MARGINALIZATION (Different learners in Marginalized Group
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Charlie
wathParker
Nor yu., Gilr become the feoturcd session
rq+haË qr six chssk Chorlie Pqrker hucks, hunscribed
ad cra€ed exclusivd by soxophonists Íor soxophonists.
lncludes:
BiffiebBounce
VrtUUirdSuite
IlonnaLee
Ornithology
Now'sTheTime
Anthropology
On the CD
o OanpfË performancls of each pleec
. hd diln rrion oÍ each piece
ntcnetlo'nrd .
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*',5-
't-i*s
ïh,
ln the book
o llolrfir-note top-frne transcriptions
. ChcUtrËË
. A brfrwn andanalysisoÍ eachsolo,containingËsttËntialhints andtips
. bgfTlÉcC ndc on the artist
. [ËrpgrTtry
tsBN1E5909737-5
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Order reÍz 6612A
3. Charlle
Parker
ln the Book...
ntroduction r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r . 4
NotesontheSoloAnalysis,,,,,I
% The GD..,
Track1 TuningTones
Billie'sBounce
ïrack2 Fasttempowithsaxophone
Track3 Fasttempobackingtrack
Track4 Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track5 Slowtempobackingtrack
Ornithology
Track6 Fasttempowith saxophone
Track7 Fasttempobackingtrack
TrackI Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track9 Slowtempobackingtrack
YardbirdSuite
Track 10 Fasttempowithsaxophone
Track11 Fasttempobackingtrack
Track 12 Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track 13 Slowtempobackingtrack
Now'sTheTime
Track 14 Fasttempowithsaxophone
Track 15 Fasttempobackingtrack
Track 16 Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track 17 Slowtempobackingtrack
DonnaLee
Track 18 Fasttempowithsaxophone
Track 19 Fasttempobackingtrack
Track20 Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track21 Slowtempobackingtrack
Anthropology
Track22 Fasttempowithsaxophone
Track23 Fasttempobackingtrack
Track24 Slowtempowithsaxophone
Track25 Slowtempobackingtrack
Ornithology r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ! . 15
ardbird Suite, r r r r r ! r, r r r r r . 22
llowts The Time r r r r r r . r r r r . 27
o n n a L e e r r r r r r r r r r ! r r r r r . 3 4
3
thropologyI t t t t t l t t t t t t l t 42
4. Blography
ake a few narcotics,add in a pinch of alcohol,stir in some
cultural tension fuelled by a new and dangerousmusicl now
add prohibition, a tragically shortened life and a musical gift
as prodigious as it was revolutionary. Now you have the
basic ingredientsfor the life srory of one of the greatestand
most influential jazz musiciansever- charlie 'Bird' parker.
He was born in Kansasciry on 29th August r920,the only son of charles
and Addie Parker. He started learning the baritone sax but found his rue
instrument when his mother gavehim an alto sax. Suchwas his infatuation
with the instrumenr that at the age of 14 he dropped out of school
completely to dedicate himself to it. He got the nickname 'yardbird'
from
his love of chicken.This inelegantsobriquetwas subsequentlyshortenedto
the altogethermore appealing'Bird', and it stuck.
His first forays into the world of the professionaljazz musicianwere
anything but successful,however. Kansas City musicians were very
competitive (Herschel Evans and Ben Ïíebster both came from
Kansas)andif you couldn'tcut it, you wereout! on parker'sfirst
timeout, at theHigh Hat club, hedriedup half way througha
solo on Body And soul and didn't touch the instrumentfor
three months afterwards. A potentially more damaging later
outing culminated in drummer Jo Jones throwing a cymbal at
Parker asa subtleway of telling him to get off the stage!Rather
than discouraging him this experience seemedto stiffen Bird,s
resolve,as he simply practisedmore diligently and for longer hours
than he had before.
He startedto getregularwork, firstwith TommyDouglas(1936-7)
andthenwith Bustersmith (1937-8).At this timehe startedto
study harmony with pianist carrie powell, a move that laid
the first brick in the impressive wall of his mastery of
jazz improvisation.
In 1938he joinedthe bandoÍ JayMcShann,
and startedto makea namefor himselfasa
hard-swingingtaker-of-libertieswith iazz
harmony.
ln 7939 he madehis first visit to New
York, wherehe was greatlyinfluencedby
the musicalstyleof the Big Apple.It was
duringhistime with McShannthat hemade
his first recordings(in 1941,).Theseearly
recordings(including SepianBounce,
Jumpin' Blues and Lonely Boy Blues)
broughthim to the attentionof a wrderiazz
public, and his reputationas a harmonic
innovatorbeganto spread.
1
t
Charlie Parkq
5. During the Secondworld var he hookedup with EarlHines (1942-3) '
3
and Billy Eckstine(1944)wherehe met DízzyGillespie,a prodigious I
youngtrumpeterwith a cuttingsoundandan attitudeto match. --
rn 1,942 Bird moved to New York where, with a vafiety of musicians
including Dízzy and drummers Kenny Clarke and Max Roach, and
with Thelonious Monk on piano, he helpedpioneer bebop.
By 1945 bebop had caught the narion's attention from its New York
spiritual home, and Parker was by this time leading his own outfit. A
'síest
Coast residency at Billy Berg's helped widen the appeal of his
music. In 1.946he played at the LA Philharmonic, and in rhe sameyear
he cut a number of landmark recordingsfor the Dial record label.
During all this time Parker had been living up ro his
'rabble
rouser'
image, with a growing record of narcotic and alcohol abuse, which
culminated in the famous 'Loverman
session'incident in 1,946when,
after a recording sessionhe was so desperatethat he set light to his
hotel room.
A spell in the psychiatric wing of the LA county jail was the consequence
of that affan, followed by six months rehab, which Bird ironically
celebratedin the recording RELAXIN' AT CAMARILLO in 1947.
$7henhe returned to normal life he immediately set to work recording
for Dial, this time with Erroll Garner. The appeal of New York proved
irresistibleand in t947 he returned to form a band with the hot young
trumpet sensationMiles Davis and drummer Max Roach. It was with
this band that Parker arguably hit his peak.
1949 saw Parkertouring a foreign country for the first time when he
playedthe Parisfestival,following that with a trip to Scandinaviain
1950.
In the sameyear, and in an attempt to reach a wider audience,he
releasedan album of music with string orchestra,and the successoÍ
;|ilï:ïï:'.:::.ïïHï1ï:ï"ï:'j_,*;"1Ë;.#
.a .a
somethingthis sanitised,unashamedlypopulist style of music
5 5
couldn'tsuPPlY'
'- -MUSiC
iS VOUf OWn ThedefinitiveParkerrecordingsweremadefor two labels
. .r' Í
duringthemid to late40s:on Savoybetween1945-8he
=xperience,yourthoughts,your 'Ëïli!,"1ïo'',.*,"J::,":!::::
?;^tï,L^|i,Z:!i,;
;dom. If you don't live it, it won't ?:i?lii;i,iet
tnrunisia,LouerManandscrappte
-Ome Out on yOur horn.
,, Hislastpublicappearancewasin 1955atBirdland,theclub
namedafterhim, but it wasnot an auspiciousfinale.He rowed
.r r. Ír _-t__ _- publicly with pianist Bud Powell, who srormedoÍf stage,
Lnaflle fafkef. qui.kly'follo*.d by bassistCharlie Mingus. Depressed,
disillusioned,his body wastedby diseaseand yearsof abuse,Bird
sought solacewith the great patron and friend of bebop, Baronessde
Koenigswater. Eight days after that fateful gig he was found dead in
her hotel suite.
{I
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rdom.
CharlieParker 5
6. MusicalStyle
Parker's interests and influences Mereas diverse and far-reaching as one
could imagine - from the classicalsophistication of Hindemith and
Stravinsky to the primitive directnessof the Kansas City blues tradition,
which Parker was immersed in from his upbringing and early professional
employment with the Jay McShann Orchestra, of which he was a
conscientiouslead alto player.
? ?As an intelligentand deeplysensitiveman,he livedthroughthe
Á Á
wholepanoramaof humanemotionsfromioyandlove, - -
BifdrS mind and fingefS WOthrough to tragedyanddespair- andit's all herein hisplaying.
with incrediblespeed.He canimp
four chord changesin a melodicpatl
whereanothermusicianwouldha
troubleinsertingtvvo.3t
LeonardFeather.
His conception of sound was based on that of the altoist
Buster Smith, and the leading tenor saxophone player of the
day Lester
'Pres' Young, whose comparatively vibrato-less
sound was adopted by Bird on the alto saxophone. Parker
saysof
'Pres','I was cÍazyabout Lester,he played so cleanand
beautifullv'.
Although Parker completely overhauled Lester'sharmonic and
rhythmic concepts, he had indeed transcribed and memorised much
of the tenor star's recordedoutput with the Count BasieBand, and as the
formative bebop drummer Kenny Clarke relates:''W'e
went to listen to Bird
at Monroe's, for no other reasonexcept that he soundedlike 'Pres',
until
we found out that he had something of his own to oÍf.er,something new'.
That
'something new' was a melodic appreciation of the upper extensions
of conventional chord progressionsand cadenceswhich Bird had been
practising at jam sessionswith the guitarist Biddy Fleet.As Parker himself
explains:
'Well
that night I was working over Cherokee, and as I did I
found that by using the higher intervals of the chord as a melody line, and
backing them with appropriately related changes,I could play the thing I'd
beenheari.rg- I camealive.'
This explanation from the saxophonist is both clear and informative, but it
fails to do justice to the depth of his innovation, which included
chromaticisation of melody and harmonic introduction of passingchords,
chord substitution, displacement of the harmonic metre and, on occasion,
extensive reharmonisation. W'hen you combine this with an awe-inspiring
rhythmic approach, containing complete freedom of accentuation and
articulation, you havethe musicalpersonalirywho went on to revolutionise
conceptsof small group playing on every instrument.
íhile not wishing to devalue Parker's greatnessor individual achievement,
he was part of an extraordinarily fertile musical environment amongst an
expanding circle of young musicians, whose daring and musical
exploration were leading them down similar roads of enquiry.
The nightly fam sessionsat Minton's Playhousein New York provided the
focal point for this group, which included Thelonious Monk, Charlie
Christian, Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke amongst others. It was at such
venues that the small group, consisting of two or three frontline and
rhythm section, began to asseÍtits ascendancyover the larger ensemblesof
the swing era as the preferred working environment for the serious
improviser.
6 CharlieParker
Photo:WilliamGottlieb
7. Here is a guíde to suggested iistening far
each of the pieces ln this book:
,:i!i,a:i::luii:i:,l:i::,i
Billie's Ëóunóê' - 26/11/45,New York City * The Charlie
DarkerRe-boppers- The Complete SavoySessions-
*Íth Miles Davis(tpt),$adik HakÍm(pno),Gurly Russell
(bass),Max Roach {drums) Savoy/Arista 5850-1
OmithologY' * 24/1U49* Camegie Hall,New York City
- with Hed Ëiodney{tpt), Al Haig (pno),Tommy Potter
bass),Roy Haynes(drums),S.C.A.M.JPGï
,,r*i!.,,1i,:
,ii:. .:'
ïardbird Suite' - 2813/46- witfi Miles Davis (tpt),
l-ucky'Thompson (tenorsax),Arv Ganison {gtr),Dodo
r'farmorosa{pno},Viv McMillan (bass),Roy Porter
.ms)- releasedon 'Bird Symbols' - Atlantic Music
l"crPoration407
,,,, ,
ïow's the ïme' *24112149-CarËËiiieHatl,New York
CÍty- wÍth Red Rodney {tpt}, Al Haig {pno),Tommy
Uter {bass},Roy Haynes{drums)S.C.A.M.JPGÍ
tonna Lee' * 8/5i47* The C*ertie FarRerAll Stars - The
- nplete Savoy Seseions- with Miles Davis {tpt}, Bud ,
rtrell (pno),Tommy Potter (bass),Max Roach (drums)
:"roy/Arista3420-2
,
..
r-{+rropologÍi;S/sf+9 * Radio Broadcast,Royat Roost
tr - ^t Club, New York Ctty* with CharlieParker,Kenny
l.: -*arn
{tpt},Al Haig(pno},'Lucky'Thompson(tenor
:,,: . Milt Jackson (vibraphone),Tommy Potter (bass),
t',- , Roach(drums)
Bird's style is the culmination of the musical developments of the
experiments of the early 1,940s,taking in the harmonic knowledge of the
greatpianist Art Tatum and giants of the saxophone such asDon Byasand
Coleman Hawkins, all delivered with incredible virtuosity and the raw
passionof the blues.
PerformanceNotes
Billie'sBounce
'!' I rv'L''
This is one of two blues compositions in this selectionand is an ideal
starting point for any saxophone player who wants to get to grips with
Parker's sryle.This is a comparatively short solo (seeif you can memorise
it) and shows how Bird was able to tailor his playing to the demands of
any situation.
Ornithology
The theme of Omithology was originally a phrase Parker improvised on
Jay McShann's The Jumping Blues, which Benny Harris crafted over the
chord progression of the standard How High The Moon, a common
variant of the 32-bar song format ABAC (4 x 8-bar phrases).This
'Carnegie
Hall' performance bears all of Parker's trademarks - for
example, fantastic singing sound, time feeling, varied articulation and an
indefiable senseof structure allied to form.
Yardbird Suite
'Yardbird'
was one of Charlie Parker'snicknames,derived from his liking
for fried chicken. This composition, with its rigorous functional harmony
and modulation to the key of III minor in the bridge, records the
saxophonist'sagility and succinctnessof phrasing over chord changesand
his understandingand masteryof the 32-bar songform.
Now's The Time
Jay McShann (one of Parker's first musical employers) consideredhis
protégé to be the greatestof blues players, and while such comparative
terms are ultimately meaninglessin any discussionof the human spirit, we
can perhaps forgive McShann for getting carried away in this case.This
performance of the blues, over six majestically constructed choruses,
illustratesParker's depth of connection to and understandingof this most
archetypalof forms.
Donna Lee
Although credited to Parker, there is a strong suspicion amongst
musicians that this
'line'
over the chord progression of Indiana, was
actually penned by the young trumpeter Miles Davis, who spent much of
his formative period as the saxophonist's sideman. If this is indeed the
case,then the tune is a classicexample of how Parker's vocabulary was
identified and applied by his contemporaries.
Anthropology
This is a daring virnrosic performance at
'break-neck'
tempo of a Parker
'line'
over the chord progressionof I Got Rhythm (which musiciansnow
refer to as
'rhythm'
changes).Thesechangeshave beena stalwart of many
jazz players up to and including the present day. til7ith its rapidly moving
harmony, albeit within tonic and subdominant key areas,and its cyclic
middle eight (III?I I I I I I I l aVl?I I I I I I I I lrl1 | | I I I I I I lV? | I I I I I I I lll
it remainsa challengeto contemporary improvisers.
CbarlieParker
8. NotesontheSoloAnalys
It will help us enormouslyin our appraisalof Parker'splaying if we can gain insight into how his no
choicesfunctionwithin the melodicline.
To illustratethis,we will examinethreeextractsin the following terms:
1. Chordnotes- the t,3, 5,7 of thechord '
2. Passingnotes- a noteor notesthat passbetweentwo chord notes
3. NeighÉournotes- the four noteswhich area tone and semi-toneaboveand belowa chord note.
E x í
This is bars22 and 23 of the solo from Billie's Bounce.The Al in bar 23 is a chord note of D7 (the5th) and is the destination(
target) of the notesin bar 22. The B, B! and Ab respectivelyconstitutethe upper neighbournote, the chromatic upper neighbc
note,andthechromaticlowerneighbournotestotheA|,andservetodrawtheeartotÍreresolutionontothe5thofth
In bar 23, the A (5th), Ff (3rd) and D (root) areobviously all chord notesof D7.The G passesbetweentwo chord notes,FÍ and
and isthereforea passingnote.The B! in bar 22 is a neighbournoteto óe A in bar 23. Iíhilst appreciatingóat the Bqisthe 13th
D7.it is alsousefulto realisethat 13thsderivemuchof their particular quality from their relationshipwith the 5th
Ex2
The aboveexampleis bars32-33 (thesolo break)from Omithology. The Bf itt bar 33 is the 5th of E major and is the targetfor I
A, Ci and Bbwhich 'prepare'and leadthe earto it. Again, whilst appreciatingtÏat the Cf is the bt of Bt, óe main questionto asl
how doesthenoteÍunctionin termsof themelodicphrase?
.Ihe
Ghin bar 33 is the lower chromatic neighbournoteto the G* (the3rd of E major). Notice that the Df and Ff (the7th and I
of E maior) are lower and upper neighbournotesto tlre root of E. The 7th and 9th of chordsderivetheir particular qualrty ftr
theirrelationshipwith theroot, andin thecaseof the9ththe3rd also.
The descendingDd and Cf - which passbetweenE and B (chord notes)- are,in this system'passingnotes.You will noticethat
samenotecanhavemorethan onemelodicfunction, dependingon what precedesandfollows it.
I CharlieParker
9. E x 3
L dreaboveexample(bars11G117 of Anthropologyl,theCÍ andBbin bar 116arebothneighbournotesto thesth ofET(Bl).The
,a-ond Cl still functions as a neighbournote to BIr although the Bí is not soundedagainuntil the beginningof the next bar. An
T::portantpoint about neighbournotesis that they dont haueto be resolvedand, altematively,the resolution can be delayed,as
ue. Note that whenthe Bc(thedestinationof the descendingphrasein bar 116)is playedat the beginningof bar 117,it is now the
-::: of A' insteadoÍ the 5th of 47.
in bar 116 is a chromaticpassingnote,comingasit doesbetweentwo chord notes- the root and the 7th oÍ E7:E andD.
.r-..rvereiteratelater in the book, Parkeraccessesthis kind of detail and beautyintuitively. That is to say,hewasn't thinking in these
::ns during performance,hewashearingit, Evenwith this brief introduction" it is helpful for usto think aboutphrasingin óe way
r--:: the ear hearsit - in terms of tension and releaserather than attempting to justify Parker'schromatic choicesin relation to
:- :d/scaletheory.That is not to saythat tÍris approachreplaceschord/scaletheory,rather it complemeneit. For óe musicianwho
r:ries to explorethis further, a studyof Schenkeriananalysisis recommended.
=lation to the solosdescribedin this book, this approachwill help to shedlight on why certainthings soundsogood and, most
:ously,to understandParker'suseof chromaticism.
PlayingGuide
Short accentednote
" ? --
Accented note
tt-- Tenutomark - hold the notefor its full value
Play the note a semitone below the written note,
and very quickly releaseinto the written pitch
I
A 'ghostednote', or note that is only half sounded
CharlieParker
10. B I L L I E I g B O U N C E
By CharlieParker
Theme)=t8+1t36
FlmT
Bz(il9)
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D7
-ïËrry
D7
@ 1945U.1999 ScreenGems-EMIMusicInc,USA
ScreenGems-EMIMusic Ltd, LondonWC2H OEA
B7(be)
r- solo starts-
10 Billie'sBounce
F#m7 (Fm7 Bb7)
12. ThéSolo
Billie'sBounce
Iíithin the three choruses,the ideasunfold naturally and in
balance with each other. The beginning of the second
chorus expandsthe opening phrase of the first in much the
same way as people mull over and return to themes in a
conversation.
Bar 23 returnsto
developedfurtherin
the motif in bar
bars 41,and42.
18, which itselfis
..
:tí
:..t
:i
,-- : : 1
In eachof theseexamplesthe phrasereturnson a different
rhythmic placementof the bar. Also seebars 33 and 34
which re-inventthe ascendingquavertriplet phrasefrom
bars26 and27, andbar 42 which is reinforcedby bar 45.
:
€
IlHn--o
13. This repetition and, importantly,
developmentof materialraisesan
enormouslyvaluablemusicalissuefor us
as improvisers that is, it's not
necessarilyhow many ideasyou come up
with, but how you work with and expand
the ideas you do have and in how many
different ways and contexts you can apply
Harmonically, we have the usual selectionof bounties that
Parker regularly servesup - so we have unadulterated blues
playing in bar 2l and bars 41-46, in combination with
gems of phrasing (bars 24 and 36) which simultaneously
describethe cadencepoints and which are individual
melodic statementsin their own right.
E x 3
D7
@ , r ,
4?D?br e,, .
ffi
Bar 22 (and 23) which is shown in the exampleabove,
containshighly detailedchromatictensionand release
within the line (see'Notes on the SoloAnalysis')as does
-:*-ffiËlj-
*:-
:Po.t,
...r"""&
them.
14. .i
;
i
bar 19. The accentuation of the 7th of the D7 chord,
prepares the move to the subdominant - a favourite
melodic traít of Parker.The subtlety of the man is evident
in the way he usesthe tonic (D), initially to bring his first
chorus to a conclusion and then to launch the beginning of
the next, re-iterating the truth that clarity and simplicity
are usually indicative of the greatestintelligence'musical or
otherwise.
TryryF-f.ryii.ï.{ejw
Practice Tip :
Takesomeoí themelodicphi&s from th$irolo'&dteb if X' i
you can usethe marenal
"t "_
*1*"g *rnj
:".
comPtlse
Ë U
yeltr ou.nblueoheadand./orsolo.Dont beafraidto return1l
io phr"..* you'vealreadyused(thisis part of ,hffir$
r
il"rr"dition of the blues anyway - th ^t i$, t; rnakêi*
o
,
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dj. .fu*.,:
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$thiswayyou.willnaturallybeginm assimilatethe..language$ , ,'à? ,- y' -
;;;ilJ;:Jiffi:ï:ffiï;'"ï:ï'":ffi-"ïïd;:ru;'
''r$
ffi"y of thcbtdffieration of pt"ydL YdFffil
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f pr".ti.ingmateriello- ór perfiormancein
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15. O R N I T H o L o G Y
By CharlieParkerandBennieHarris
Theme)=2321168
X e
G7
c7 Filmz(bs) 87
Gilm7 cfi7(be) Ffrm7 B7(be)
Ff,m705)
@1,946AtlanticMusic.@renewedandassigned l974Atlantic MusicCorp,USA
This arrangement@ 1999
All rightsfor UK andEireby MaradaMusic Ltd, LondonIí14 OLJ
Ornithology í5
16. Gilm7 (Gm7) Film7 F7
Breakto solo
Fine
E Ffim7 B7(be)
tS h
Ffimz(bs)
cfiz(bs)
+Ël#,x,1
Em7
(Gm7) B7(bs) Gfm7
Film7
A7Em7
Am D7
GËm7
,if'Hiï"2
F#m7 BTaug
Film7(bs)
1 6 Ornithology
Ff mT cf 7(bs)
?.0
18. TheSolo
Oruitbology
It is an interesting exerciseto sing the melody of How High
The Moon overBird's solo here,becauseit becomesapparent
that far from obscuringthe melody the solo actually functions
asan elaboratecounterpoint.
One of the reasonsParker'smusic communicatesso directly is
the completenessof his melodic statementswhich he expertly
frameswith space,allowing himself and the music to breathe
(bars 36 and 40). Alternativelg he may follow a seemingly
fully self-containedidea with a complementary andlor satirical
afterthought, such as that which appearsin bar 44 (as in all
great art there is an in-built senseof proportion and
perspective,and internal balance)
Throughout the solo Bird useschromaticism to embellishthe
line, which further energiseshis playing with the resulting in-
built tensionand release(seebars 33r 37,45, 50 and so on);
the use of the V7(v9)shape (bar 32 and,bars 42 and 46
amongst others); and strong descriptiveand melodic chord
shapes,utilising Tths and gths (for examplebars 33,38,39,
41 and48 to namebut a few).
Bars 49-57 show Parkertaking one melodic ideaand adapting
it to effect, in this casethe modulation to D major. In this
instance- bars51 and 52 - he altersthe givenharmony:
l E m Tl l l l A T l l l l D m a j l l l l D m a j l l l l l
which he embellisheswith:
l E m T / E m - m a j 7l E r n l A 7/ l D m a j l l l t D m a j l l l l l
Bird then exploits the inner line of root, major 7th, minor
7th-3rd.
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18 Ornitbology -{lF,
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19. T # f-JÏ
ititi'
'.ïï;il
*"."-n,,,,1È@@ry46
Em(maj7)
b
This became a favourite harmonic device of the bebop
generationplayers such as Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Kenny
Dorham and so on.
Bars 64 and,65 areinrerestingfor their use of the 87* chord
and the way Bird decoratesthe ensuingline of the 9-(b13)-(9).
BTaug
Bar 65 is also interestingfor irs use of the melodic qualiry of
the unresolvedmajor 7th.
Bars 74 - 78 utilise a three-notegroupinghnterval structure of
a semitonethen a tritone.
Gilm
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Ornithology í9
20. ;:iii,ff'ïÈ.
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Bird transposesthestructurethroughthechordprogression,a
conceptusedby manycontempoÍaryimproviserswho, since
Coltrane,haveexploredthis territoryextensively.Parkermay
haveconceivedof this ideafrom his studiesof Slonimsky's
Thesaurusof Scalesand Melodic Patterns,which retainsits
relevanceasa researchresource.
Practice TiP
,,,,
The main rhythmic constituent of Parker'ssolo"(ánd the
melody) is the quaver or eighth note, so we must be able to
deliver the phrasesin a way that ignites the rhythmic vitaliry
of the solo. Parker achievesthis through the quality of
support he maintains for the air stream at àll timesi which
allows him to accent,and inverselyto'ghost'(or de-
emphasise)certain parcs of phrases.In bar 6 of the melody
the F! is accentedto enhancethe syncopation of its rhythmic
placementin the bar (notice R"y Haynes' bassdrum push
here in conjunction with this) and the Dh and gb in bar 8 are
both subtly inflected to give them more emphasis.
Throughout the solo be aware of how you attack and end
n'ótes,and where you accent within phrases.This will help
bring the music alive for you. (Farker'slanguageis as much a
A good #áy.i.ot $fáctisi"g':this approaclt 1r
ii$.r"i"p[..'t[i..ohi
$ë
you're working on at a slower tempo and play it through
without tonguing so that you're relying on the air-stream
alone for the projection of each note. The next step is to
experiment with accentsi firstly using the sfi$port from thê
abdomenand secondlyby introducing the tongue. Once you
can make all the notes speak with an even qualiry of sound
20 Ornithology
."h--
21. iiiiriii:rËri:itlirlii]Iliiii#lïri!r.ft!fr9,rËi!S.:,:,4, Í',iít:s..!.ii:irilïjjr:Ilt:ir
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acrossthe registersyou can useyour tongue to accent, attack
and inflect notesto good effect.Stylisticallythis is essentialto
r i : : ; t ; : i :
the mdiió becauseit is part of the rhythmic dialogueacross
rhewholebaád- that is,theibir infËË$laybérw.ét thË'i:$narc
and bassdrum accentsand thepiano comping,accenrsin the
basslineandthesoloisticstatements. '
. . : , , . , , i . . ,
À'i:goodtip herêis t$l'ieferro rhe originalrecording
"r,di:[o
learnto singsomeof the phrases(or the whole solo if you
like),sothat you beginto 'internalise'themusic.Remember
''
that the $óund yo'uhéáï'in your head and feel in your heart
, .i,
is,'whatultimatelycomesout of the horn, as much as'any
I t
saxophone/mouthpiece/reedpermutation. If you are having
difficulry at any time, for instancewith a particular phrase,
: : : : : :
practise it in the same way as you would a technical
exercise.Think of it a$ a musical inve$tffient you
can't fail to cashin on.
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Ornithology 21
22. Theme)=zzuteo
By CharlieParker
A G7
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Cfim Dilmz(bs)eilzogt CËm
Bm Cfimz(bs) Ffi7
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YardbirdSute
Y n R D B I R D S U I T E
rf z(bg)
Dm
t 1 t a .
A7 G7
Gf,7(f,e)
Dm
1 t a .
E7(be)
Cilm Ffr7
' solostarts-
22
24. TheSólo
YardbirdSuite
This is a miniature masterpieceof construction over just
one chorus, and demonstratesthe intuitive compositional
mind of a great improviser. It is no coincidence that the
first two statementsof the solo are exactly the samelength
- 3 y,beats- with identical rhvthmic stress.
E x í
The first four bars of this solo demonstratethe kind of
detailand balanceParkerïvascapableof manipulating'off
the cuff'. The noteswritten in ExampleL arethe keypoints
of the phrase(bars 36-40) which the eaÍ is led to
melodically.Incidentallythe tune of 'Yardbird' establishes
the top line here,but in the soloParkerembellishesboth of
theselinessimultaneouslSas well as a hint at the root
movementin bar 38 - via the A on the last quaverof bar
37 andin bar 39 - melodicexploitationof theline#9-b9 -
Sth.
'líhen
we arriveat bar 40,the logicalcontinuationof
the upper line would be to descendto the root of the II7
chord - 8,7- which is why the Cfi,which contradictsthis
preparedexpectation,getsthemaximumfrom its qualityas
the unresolved9th. This all soundsincrediblyacademic,
and it is important to rememberthat most of this detail
was accessedintuitively.On the other hand, this kind of
cognitiveappreciationcan often 'kick start' the intuition
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into geaÍ.It can't be a bad thing to
somethingsoundsgreat!
In bars42 and43 Parkerwent on
'riff' bluesheadentitledCoolBlues.
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considerwh5 and how, !,
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to usethis phraseas a
Ex2
Here the root movementis melodicallyembellishedwithin
the line, and bars46 and47 arc unifiedby the ascending
semitoneto firstly emphasisethe G andsecondlytheFf.
E x 3
The above example details the descendingline inherent in
bars 45-47 as alreadyshown in example2.
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YardbirdSute 25
26. I n t h e b r i d g e o f t h i s s o l o b a r
transposesthe contour of the phrase
bar 52 down a tone from Cfi minor to
minor.
rnruse"d;;";l::ïÍl;l
5 6
at
B
Bar 58 reinforcesthe 'gesture'of Bar 57. Subtly,Bird
waits to resolvethe Afi in bar 57 until bar 59.
Theseexamplesshow Parkermaking a mockeryof the
difficultiescontainedin the chord progressionand they
resultin a highlyorganisedcompositionalstatementover
32 bars.
Instrumentallyspeaking,Parker'splayinghereusestraces
of vibrato in the soundin what, for him, is quite an
unusualway. As a saxophonisthe was one of the first,
afterhis original model LesterYoung,to curtail the use
of vibrato and to useit more discerningly,in a very vocal
way. In this solo the delicacyand finesseof Parker's
soundcounter-balancesperfectlythe invincibility of his
musicalthoughtprocess
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Beginby singineth1 A'sectionof
,the
melofl and ihên
moveon to singingthe 'lines'in Ë á*pte t HavEï
r6
"ràt
vocally improvisingi8uttd the line and theni"iépeatthe
wholeprocedurewith the saxophone.This canbea lot of
fun and will helptïj-: inside
the yhrasingand
lelt"::t
ions of Parker'ssolo You can pràèiisethis
approachas an improvisationalresourcein $y"':bontext
you choose.
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26 YardbirdSute
27. N o W I g T H E T I M E
By CharlieParker
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l{oz"s The Time
30. Thêsolo
Ir{ow'sThe Time
This is an audaciousoffering from the saxophone player,
containing some of his most celebrated and oft-quoted
vocabulary (seebars 26-30, bars 34 and 35, and bars
54-56. Throughout, the performance is littered with the
most poignant of blues proclamations which remarkably
transform relatively simple musical resourcesinto the most
strident and meaningful of deliveries(for example bars 37
and 3 8). This is achieved through an incredible
understandingand respectfor the tradition that gaverise to
this music, backed up by virtuosic instrumental command
of articulation and inflection.
Over the six chorusesthere is an identifiable pattern to the
organisation of material which is self-evident,that is, while
the harmony remains more static (for example, in bars L-6
of eachchorus on the tonic and sub-dominantchords),the
phrasingis more vocal and drawn out.
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30 Noaa'sThe Time
31. Bird saveshismoreexplosivedouble-timepassagesfor bars
7-12 of eachchorus,wherewe havethebebopgeneration's
harmonicadaptationsto the bluesfor which ParkerMas
very much responsible.For example,from bar 7 of the
chorus:
(71 (8) (e) (10) (11) (12)
rlvr7 / |IImi/v7 llIIImi/vr7/lbtttmTlbvl7tlrrmi7il llv7 tttl
Here the phrasingis
harmony.
Beforewe leave
intimates at the
more descriptiveof the shifting
this solo, bar 52
tritonesubstitute
is interesting becauseBird
of D7 which is Ab7.
E x í
UnusuallShowever,he does
This is interestingbecauseit
still is, to insert the tritone
this in bar 3 of the chorus.
was more conventional,and
substitutionin bar 4 of the
Am7
Now's The Time 31
32. blues,in this case Ab7- G7. Bars63 and64 areinteresting
becauseBird impliesthe harmonyof Eb7.
'With
thrbl(
chord functioningas the tritone dominantof D7 (that is,
thetritonesubstituteof the dominantof D7- A7),
subsequently
the playersat
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fD7t t r1vtr7fr11
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(64)
| | t l n b Tt o 7 | D 7 | | |
(Ebn
theseare harmonicprinciplesthat have
becomemajor roadsof inquiry for many of
theforefrontof themusic.
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Whenpractising,hit pi.i., seeii you can reallyget inside
I
the more blues-orientatedphrases,and deliverthem as if ,
. ' . ' ' '
you weiê singing!As with all thesetranscriptions,it is
. . : , i
essentialto check out the original recording, béCáusèthe
inflection and rhythmic placement is so personal, and
notation is only the starting point for the music. Jazz ts,
: ::,':: ' :i;w'
and alwayshas beèn,primarily an aural tradition. : :,,'$F
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34. Theme)=184/160
D O N N A L E E
By CharlieParker
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35. Gm c7
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A
D7(be) Gm
, solo starts-
D7(be)
Eb7(fl11)
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GD c7(be) Crn FTalt
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Gm C7(b13)c7(b13)
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37. F *
TheSolo
Donna.Lee
Parker'ssolocontainsmuchof theharmonicinformationand
contour from the actualmelody,materialwhich has been
assimilatedby the tradition becauseof its enduringmelodic
strengthand harmoniclogic.A detailedstudyof the melody
would bebeneficialin itself,however,let usconcernourselves
herewith the Parkersolo which containsall of the musical
ideasandprincipleswithin theoriginalline- andmore.
One of the definingaspectsof Bird'ssryleasopposedto his
predecessorswho influencedhim (for example,Lester
Young),was his useof the addednotes/extensionsin his
arpeggiationof the harmony.So for example,as we have
alreadyseenelsewhere,hearpeggiatestheV7(b9)chordsfrom
the 3rd of the v7(b9)chord (superimposinga resulting
diminished7thshape)in bars34,39,50,55, 58,66,76,82
and90.
Likewise,hearpeggiatesthe G9from the 3rd to thenatural9
(superimposingthe notesB D F A - Bm7(bs)- overG7;.See
bars 35, 67 (whereBird paraphrasesthe melody at the
beginningof the secondchorus),77 and 83. Notice that
althoughthe materialin theseexamplesis essentiallythe
same,hisrhythmicpermutationandplacementin thebar and
acrossthebarlineisseeminglyendless.
It is herethat we comeacrossanotherfavouritedeviceof
Parker- alteringtheharmonicmetreof thechordprogression
so that the resolutionis eitherdelayedor broughtforward
slightly.In bars38 and 39 the underlyingharmonyis C7-p.
However,whenwe arriveat theF chord,Bird is still outlining
theC7(b9)chord,thusdelayingthearrivalof thetonicchord.
Donna Lee 3.1
38. d
-{
Cm
Similarly in bar 55,
outlining the V7(bel
the stated harmony is D*7, but Bird
of Dm7 which is A7(be).
TS
fhen he does finallv resolveto the tonic chord (bv.
impicatïon with ttreTï ïn bar 56.,the hatmony of the tune
hasmovedto A7(b9)r
Anotherexampleis at bar7"1,wherethe Cm -F7 whichwe
aremovingto is broughtforward by threebeatsto expand
thecadencefrom 17to lVmai (thatis,(Cm)F7-Bb).
Finallythereis the
harmonvin bar 93
phrasein bar 92, whichis anticipatingthe
(thetonicchordof F major).
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38 Donna Lee
iïí-4
39. #i'i",
The effectof this harmonicdisplacementis exrremelysubtle.
At the time Bird wasdoingthis,manyof the rhythm section
playersfelt that they were in the wrong part of the
progression.
The conceptof altering the harmonicmerrehas been
exploitedeversinceBird, and understandingit will throw
somelight on many contemporaryimprovisers,although
stylisticallytheymay beverydifferent.
Anotherof Parker'smannerismswasto chromatically'fill in'
thespaceof a descendingmajor 3rd interval- for example,in
bar 37 betweenthe 9th andthe 7th of G minor (A-F), andin
bar 92 wherehechromatrcally'fillsin' themajor 3rd interval
betweenE andC.
Bar 79 is interestingbecauseof its arpeggiationof the minor
chordthroughtheTth,gth and11th.
The phrasethenfallsro rheSthof C7(b9b13)ui" rheaccented
bB of C7(b9b13).Thi, is a goodexampleof how parkercould
decoratea guidetoneline,in thiscasebg -b13- 5. Thereisan
echoof thisideainbar 94.
Bars 60-67and bars 95-96 showParkerinsertingan AJ^7
betweenA minor and G minor to createa string of
descendingminor 7ths,a favouritedeviceof his.
c7(b13)
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, Donna Lee 39
40. Other hallmarksof Parker'sstyleinclude:outlining of the
*' t! 11) chrorC,h, m 4Lard,'"hÊ.D/(! 11) chrc"d.in lrar 44',,hr-
'HoneysuckleRose'motifin bar 38; andtherepetitionof the
phraseat bars47, 59 and87.
Throughout the solo Parker decoratesthe line with
chromaticneighbourand passingnotes.For example,at
bar 94,the Db and Bhboth targerthe C in the following
bar and can be thought of respectivelyas the upper
chromaticand lower chromaticneighbournotesto C. Of
courseParkerdidn't think of this whenhewas performing'
and we certainlydon't needto. However,it is crucialto
understand,eitherintuitivelyor cognitively(andpreferably
both), how notes function within a melodic line. For
example,if we immediatelythink ''Síhat'sthe major 7th
doing over a C7 chord at bar 94?',then we've missedthe
point!
The point is,asthegreatpianistBill Evanssaid,'Thereare
nOwrong notes,iust wrong resolutions'!Ultimatelythere
areno rulesandno right andwrong.
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40 Donna Lee *F
41. '-
piàcticè TiË
'"'ryttrrr" "*i1*{qÏi*rrr:"j'
Take some of the recurring material we've examined and
| 1 . ? ?
,,practisethe differentvariantsastheyoccurin the solo (for
1,
j.,example,bars 35 and 67).ïíhen you havethe material
i,,,md.t'.'your
fingers,pr*ctisêimprovisin$usingthe shape
1,
and then seeif you can incorporate it in your oWn
; improvisation.Another Mayof working in this areais to
,rtakea bàl'(for examplebar 56)'"fthefêBird.superimposesa
descendingGm7(b5)shapeover A7P9iL3)and resolvesir
n
o':'eb1'3)ttt l Dmlll
V/ ..i;iiii:iili:i;iiil:.I,:liii:iiirli.l.l..
Out of contextyou canthen practisethe cadence,and see,il
how manydifferent,waysof playingthe Gm7(bs),hape;."
''i
can comeup #ith óu*. the A7(b9b13)chord,and how yo" iil
:
can phrase"and rê:sol$e(or not resolve)out:'of it. Only Oo :i':
this with ideas and sounds you are attracted to. The i
'
intentionhereis to take Bird'ssolo asa startingpoint *r,iiil
our olvr, *rrri''"1 $I"bwthand exploration. It is fine t..Ï
practiseParker'sphr:['sesand tra"'lposbthem io all kef$1iiru
but where it beginsto get exciting is when you start to .
practiseand apply the musicalprinciplesbehindthe,i
phrases! , ii$
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Donna Lee 41
45. €D G7 G7IB
Em7 Am7 D7 ri
: i c É . g : ' S q !
E7(be) D7(be)
D7 (Bbm7)
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31
D7
Antbropology 45
46. TheSolo
Anthropology
(alsoknown asThriving From A Riff)
Parker's solo here representsthe man at the peak of his
immense powers instrumentally, structurally and
imaginatively.The solo contains many examplesof Bird's
harmonic freedom and progressiveapproach, and there are
concepts contained therein that have been retained and
expanded upon ever since.For instance,bar 37 alludes to a
possibletritone substitution Db7 fo, G7, moving to C7, and
the last two beatsof bar 82 whereFT(f,11)is implied, moving
to E7 6z(il11) is the tritone substituteof B7 - the original
harmony here).
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87
Another outstanding example of Bird's forward harmonic
thinking is demonstrated by the material in the first rwo 'lf
sectionsof the secondchorus, where he superimposesa string
of V7(b9)chords,ultimately moving to chord IV7. He realises
this largely with connecting diminished 7th shapesthat
describethe implied V7(b9)-ou.ments.
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Anthropology
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47. lftÍr'
Ffim7(b5)
Êx2
B70e)
Then in bars 62 and 88 we have the insertion of a blI^uj7
chord resoiving to the tonic (that is, Ab9 goirrg to G). The
major chord a semitone above the tonic, or chord we are
-^"i - - i a - f"- ^;i ^- - t'óÊ' *"^L, l :1.^ ^ l ^*i - ^- .
movmg to, functlonsvery much like a dominant.
E x 3
This is a principle he explores further in the B secion of the
secondchorus, where the stated B7 chord is approachedwith
a c major idea. In bar 1,07theinsertion of gb minor crearesa
successionof chromatically descendingminor 7th chords,
implying B minor - E7-Bbminor - Eh7- Aminor - D7,or more
simplyn7(w7)nb7bwrl o, (v7).
Ex4
Em7(bs)
.4a,thr,cpa,oyt, 47
48. A similarideacanbefoundin bars1,1,9andL20wherethere
isdescription,andthereforeimplication,of pb7$W7; rhifting
to D7 N7).
These harmonic devices,although radical for the time, were
ideasthat Parkermay have beeninspiredto explore from his
exposureto the great pianist Art Tatum and the 'Giant of the
tenor saxophone' Coleman
'Bean' Hawkins who were
mastersat embellishing and expanding upon the existing
harmoniccontent.They may also havereflectedhis
interestand study of classicalmusic.Parkerwas highly
musicallyaware'acrossthe board' (notehis humourous
referenceto Chopin'sA maior Polonaisern bars 124-1'26,
andhisquotationfrom AlphonsePicou'scelebratedclarinet
obligatofrom High Society(bars97-98). Indeed,Parker
was a master of quotation and was able to incorporate the
most banal of contemporary themes into his improvisations
and produce moments of pathos andlor humour from the
satireand socialcomment that ensued.
In organisationalterms, this solo contains much cross-
referencingand development of ideas over the duration of
three choruses.Thus the phrasein bars 78 and 79 is an echo
of the opening phrase of the solo (the Cil at the end of the
phrasemay have beenaccessedby Parker'suse of the side D
fingering - the authentic fingering for 'high' D, without the
octavek.y).
Parker'sstock vocabulary is well representedthroughout. It is
imponant to realisethat he usesmuch of this material as a
writer usespunctuation, that is, his use of certain phrasesis
gÍ:rrnmatical and, as such, helps the overall structuring of
lkas. For example,the classicphrasein bar 35 is repeatedan
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Antbropology
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octavehigherto top off the extraordinaryfracured line of
bars 36 to 40. lt appearsagainin bar 47 andthere is a
variationof it in bar 103. Bars110-1l,Lreferbackro bars
4647 , but noticehow Parkercomesin andout of thisphrase
differently.Likewise,bars 116-118 area directlifting of bars
84-86, but in eachcasethe line eithersideof this contains
differentmaterial.
It is important to rememberthe speedof this performance)
and that anorher facetro rhereperitionof languageis that it
allowstheimproviserro rhink ahead,buyinghim time.
The bridgeof the first chorusillusrrateshow parkercould
take oneideaand developit for an extendedperiod.In this
case,the semitoneintervalis the prevailingmusicalideafor
bars 49-56. (An instrumentalnote here- you maywant to
practisebars 49-50 with the long Bb and the side c
fingerings,alsousingtheBiskeyBbandnormalC fingering.)
Practice Tip
iIffi#ryËii#ffiË#t'Fêffit*ir+tr+1p36's11;44*{1+i,t-&",sffi
Playingfast temposrequiresthe ability to srayphysically
relaxed.In termsof fingeiing,economyof movementand a
comfortablehandpositionarevital.Thiscanbefacilitatedby
increasedcontrolof the weakerfingers.For example,overa
periodof time you may find ir usefulro 'anchor'th* ,ight
'
handlittle fingeróvertheEbkeyandthelefrhandlittle finger"
over the Gfi key.Pracrisingslowlg with the intenrion of
"oË'f
moving the fingersaway from thesekeysand maintainingu.,;i
relaxedhand position at all rimes,will beginto facilitrt*liil
economy of movementand increasedco-ordination
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' .:.,i':.accuracy. :: :,,
Anthropology 49
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