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    Charlie Parker was considered the greatest jazz musician in history and one of the most influential. He helped develop and popularize bebop in the 1940s. Some key aspects of Parker's style included using chord arpeggios, inverted mordents, flat-ninth scales, and the bebop scale. He influenced many later saxophonists and was known for his virtuosity, large repertoire, and mastery of bebop language and technique. Parker recorded extensively from the late 1930s until his death in 1955 at age 34.

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    Charlie Parker was considered the greatest jazz musician in history and one of the most influential. He helped develop and popularize bebop in the 1940s. Some key aspects of Parker's style included using chord arpeggios, inverted mordents, flat-ninth scales, and the bebop scale. He influenced many later saxophonists and was known for his virtuosity, large repertoire, and mastery of bebop language and technique. Parker recorded extensively from the late 1930s until his death in 1955 at age 34.

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    157 views15 pages

    Charlie Parker ("Bird")

    Uploaded by

    marto
    Charlie Parker was considered the greatest jazz musician in history and one of the most influential. He helped develop and popularize bebop in the 1940s. Some key aspects of Parker's style included using chord arpeggios, inverted mordents, flat-ninth scales, and the bebop scale. He influenced many later saxophonists and was known for his virtuosity, large repertoire, and mastery of bebop language and technique. Parker recorded extensively from the late 1930s until his death in 1955 at age 34.

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    of 15

    Charlie Parker (“Bird”)

      Greatest single musician in history of


    jazz
      Considered one of the most influential
    jazz performers in jazz history
    Charlie Parker
    General style characteristics

      Tone quality varied from strident to lush


      Vibrato slightly slower and narrower than
    predecessors
      Longer phrases than predecessors
      Unexpected accents at key points in the phrase
      Tremendous command of technique (virtuoso)
      Large repository of material to draw upon
      Complete mastery of the bebop language (i.e.,
    harmonic as well as melodic)
    Charlie Parker Timeline
      Born 8/29/20 in Kansas City, KS
      Moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1927
      Played baritone horn in high school
      Quit HS in 1935 & played 1st gig
      Joined George E. Lee band in 1937 (Ozark
    Mountains and Prez recordings)
      In New York City ca. 1938-39 (Tatum?)
      Rejoined Jay McShann Band in 1940 (earliest
    recordings)
    Charlie Parker Timeline, cont.
      Joins Earl “Fatha” Hines in 1943 w/Diz & on tenor *Sweet
    Georgia Brown
      Plays in Billy Eckstine’s band in 1944
      Records with Tiny Grimes (9-15-44) *Tiny’s Tempo
      Swing meets Bebop (1945) *Hallelujah
      Records w/Diz’s group (2-29-45) & again in June that year
    *Groovin’ High
      First true bebop recording (“Charlie Parker Beboppers”),
    11-29-45 (Parker, Diz/Miles, Sadik Hakim, Curley Russell,
    Max Roach) *Koko
      Bird & Diz in California, 1946
      Committed to Camarillo Hospital (7-29-46) for six months
    Charlie Parker Timeline, cont.
      1947 begins Bird’s best periods
      Records with quintet ca. 1947-49 (Miles/
    Dorham, Duke Jordon/Al Haig, Tommy
    Potter, Max Roach) *Dexterity
      Leap Frog (11 takes)
      Misc. ensembles 1948-1955, in particular,
    recordings with strings (November 1949)
    *Just Friends
      Poll Winner (video with Diz)
    Charlie Parker Timeline, cont.
      Historic recording at Massey Hall with Dizzy,
    Bud Powell, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach (May
    15, 1953) *Hot House
    • One of the last time these musicians played together
    • All tunes are typical bebop tune-types
    • “Magic” of Bird & Diz
    • Good solos!
    • Some of the best playing by all
    Charlie Parker Timeline, cont.
      Parker’s last appearance, March 3/4, 1955 at
    Birdland with Dorham, Powell, Mingus, and
    Art Blakey

      Died 3-12-55 in the apartment of the


    Baroness Pannonica (“Nica”) de
    Koeningswarter
    Charlie Parker’s Style & Impact
      Influenced by Buster Smith, Lester Young,
    Johnny Hodges, Jimmy Dorsey, Art Tatum,
    Dizzy Gillespie

      Influenced everyone! Specifically, Phil


    Woods, Sonny Stitt, Dexter Gordon, Sonny
    Rollins, Cannonball Adderley, Frank Morgan,
    Jackie McLean, Coltrane, etc…

      Bird the Movie (clip)


    Parker’s Formulae: #1
      Chord arpeggio outline
    beginning on the root or
    the major seventh &
    usually as a triplet (most
    frequent, ca. once every 8
    bars).
    Parker’s Formulae: #2 & #3

      Use of the inverted mordent with various rhythms, but usually


    triplets and eighth with two sixteenths (ranks 2nd in his use)

      Use of flat-ninth (i.e., scale motion down to the 3rd of the V


    chord with outline to the b9 or skip to the b9 with resolution to
    the next chord). Parker’s use of this is rank 3rd.
    Parker’s Formulae continued
      Use of harmonic minor scale

      Pervasive use of the bebop


    scale as well as other
    systematically placed
    chromatic notes
    Parker’s Formulae continued
      Tri-tone subs. (e.g., bar 8 of the
    blues) and cycles (Blues for
    Alice).

      Pattern emphasis with the third


    moving to the seventh during
    the first four bars, or fifth bar, of
    the blues.
    Parker’s Formulae continued
      Use of quotes (e.g., familiar tunes, opera, his own tunes) were often
    used during live performances and rarely used in studio recordings.
    Examples include Grainger’s Country Gardens and Bizet’s Habanera
    from Carmen, among others.

      The b5th was used sparingly, but was obvious when he did use it.
    Parker’s Formulae continued

      Improvisations are considered “goal”


    oriented (i.e., resolving tendencies of
    notes).
    Charlie Parker: End Notes
      Confirmation Analysis

      Parker interview

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