Jazz Ch.11 PP Bebop

7/24/2019 Jazz Ch.11 PP Bebop

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Chapter 11

Copyright 2015 W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

BEBOP


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Bebop and Jam Sessions

In the mid-1940s, bebop, or simply bop,

represented a turnin a!ay "rom #a$$ as a

popular musi%, part o" the mainstream o"

&meri%an %ulture, to a musi% that is

isolated, non-dan%eable, played by small

%ombos to a small audien%e in a 'irtuosi%

style that !as di""i%ult to rasp( )here are t!o !ays to 'ie! this %hane*

one labels bebop as re'olutionary,

somethin apart "rom the #a$$ that


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Bebop and Jam Sessions

+%ontd

pre%eded it. the se%ond/the 'ie! adopted

here/sees bebop as e'olutionary, part o"

the #a$$ tradition that made it into an art

musi% and lined to the pre%edin S!in

Era throuh the #am session(


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roppin Bombs at 2intons

S!in musi%ians started !or in the e'enin

and %ontinued to play a"ter their reular is

at #am sessions, !hi%h !ere rela3in in their

in"ormality, but !or-lie in their

%ompetiti'eness(

2usi%ians ept ine3perien%ed players o"" the

bandstand by playin tunes at ridi%ulously"ast tempos in un"amiliar eys( Standards

lie I 5ot 6hythm7 !ere reharmoni$ed !ith

di""i%ult %hord substitutions( Bebop


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Photo 11-11



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+%ontd

musi%ians !ere %ontinually tested,

%on"rontin "ast tempos and %ompli%ated

harmonies(

8harlie Parer and other beboppers played

#am sessions at 2intons Playhouse on 11th

Street in 2anhattan, a 'enue at the "ore"ront

o" e3perimentation !ith this ne! style and itsad'enturous %hallenes(

rummer :enny 8lare relates ho! he

%haned drummin !hile playin a "ast tune


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+%ontd

!ith )eddy ;ills band in the 19


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+%ontd

session( 8lares %ombinations o" snare and

bass drum a%%ents !ere %alled loo-mop(7

:loo,7 as he %ame to be no!n, played

une3pe%ted bass drum a%%ents in a

te%hni=ue no!n as droppin bombs7 +this

all too pla%e, a"ter all, durin >orld >ar II

that be%ame popular !ith younerdrummers su%h as 2a3 6oa%h and &rt

Blaey(


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+%ontd

Soloists played unpredi%table melodies +inspired

by ?ester @oun, o"ten endin !ith t!o eihth

notes +be-bop7 or re-bop7, !hi%h irritated older

musi%ians( Pianists, inspired by Basie, started %ompin7/

puttin in a%%ompanyin %hords in unpredi%table

pla%es that %omplemented the drummer( Be%ause

o" the ne! drum te%hni=ue, uitarists no loner

needed to play "our to the bar and instead

%omped on the ne!ly popular ele%tri% uitar(


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+%ontd

Bassists %ontinued to be timeeepers but

raised the le'el o" 'irtuosity( Os%ar

Petti"ord %ould play s!i"tly and also tae

melodi% solos(


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Photo 11-1A



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obody Plays )hose 8hanes7

Bebop is %hara%teri$ed by %omple3,

dissonant harmonies( &lthouh dislied by

many musi%ians, these harmonies !ere not

ne!/they !ere simply pri'ileed( &rt)atum, ue Ellinton, and 8oleman

;a!ins used %omple3 and dissonant

harmonies, or%hestrations, and solo lines,respe%ti'ely(

)he problem !as ho! to share these

harmonies so that other musi%ians %ould


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Photo 11-1hen the band

%ame to e! @or to play the Sa'oy Ballroom, !hi%h had a

broad%ast !ire7 setup, Parer let loose !ith a lon solo in

this pie%e that ama$ed e'eryone !ho heard it(

A(In 194D, 8heroee7 be%ame :o-:o,7 re%orded "or Sa'oy

6e%ords( )he o!ner o" the label !ould not tolerate a

%opyrihted melody, so they le"t the 8heroee7 melody out()he pianist !as supposed to be Bud Po!ell, but he didnt

sho!, so "or this pie%e it is probably 5illespie on piano, e3%ept

!hen he is playin trumpet( )he other pianist !as &ronne

)hornton +later Sadi ;aim(


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2usi% 11-1



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2usi% 11-A



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Bird on 6e%ord +%ontd

Embra%eable @ou71( )his 5ersh!in pie%e !as re%orded in 194, but Parer

a'oids the melody( Instead he plays a popular 19


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2usi% 11-illiamss band( >hile tourin !ith

Ellinton durin this period, he !as badlybeaten by poli%e in Philadelphia, lea'in him

!ith %ripplin heada%hes( )his started a

protra%ted bout o" psy%hiatri% treatments, !hi%h


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Photo 11-1


Bud Po!ell +19A4C19GG


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+%ontd

in%luded in%ar%eration, medi%ation, and

ele%trosho% treatments that a""e%ted his

memory( Po!ell also had a !eaness "or

al%ohol( Stylisti%ally, he laid the "oundation "or all bebop

pianists to "ollo!( ;is le"t hand played %hords

!hile his riht hand impro'ised lines ri'alinthose o" Parer and 5illespie( Sometimes he

!ould play blo%-%hord style, !here the

melody is supported by ri%h %hords. at other



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+%ontd

times he miht play a stride-piano style

s%attered !ith )atum-lie runs( ;e also

pioneered the piano trio "ormat(

)empus Fuue-It71(6e%orded in 1949( Po!ell had #ust emered "rom a

sanitarium and !ould return shortly a"ter this re%ordin( ;e

seems surprisinly in %ontrol, i'en the %ir%umstan%es(

)his side !as re%orded by a youn orman 5ran$ "or his

8le" 6e%ords(

A(&%%ompanied by 6ay Bro!n +bass and 2a3 6oa%h

+drums, he re%orded at a 'ariety o" tempos( )his pie%e



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)empus Fuue-It7 +%ontdsuests Po!ells "amiliarity !ith Baro=ue musi%( It is

a


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2usi% 11-



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2usi% 11-


Ja$$ in ?os &neles* 8entral


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&'enue

Bebop !as played on the >est 8oast as

!ell( )he >est 8oast had a lon history o"

#a$$( e! Orleans musi%ians re%orded there

as early as 19AA( 6i'alin e! @ors DAnd Street, 8entral

&'enue !as the %enter "or &"ri%an &meri%an

li"e in ?os &neles( It !as also the hub o"lo%al entertainment, !hi%h in%luded modern

#a$$ by around 194D, !ith 8oleman

;a!ins, i$$y 5illespie, ;o!ard 2%5hee,



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&'enue +%ontd

and the 8harlie Parer =uintet( Soon,

youn 8ali"ornians lie e3ter 5ordon !ere

playin bebop(


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e3ter 5ordon +19A


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Photo 11-19


e3ter 5ordon +19A


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e3ter 5ordon +19A< 1990

+%ontd

molded him into a youn dis%iple o" bebop(

;is style %ombined a rela3ed mode o"

playin +a"ter @oun !ith rhythmi%

intri%a%ies +a"ter Parer( ?on )all e3ter7

1()his son "eatures many o" the so-%alled bebop

enerations most talented "iures* it is built o"" o" a sinular

ri"" and stratei%ally introdu%es a bit o" une3pe%ted

dissonan%e( Intera%tion o" the roup typi"ies the atmosphere

o" a #am session as e3ter methodi%ally builds to a %lima3

o'er se'en %horuses in an intense 'irtuosi% display(

2 i 11 9


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2usi% 11-9


2 i 11 10


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2usi% 11-10


2 i 11 11


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2usi% 11-11


e3ter 5ordon +19A


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e3ter 5ordon +19A< 1990

+%ontd

urin the 19D0s, 5ordon alternated

playin and prison, but the 19G0s sa! him

return to "orm, re%ordin "or Blue ote( ;e

spent mu%h o" his time in Europe, !herebla% musi%ians "elt less pre#udi%e(

;e returned to e! @or and a su%%ess"ul

%areer in 19G( ;e re%orded "or 8olumbia,a%ted in "ilms, and too on the role o" elder

statesman(

&"t th B b d P


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&"termath* Bebop and Pop

For a brie" time in the 1940s, bebop !as

mareted as a popular musi%, !hile s!in

bean to "ade( It !as represented both as

modern and as a %omi% no'elty( i$$y 5illespierein"or%ed the latter imae throuh lanuae

and loo, as did other #a$$ musi%ians(

It "ailed as pop musi%, but musi%ians sa! it as a

musi%al system that be%ame the "oundation o"

the #a$$ musi%ians identity/a model that

remains %entral to this day(



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+%ontd

)o build an audien%e "or the musi%, it !as

presented as a #am session, only in publi%(

orman 5ran$ !as %entral to this

trans"ormation(

J t th Philh i +J&)P


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Ja$$ at the Philharmoni% +J&)P

orman 5ran$ +191CA001 re! up in ?os

&neles( ?ie John ;ammond, he de'eloped

an interest in #a$$ that !as both musi%al and

politi%al( ;is "irst %on%erts !ere interra%ialand !ere held at a %lassi%al musi% 'enue,

Philharmoni% ;all in ?os &neles( )hey !ere

soon banned be%ause, a%%ordin tomanaement, there !as a threat o" 'iolen%e(

&%%ordin to 5ran$, the ban stemmed "rom

the interra%ial audien%es(

Ph t 11 A0


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Photo 11-A0




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+

+%ontd

)houh he soon too the %on%erts on the road,

he ept the lo%ation-spe%i"i% name o" the roup(

5ran$ "eatured per"ormers "rom 'arious styles,

in%ludin s!in, bop, and nas%ent rhythm andblues(

;e en%ouraed the %ompetiti'e nature o" the

#am session, !hi%h %riti%s hated but audien%eslo'ed* the youn audien%es hollered and

stomped their "eet durin %on%erts(



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+

+%ontd

;e pro"ited reatly "rom these %on%erts( ;e

insisted that his bands and the audien%es

be interated, and too a spe%ial interest in

Ella Fit$erald and Os%ar Peterson(

2 i 11 1A


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2usi% 11-1A



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)houh musi%ians %ontinued to learn thebebop style, many ne! stylisti% dire%tionsbased on di""erent aestheti%s and ra%ial

politi%s !ere already startin to appear a"terthe 1940s(


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Jazz Ch.11 PP Bebop