone. hiscanbe a lot offun andwillhelp ïj-: inside

theyhrasingandlelt"::tions of Parker's olo You canpràèiise his

approachas an improvisationalesource n $y"':bontext

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N o W I g T H E T I M EByCharlieParker

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Thê oloIr{ow'sTheTimeThis is an audaciousofferingfrom thesaxophoneplayer,

containing some of his most celebratedand oft-quoted

vocabulary(see bars 26-30, bars 34 and 35, and bars

54-56. Throughout, the performanceis littered with the

most poignant of blues proclamationswhich remarkably

transformrelatively simplemusicalresources nto the most

strident and meaningfulof deliveries(for example bars 37and 3 8 . Th i s i s a ch i eved th rough an inc red ib l e

understandingand respect or the traditionthat gave rise to

this music, backedup by virtuosicinstrumentalcommand

of articulationand inflection.

Over the six choruses here is an identifiablepattern to the

organisationof materialwhich is self-evident,hat is, while

the harmony remainsmore static(for example,in bars L-6of eachchoruson the tonic and sub-dominantchords), he

phrasing s more vocaland drawn out.

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Birdsaves is moreexplosive ouble-timeassagesor bars7-12of each horus,wherewe have he bebopgeneration'sharmonicadaptationso the blues or which ParkerMasvery muchresponsible.or example, rom bar 7 of thechorus:

(71 (8 (e) (10) (11) (12)

r vr7 / |IImiv7 lI I Imivr7 lb t t tmTbvl7 l r rmi7l l lv7 t t t l

Here the phrasing sharmony.

Beforewe leaveintimatesat the

more descriptiveof the shifting

this solo bar 52tritonesubstitute

is interestingbecauseBirdof D7 which is Ab7.

E x í

UnusuallS however,he doesThis is interestingbecausetstill is, to insertthe tritone

this in bar 3 of thechorus.was moreconventional,ndsubstitution nbar 4 of the

Am7



blues, n this caseAb7 G7.Bars 63 and64 are nterestingbecause ird implies heharmony ofEb7.Withthrbl(chordfunctioningas the tritone dominantof D7 (thatis ,the tritonesubstitute f thedominantof D7- A7),

subsequentlythe playersat

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theseare harmonicprincipleshat havebecomemajorroadsof inquiryfor many oftheforefrontof themusic.

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Whenpractisinghit pi.i., see i you can reallyget insideI the moreblues-orientatedhrases, nd deliver hemas if ,

. ' . ' ' 'you weiê singing As withall these ranscriptions,t is

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essential o check out the original recording,béCáusèheinflectionand rhythmic placementis so personal,andnotation is only the startingpoint for the music.Jazz ts ,

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D O N N A L E EBy CharlieParker

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TheSoloDonna.LeeParker's olo containsmuchof theharmonicnformationandcontourfromthe actualmelody,materialwhich hasbeenassimilated y thetraditionbecause f its enduringmelodicstrengthand harmonicogic. Adetailedstudy of themelodywould be beneficialn itself,however,et usconcernourselvesherewith the Parkersolowhichcontainsall ofthe musicalideasandprincipleswithin the originaline- andmore.

One of the definingaspects f Bird'ssryleas opposed o hispredecessors ho influencedhim (forexample,LesterYoung),was his use of the addednotes/extensionsn hisarpeggiationof the harmony. Sofor example,as we havealready een lsewhere,e arpeggiateshe V7(b9) hordsromthe 3rd of the v7(b9)chord (superimposingresultingdiminishedth shape)n bars34,39,50,55, 58,66,76,82and90.

Likewise,he arpeggiateshe G9fromthe 3rd to thenatural9(superimposinghe notesB DF A- Bm7(bs) over G7;. Seebars 35, 67 (whereBirdparaphraseshe melodyat thebeginning f the second horus),77 and 83. Noticethat

although hematerial n theseexampless essentiallyhesame, is rhythmicpermutationandplacementn the bar andacrosshebar ine s seemingly ndless.

It is here hat we comeacrossanother avouritedeviceofParker alteringhe harmonicmetreof the chordprogressionso that the resolution seither delayedor broughtforwardslightly.n bars 38 and 39 the underlyingharmony s C7-p.

However,when wearriveat theF chord,Bird isstill outliningtheC7(b9) hord, hus delayinghe arrival of the tonic chord.



Cm

Similarlyin bar 55,outliningthe V7(bel

the stated harmony is D*7, butBirdof Dm7whichis A7(be).

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\fhen he does finallvresolve o the tonicchord (bv.

imp\icatïonwith ttreTï\ ïnbar 56., hehatmony of thetune

hasmoved oA7(b9)r

Anotherexamples at bar7"1,here he Cm -F7 whichwearemoving ois broughtforward by threebeats o expandthecadencerom 17 olVmai(that s, (Cm)F7-Bb.

Finally heres theharmonvn bar93

phrase n bar 92,whichs anticipatinghe(the onic chordofF major). ,**r*e*"*'Í

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Theeffectof this harmonicdisplacements exrremelyubtle.At the time Birdwasdoingthis, manyof the rhythmsectionplayers elt that theywere in the wrong partof theprogression.

The conceptof alteringthe harmonicmerrehas beenexploitedever sinceBird,and understandingt willthrowsome ight on manycontemporarymprovisers, lthoughstylisticallyhey maybe verydifferent.

Anotherof Parker'smannerisms as to chromaticallyfillin'thespace f a descendingajor3rd interval forexample,nbar 37 betweenhe 9th and the 7thof G minor(A-F),and nbar 92 wherehe chromatrcally'fillsn' the major3rd intervalbetweenEandC.

Bar79 is interestingecause f itsarpeggiationf the minorchord hroughheTth,gthand11th.

Thephrase hen fallsro rheSth of C7(b9b13)i" rhe accentedbB of C7(b9b13).hi, isa goodexample f howparkercoulddecorate guideone ine, n thiscase g -b13- 5. Theres anechoof this dea nbar94.

Bars60-67and bars 95-96show Parkernserting n AJ^7betweenA minorand G minor to createa str ingof

descending inor7ths,a favouritedevice f his.

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Otherhallmarksof Parker'sstyle nclude:outliningof the*' t 11) chrorC,, \m 4Lard,'"hÊ./( 11) chrc"d.n lrar44',,hr-'HoneysuckleRose'motifn bar38; and he repetitionf thephrase t bars47 59 and87

Throughoutthe solo Parkerdecorates he linewithchromaticneighbourand passing otes.For example, tbar 94, the Db andBhboth targer he C in thefollowing

bar and can be thoughtof respectivelys the upperchromaticand lowerchromaticneighbournotes o C. OfcourseParkerdidn'tthinkof thiswhenhe was performing'and we certainlydon't need o. However,t is crucialtounderstand, itherntuitivelyor cognitivelyandpreferably

both), how notes functionwithin a melodicline. For

example,f we immediatelyhink ''Síhat'sthe major 7th

doingovera C7 chordat bar 94?', hen we'vemissedhepoint

Thepointis, as he greatpianistBillEvans aid,Thereare

nOwrongnotes, ust wrongresolutions'Ultimatelyhere

areno rulesandno rightandwrong.

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Take some of the recurring materialwe've examinedand| 1 . ? ?

,,practisehe differentvariantsas they occur n the solo(for1,

j., xample,bars 35 and 67).ïíhen you have he material

i,,,md.t'.'youringers,pr*ctisêmprovisin$usingthe shape

1, nd then see f you can incorporate t in your oWn; improvisation.Another \Mayof workingin thisarea s to

,r ake a bàl'(forexamplebar 56)'"fthefêBird.superimposesdescending m7(b5)hapeover A7P9iL3)nd resolvesr

n

o' : 'eb1 '3)t t l Dmll lV/ ..i;iiii:iili:i;iiil:.,:liii:iiirli.l.l..

Out ofcontextyou can thenpractisehe cadence, nd see,ilhow many different,ways fplayinghe Gm7(bs) hape."

''i

can comeup #ith óu*. the A7(b9b13)hord,and howyo" ii:can phrase"nd rê:sol$eor not resolve)out:' f it. OnlyOo :i':th is with ideas and sounds you are at t racted to . The i

'intentionhere s to take Bird'ssoloas a startingpoint*r,iiilour olvr,*rrri''"1$I"bwthand exploration.It is finet..ÏpractiseParker'sphr:['sesnd tra"'lposb them io all kef$1but where t begins o get excitingis whenyou start to .pract ise nd apply the musicalpr inciples ehind he, iphrases , ii$

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TheSoloAnthropology(alsoknown as ThrivingFrom A Riff)

Parker's solo here represents he man at the peak of hisimmense powers ins t rumental ly, s t ruc tura l lyandimaginatively. The solo containsmany examplesof Bird's

harmonic freedom and progressiveapproach, and there are

concepts contained therein that have been retained andexpanded upon ever since.For instance,bar 37 alludesto apossibletritone substitutionDb7 fo,G7, movingto C7, and

the last two beatsof bar 82whereFT(f,11)s implied, moving

to E7 6z(il11)is the tritone substitute ofB7 - the originalharmony here).

E x í87

Another outstandingexampleof Bird's forward harmonic

thinking is demonstratedby the material in the first rwo'lf

sectionsof the secondchorus,where he superimposesa stringof V7(b9)chords, ultimatelymovingto chordIV7 He realises

this largely with connectingdiminished7th shapes hat

describe he impliedV7(b9)ou.ments.

(F7)

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Then in bars 62 and 8 8 we havethe insertionof a blI^uj7

chord resoivingto the tonic (that is, Ab9 goirrgto G). Themajor chord a semitoneabove the tonic, or chord we are- ^ " i - - i a - f " - ^ ; i ^ - - t ' ó Ê ' * " ^ L , l : 1 . ^ ^ l ^ * i - ^ - .movmgto, functlonsverymuchlikea dominant.

E x 3

This is a principlehe exploresfurther in the B secion of thesecondchorus,wherethe state B7chord is approachedwitha c major idea.In bar 1,07 he nsertionof gb minorcrearesasuccession f chromaticallydescendingminor 7th chords,implyingB

minor-

E7-Bbmino-

Eh7-Aminor- D7,or moresimply7 w7)nb7 wrlo, (v7).

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A similardeacan befound n bars1,1,9ndL20 where hereisdescription,nd hereforemplication,fpb7$W7;rhiftingto D7N7).

These harmonic devices,althoughradical for the time, were

ideas hat Parkermay havebeen nspired o explorefrom his

exposure o the great pianist Art Tatum and the'Giant of the

tenor saxophone'Coleman 'Bean' Hawkins whowere

masters at embellishingand expandingupon the existingharmoniccontent.Theymay alsohavereflected isinterestand studyof classicalmusic. Parker washighlymusically awareacrossthe board' (notehis humourousreferenceo Chopin'sA maior Polonaisen bars 124-1'26,andhisquotationrom AlphonsePicou's elebratedlarinetobligatofromHighSocietybars 97-98).Indeed,Parker

was a master of quotation and was able to incorporate themost banal of contemporarythemesinto his improvisations

and produce moments of pathos andlor humour from the

satire and socialcommentthat ensued.

In organisationalerms, this solo containsmuch cross-

referencing and developmentof ideas over the durationof

three choruses.Thus thephrase n bars 78 and 79 is an echo

of the openingphrase of the solo(the Cil at the end of thephrasemay have been accessed y Parker's use of thesideD

fingering- the authenticfingeringfor 'high' D, without the

octavek.y).

Parker's stockvocabularyis wellrepresented hroughout.It is

imponant to realise that he uses much of this material as a

writer usespunctuation, thatis, his use of certainphrases s

gÍ:rrnmaticaland, as such, helps the overall structuring of

lkas. For example,the classicphrase n bar 35 is repeatedan

fastn =";in i*r*r _?f-,:,,,,:::iihe tim''fuholeaïs,

ater than;indiviou"iË"lt^Yithin .

,i theb;"a11?O to;...i:'tàina t"h"" o.fsPace

,,,,,hd PhY;ic*t'.llxation,,,,,,,;,,,,nvouï'óËvingS

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(eb) in session with charlie parker fixed.pdf

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