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Nor yu., Gilr become the feoturcd sessionrq+haË qr six chssk Chorlie Pqrker hucks, hunscribedad cra€ed exclusivd by soxophonists Íor soxophonists.

lncludes:Biffieb BounceVrtUUird SuiteIlonna Lee

OrnithologyNow's The TimeAnthropology

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. hd diln rrion oÍ each piece

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ln the Book...

ntroduction r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r . 4

Notes on the Solo Analys is , , , , , I

% The GD..,Track 1 Tuning Tones

Bill ie's Bounceïrack2 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack 3 Fast tempo backing trackTrack 4 Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 5 Slow tempo backing track

OrnithologyTrack 6 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack7 Fast tempo backing trackTrack I Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 9 Slow tempo backing track

Yardbird SuiteTrack 10 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack 11 Fast tempo backing trackTrack 12 Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 13 Slow tempo backing track

Now's The TimeTrack 14 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack 15 Fast tempo backing trackTrack 16 Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 17 Slow tempo backing track

Donna LeeTrack 18 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack 19 Fast tempo backing trackTrack 20 Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 21 Slow tempo backing track

AnthropologyTrack22 Fast tempo with saxophoneTrack 23 Fast tempo backing trackTrack24 Slow tempo with saxophoneTrack 25 Slow tempo backing track

Orni tho logy r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r ! . 15

ardb i rd Su i te , 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

Blographyake a few narcotics, add in a pinch of alcohol, stir in somecultural tension fuelled by a new and dangerous musicl nowadd prohibition, a tragically shortened life and a musical giftas prodigious as it was revolutionary. Now you have thebasic ingredients for the life srory of one of the greatest and

most influential jazz musicians ever - charlie 'Bird' parker.

He was born in Kansas ciry on 29th August r920,the only son of charlesand Addie Parker. He started learning the baritone sax but found his rueinstrument when his mother gave him an alto sax. Such was his infatuationwith the instrumenr that at the age of 14 he dropped out of schoolcompletely to dedicate himself to it. He got the nickname 'yardbird' fromhis love of chicken. This inelegant sobriquet was subsequently shortened tothe altogether more appealing'Bird', and it stuck.

His first forays into the world of the professio nal jazz musician wereanything but successful, however. Kansas City musicians were verycompetitive (Herschel Evans and Ben Ïíebster both came fromKansas) and if you couldn't cut it, you were out! on parker's firsttime out, at the High Hat club, he dried up half way through asolo on Body And soul and didn't touch the instrument forthree months afterwards. A potentially more damaging laterouting culminated in drummer Jo Jones throwing a cymbal atParker as a subtle way of telling him to get off the stage! Ratherthan discouraging him this experience seemed to stiffen Bird,sresolve, as he simply practised more diligently and for longer hoursthan he had before.

He started to get regular work, first with Tommy Douglas (1936-7)and then with Buster smith (1937-8). At this time he started tostudy harmony with pianist carrie powell, a move that laidthe first brick in the impressive wall of his mastery ofjazz improvisation.

In 1938 he joined the band oÍ Jay McShann,and started to make a name for himself as ahard-swinging taker-of-liberties with iazzharmony.

ln 7939 he made his first visit to NewYork, where he was greatly influenced bythe musical style of the Big Apple. It wasduring his time with McShann that he madehis first recordings (in 1941,). These earlyrecord ings ( inc luding Sepian Bounce,Jumpin ' B lues and Lonely Boy Blues)brought him to the attention of a wrder iazzpublic, and his reputation as a harmonicinnovator began to spread.

1t

Charlie Parkq

During the Second world var he hooked up with Earl Hine s (1942-3) ' 3

and Billy Eckstine (1944) where he met Dízzy Gillespie, a prodigious Iyoung trumpeter with a cutting sound and an attitude to match. --{

rn 1,942 Bird moved to New York where, with a vafiety of musiciansincluding Dízzy and drummers Kenny Clarke and Max Roach, andwith Thelonious Monk on piano, he helped pioneer bebop.

By 1945 bebop had caught the narion's attention from its New Yorkspiritual home, and Parker was by this time leading his own outfit. A'síest

Coast residency at Billy Berg's helped widen the appeal of hismusic. In 1.946 he played at the LA Philharmonic, and in rhe same yearhe cut a number of landmark recordings for 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, whichculminated in the famous 'Loverman session' incident in 1,946 when,after a recording session he was so desperate that he set light to hishotel room.

A spell in the psychiatric wing of the LA county jail was the consequenceof that affan, followed by six months rehab, which Bird ironicallycelebrated in the recording RELAXIN' AT CAMARILLO in 1947.

\$7hen he returned to normal life he immediately set to work recordingfor Dial, this time with Erroll Garner. The appeal of New York provedirresistible and in t947 he returned to form a band with the hot youngtrumpet sensation Miles Davis and drummer Max Roach. It was withthis band that Parker arguably hit his peak.

1949 saw Parker touring a foreign country for the first time when heplayed the Paris festival, following that with a trip to Scandinavia in1950.

In the same year, and in an attempt to reach a wider audience, hereleased an album of music with string orchestra, and the success oÍ

;|ilï:ïï:'.:::.ïïHï1ï:ï"ï:'j_,*;"1Ë;.#";,::i"Ë::.i.a .a

something this sanitised, unashamedly populist style of music

5 5 couldn'tsuPPlY'

'- -MUSiC iS VOUf OWn The definitive Parker recordings were made for two labels

. .r' Í during the mid to late 40s: on Savoy between 1945-8 he

=xperience, your thoughts, your 'Ëïli!,"1ïo'',.*,"J::,"\:!:::: ?;^t ï,L^|i,Z:!i,;

;dom. If you don't live it, it won't ?:i?lii;i,iet tn runisia, Louer Man and scrappte

-Ome Out on yOur horn. ,, His last public appearance was in 1955 at Birdland, the clubnamed after him, but it was not an auspicious finale. He rowed

.\r r. Ír _-t_ _ _- publicly with pianist Bud Powell, who srormed oÍf stage,Lnaf l le fa fkef . qu i .k ly ' fo l lo* .d by bassis t Char l ie Mingus. Depressed,

disillusioned, his body wasted by disease and years of abuse, Birdsought solace with the great patron and friend of bebop, Baroness de

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

{IiI

rdom.

Charlie Parker 5

Musical Style

Parker's interests and influences \Mere as diverse and far-reaching as onecould imagine - from the classical sophistication of Hindemith andStravinsky to the primitive directness of the Kansas City blues tradition,which Parker was immersed in from his upbringing and early professional

employment wi th the Jay McShann Orchestr a, of which he was aconscientious lead alto player.

? ?As an intelligent and deeply sensitive man, he lived through the

Á Áwhole panorama of human emotions from ioy and love, - - BifdrS mind and fingefS WOthrough to tragedy and despair - and it's all here in his playing.

with incredible speed. He can impl

four chord changes in a melodic patl

where another musician would ha''

trouble inserting tvvo. 3t

Leonard Feather.

His conception of sound was based on that of the altoistBuster Smith, and the leading tenor saxophone player of theday Lester 'Pres' Young, whose comparatively vibrato-lesssound was adopted by Bird on the alto saxophone. Parkersays of 'Pres', 'I was cÍazy about Lester, he played so clean andbeautifullv'.

Although Parker completely overhauled Lester's harmonic andrhythmic concepts, he had indeed transcribed and memorised muchof the tenor star's recorded output with the Count Basie Band, and as theformative bebop drummer Kenny Clarke relates: ''W'e went to listen to Birdat Monroe's, for no other reason except that he sounded like 'Pres', untilwe found out that he had something of his own to oÍf.er, something new'.

That 'something new' was a melodic appreciation of the upper extensionsof conventional chord progressions and cadences which Bird had beenpractising at jam sessions with the guitarist Biddy Fleet. As Parker himselfexplains: 'Well that night I was working over Cherokee, and as I did Ifound that by using the higher intervals of the chord as a melody line, andbacking them with appropriately related changes, I could play the thing I'dbeen heari.rg - I came alive.'

This explanation from the saxophonist is both clear and informative, but itfa i ls to do just ice to the depth of h is innovat ion, which includedchromaticisation of melody and harmonic introduction of passing chords,chord substitution, displacement of the harmonic metre and, on occasion,extensive reharmonisation. W'hen you combine this with an awe-inspiringrhythmic approach, containing complete freedom of accentuation andarticulation, you have the musical personaliry who went on to revolutioniseconcepts of small group playing on every instrument.

\íhile not wishing to devalue Parker's greatness or individual achievement,he was part of an extraordinarily fertile musical environment amongst anexpand ing c i rc le o f young mus ic ians , whose dar ing and mus ica l

exploration were leading them down similar roads of enquiry.

The nightly fam sessions at Minton's Playhouse in New York provided thefocal point for this group, which included Thelonious Monk, Charlie

Christian, Dizzy Gillespie and Kenny Clarke amongst others. It was at suchvenues that the small group, consisting of two or three frontline and

rhythm section, began to asseÍt its ascendancy over the larger ensembles of

the swing era as the preferred working environment for the seriousimproviser.

6 Charlie Parker

Photo: William Gottlieb

5

Here is a guíde to suggested iistening fareach of the pieces ln this book:

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Billie's Ëóunóê' - 26/11/45, New York City * The CharlieDarker Re-boppers - The Complete Savoy Sessions -*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 Potterbass), Roy Haynes (drums), S.C.A.M. JPGï ,,r*i!.,,1i,:

, i i : . . : 'ïardbird Suite' - 2813/46 - witfi Miles Davis (tpt),l-ucky'Thompson (tenor sax), Arv Ganison {gtr), Dodor'f armorosa {pno}, Viv McMillan (bass), Roy Porter

.ms) - released on 'Bird Symbols' - Atlantic Musicl"crPoration 407

,,,, ,ïow's the ïme' *24112149 -CarËËiiie Hatl, New YorkCÍty - wÍth Red Rodney {tpt}, Al Haig {pno), TommyUter {bass}, Roy Haynes {drums) S.C.A.M. JPGÍ

tonna Lee' * 8/5i47 * The C*ertie FarRer All 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 Roosttr - ̂ t Club, New York Ctty * with Charlie Parker, Kennyl.: -*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 theexperiments of the early 1,940s, taking in the harmonic knowledge of thegreat pianist Art Tatum and giants of the saxophone such as Don Byas andColeman Hawkins, all delivered with incredible virtuosity and the rawpassion of the blues.

Performance NotesBillie's Bounce

'!' I rv'L\'\'

This is one of two blues compositions in this selection and is an idealstarting point for any saxophone player who wants to get to grips withParker's sryle. This is a comparatively short solo (see if you can memoriseit) and shows how Bird was able to tailor his playing to the demands ofany situation.

OrnithologyThe theme of Omithology was originally a phrase Parker improvised on

Jay McShann's The Jumping Blues, which Benny Harris crafted over thechord progression of the standard How High The Moon, a commonvariant of the 32-bar song format ABAC (4 x 8-bar phrases). This'Carnegie Hall ' performance bears all of Parker's trademarks - forexample, fantastic singing sound, time feeling, varied articulation and anindefiable sense of structure allied to form.

Yardbird Suite'Yardbird' was one of Charlie Parker's nicknames, derived from his likingfor fried chicken. This composition, with its rigorous functional harmonyand modulation to the key of III minor in the bridge, records thesaxophonist's agility and succinctness of phrasing over chord changes andhis understanding and mastery of the 32-bar song form.

Now's The Time

Jay McShann (one of Parker's first musical employers) considered hisprotégé to be the greatest of blues players, and while such comparativeterms are ultimately meaningless in any discussion of the human spirit, wecan perhaps forgive McShann for getting carried away in this case. Thisperformance of the blues, over six majestically constructed choruses,illustrates Parker's depth of connection to and understanding of this mostarchetypal of forms.

Donna LeeAlthough credi ted to Parker, there is a strong suspic ion amongstmusicians that this 'line' over the chord progression of Indiana, wasactually penned by the young trumpeter Miles Davis, who spent much ofhis formative period as the saxophonist's sideman. If this is indeed thecase, then the tune is a classic example of how Parker's vocabulary wasidentified and applied by his contemporaries.

AnthropologyThis is a daring virnrosic performance at 'break-neck' tempo of a Parker'line' over the chord progression of I Got Rhythm (which musicians nowrefer to as 'rhythm' changes). These changes have been a stalwart of manyjazz players up to and including the present day. til7ith its rapidly movingharmony, albeit within tonic and subdominant key areas, and its cyclicmiddle 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 lllit remains a challenge to contemporary improvisers.

Cbarlie Parker

Notes on the Solo AnalysisIt will help us enormously in our appraisal of Parker's playing if we can gain insight into how his no

choices function within the melodic line.

To illustrate this, we will examine three extracts in the following terms:

1. Chord notes - the t,3, 5,7 of the chord '

2. Passing notes - a note or notes that pass between two chord notes

3. NeighÉour notes - the four notes which are a tone and semi-tone above and below a chord note.

E x í

This is bars 22 and 23 of the solo from Billie's Bounce. The Al in bar 23 is a chord note of D7 (the 5th) and is the destination (

target) of the notes in bar 22. The B, B! and Ab respectively constitute the upper neighbour note, the chromatic upper neighbc

note,andthechromaticlowerneighbournotestotheA|,andservetodrawtheeartotÍreresolutionontothe5thofth

In bar 23, the A (5th), Ff (3rd) and D (root) are obviously all chord notes of D7. The G passes between two chord notes, FÍ and

and is therefore a passing note. The B! in bar 22 is a neighbour note to óe A in bar 23. Iíhilst appreciating óat the Bq is the 13th

D7. it is also useful to realise that 13ths derive much of their particular quality from their relationship with the 5th

Ex2

The above example is bars 32-33 (the solo break) from Omithology. The Bf itt bar 33 is the 5th of E major and is the target for I

A, Ci and Bb which 'prepare' and lead the ear to it. Again, whilst appreciating tÏat the Cf is the bt of Bt, óe main question to asl

how does the note Íunction in terms of the melodic phrase?

.Ihe Gh in bar 33 is the lower chromatic neighbour note to the G* (the 3rd of E major). Notice that the Df and Ff (the 7th and I

of E maior) are lower and upper neighbour notes to tlre root of E. The 7th and 9th of chords derive their particular qualrty ftr

their relationship with the root, and in the case of the 9th the 3rd also.

The descending Dd and Cf - which pass between E and B (chord notes) - are, in this system' passing notes. You will notice that

same note can have more than one melodic function, depending on what precedes and follows it.

I Charlie Parker

E x 3

L dre above example (bars 11G117 of Anthropologyl, the CÍ and Bb in bar 116 are both neighbour notes to the sth ofET (Bl). The

,a-ond Cl still functions as a neighbour note to BIr although the Bí is not sounded again until the beginning of the next bar. An

T::portant point about neighbour notes is that they dont haue to be resolved and, altematively, the resolution can be delayed, as

ue. Note that when the Bc (the destination of the descending phrase in bar 116) is played at the beginning of bar 117, it is now the-::: of A' instead oÍ the 5th of 47.

in bar 1 1 6 is a chromatic passing note, coming as it does between two chord notes - the root and the 7th oÍ E7: E and D.

.r-.. rve reiterate later in the book, Parker accesses this kind of detail and beauty intuitively. That is to say, he wasn't thinking in these

::ns during performance, he was hearing it, Even with this brief introduction" it is helpful for us to think about phrasing in óe way

r--:: the ear hears it - in terms of tension and release rather than attempting to justify Parker's chromatic choices in relation to

:- :d/scale theory. That is not to say that tÍris approach replaces chord/scale theory, rather it complemene it. For óe musician who

r:ries to explore this further, a study of Schenkerian analysis is recommended.

=lation to the solos described in this book, this approach will help to shed light on why certain things sound so good and, most

:ously, to understand Parker's use of chromaticism.

Playing GuideShort accented note

" ? -- Accented note

tt-- Tenuto mark - hold the note for its full value

Play the note a semitone below the written note,and very quickly release into the written pitch

I

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

Charlie Parker

B I L L I E I g B O U N C EBy Charlie Parker

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Thé SoloBillie's BounceIíithin the three choruses, the ideas unfold naturally and in

balance with each other. The beginning of the second

chorus expands the opening phrase of the first in much the

same way as people mull over and return to themes in a

conversation.

Bar 23 returns to

developed further in

the mot i f in bar

bars 41, and 42.

18 , wh ich i t se l f i s

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In each of these examples the phrase returns on a different

rhythmic placement of the bar. Also see bars 33 and 34

which re-invent the ascending quaver triplet phrase from

bars 26 and 27, and bar 42 which is reinforced by bar 45.

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This repet i t ion and, impor tan t ly ,

deve lopmen t o f ma te r i a l r a i ses an

enormously valuable musical issue for us

as improv isers tha t i s , i t ' s no t

necessarily how many ideas you 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 selection of bounties that

Parker regularly serves up - 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

descr ibe the cadence po in ts and which are ind iv idua l

melodic statements in their own right.

E x 3

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Bar 22 (and 23) which is shown in the example above,

contains highly detai led chromatic tension and release

within the line (see 'Notes on the Solo Analysis') as does

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bar 19. The accentuat ion of the 7th of the D7 chord,

prepares the move to the subdominant - a favour i te

melodic traít of Parker. The subtlety of the man is evident

in the way he uses the 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 greatest intelligence' musical or

otherwise.

TryryF-f.ryii.ï.{ejwPractice Tip :

Take some oí the melodic phi&s from th$irolo'&dteb if X' iyou can use the marenal

"t "_ *1*"g *rnj

:". comPtlse

Ë Uyeltr ou.n blueo head and./or solo. Dont be afraid to return 1l

io phr"..* you've already used (this is part of ,hffir$ r

i l " r r "d i t i on o f t he b lues anyway - t h ̂ t i $ , t ; r nakê i *

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dj. .fu*.,:

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h";.;;: . ,n"u. ,, "r",", "* "* to .'mmeÍrt on nl. tt

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$ this way you.will naturally begin m assimilate the..language$ , ,'à? ,- y' -;;;ilJ;:Jiffi:ï:ffiï;'"ï:ï'":ffi-"ïïd ;:ru;' ''r$

ffi"y of thcbtdffieration of pt"ydL YdFffil "ffi

q r\Lr '"!"! s$

f pr".ti.ing materiel lo- ór perfiormance in "

..o.i* *v. ï 4 '€ i V-. )i[practisin8materiel&omóis perfurrnancein a crcatirrorray.'&'*.

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O R N I T H o L o G YBy Charlie Parker and Bennie Harris

Theme )=2321168X e

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@ 1,946Atlantic Music. @ renewed and assign ed l974Atlantic Music Corp, USAThis arrangement @ 1999

All rights for UK and Eire by Marada Music Ltd, London Ií14 OLJ

Ornithology í5

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Ornithology 17

The SoloOruitbologyIt is an interesting exercise to sing the melody of How High

The Moon over Bird's solo here, because it becomes apparent

that far from obscuring the melody the solo actually functions

as an elaborate counterpoint.

One of the reasons Parker's music communicates so directly is

the completeness of his melodic statements which he expertly

frames with space, allowing himself and the music to breathe

(bars 36 and 40). Alternativelg he may follow a seemingly

fully self-contained idea with a complementary andlor satirical

afterthought, such as that which appears in bar 44 (as in all

g reat ar t there is an in-bu i l t sense o f propor t ion and

perspective, and internal balance)

Throughout the solo Bird uses chromaticism to embellish the

line, which further energises his playing with the resulting in-

built tension and release (see bars 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 descriptive and melodic chord

shapes, utilising Tths and gths (for example bars 33,38,39,

41 and48 to name but a few).

Bars 49-57 show Parker taking one melodic idea and adapting

it to effect, in this case the modulation to D major. In this

instance - bars 51 and 52 - he alters the given harmony:

l E m T l 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 embellishes with:

l E m T / E m - m a j 7 l 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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This became a favourite harmonic device of the bebop

generation players such as Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt, Kenny

Dorham and so on.

Bars 64 and, 65 are inreresting for their use of the 87* chord

and the way Bird decorates the ensuing line of the 9-(b13)-(9).

BTaug

Bar 65 is also interesting for irs use of the melodic qualiry of

the unresolved major 7th.

Bars 74 - 78 utilise a three-note groupinghnterval structure of

a semitone then a tritone.

Gilm

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Ornithology í9

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Bird transposes the structure through the chord progression, a

concept used by many contempoÍary improvisers who, since

Coltrane, have explored this territory extensively. Parker may

have conceived of this idea from his studies of Slonimsky's

Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns, which retains its

relevance as a research resource.

Practice TiP ,,, ,

The main rhythmic constituent of Parker's solo "(ánd the

melody) is the quaver or eighth note, so we must be able to

deliver the phrases in a way that ignites the rhythmic vitaliry

of the solo. Parker achieves this through the quality of

support he maintains for the air stream at àll timesi which

a l l o w s h i m t o a c c e n t , a n d i n v e r s e l y t o ' g h o s t ' ( o r d e -

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

the F! is accented to enhance the syncopation of its rhythmic

placement in the bar (notice R"y Haynes' bass drum push

here in conjunction with this) and the Dh and gb in bar 8 are

bo th sub t l y i n f l ec ted to g i ve them more emphas is .

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's language is 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 accents i firstly using the sfi$port from thê

abdomen and secondly by introducing the tongue. Once you

can make all the notes speak with an even qualiry of sound

20 Ornithology."h--

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across the registers you can use your tongue to accent, attack

and inflect notes to good effect. Stylistically this is essential tor i : : ; t ; : i :

the mdiió because it is part of the rhythmic dialogue across

rhe whole baád - that is, theib ir infËË$lay bérw.ét thË'i:$narc

and bass drum accents and the piano comping, accenrs in the

bass line and the soloistic statements. '. . : , , . , , i . . ,

À'i:good tip herê is t$l'iefer ro rhe original recording "r,di:[o

learn to sing some of the phrases (or the whole solo if you

like), so that you begin to 'internalise' the music. Remember' '

that the $óund yo'u héáï'in your head and feel in your heart, . i ,is ,'what ultimately comes out of the horn, as much as 'any

I t

saxophone/mouthpiece/reed permutation. If you are having

difficulry at any time, for instance with a particular phrase,: : : : : :

p rac t ise i t in the same way as you would a techn ica l

exercise. Think of it a$ a musical inve$tffient you

can't fail to cash in on.

It \

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Theme )=zzuteo

By Charlie Parker

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Yardbird Sute ih,

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The SóloYardbird SuiteThis is a miniature masterpiece of construction over just

one chorus, and demonstrates the intuitive compositional

mind of a great improviser. It is no coincidence that the

first two statements of the solo are exactly the same length

- 3 y, beats - with identical rhvthmic stress.

E x í

The first four bars of this solo demonstrate the kind of

detail and balance Parker ïvas capable of manipulating 'off

the cuff'. The notes written in Example L are the key points

o f t he ph rase (ba rs 36 -40 ) wh i ch t he ea Í i s l ed t o

melodically. Incidentally the tune of 'Yardbird' establishes

the top line here, but in the solo Parker embellishes both of

these lines simultaneouslS as well as a hint at the root

movement in bar 3 8 - via the A on the last quaver of bar

37 and in bar 39 - melodic exploitation of the line #9 -b9 -

Sth. 'líhen

we arrive at bar 40, the logical continuation of

the upper line would be to descend to the root of the II7

chord - 8,7 - which is why the Cfi, which contradicts this

prepared expectation, gets the maximum from its quality as

the unresolved 9th. This all sounds incredibly academic,

and it is important to remember that most of this detail

was accessed intuitively. On the other hand, this kind of

cognitive appreciation can often 'kick start' the intuition

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into geaÍ. It can't be a bad thing to

something sounds great!

In bars 42 and 43 Parker went on'riff' blues head entitled Cool Blues.

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: , i í i ,consider wh5 and how, !,

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to use this phrase as a

Ex2

Here the root movement is melodically embellished within

the line, and bars 46 and 47 arc unified by the ascending

semitone to firstly emphasise the G and secondly the Ff .

E x 3

The above example details the descending line inherent in

bars 45-47 as already shown in example 2.

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Yardbird Sute 25

I n t h e b r i d g e o f t h i s s o l o b a r

transposes the contour of the phrase

bar 52 down a tone from Cfi minor to

minor.

rnruse" d;;";l::ïÍl;l5 6

at

B

Bar 58 reinforces the 'gesture' of Bar 57. Subtly, Bird

waits to resolve the Afi in bar 57 until bar 59.

These examples show Parker making a mockery of the

difficulties contained in the chord progression and they

result in a highly organised compositional statement over

32 bars.

Instrumentally speaking, Parker's playing here uses traces

of v ibrato in the sound in what , for h im, is qui te an

unusual way. As a saxophonist he was one of the first,

after his original model Lester Young, to curtail the use

of vibrato and to use it more discerningly, in a very vocal

way. In th is solo the del icacy and f inesse of Parker 's

sound counter-balances perfectly the invincibility of his

musical thought process

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Begin by singine th1 A'section of ,the

melofl and ihên

move on to singing the 'lines' in Ë á*pte t HavE ï r6 "ràt

vocally improvising i8uttd the line and theni"iépeat the

whole procedure with the saxophone. This can be a lot of

fun and will help tïj-: inside the yhrasing and

lelt"::tions of Parker's solo You can pràèiise this

approach as an improvisational resource in $y"':bontext

you choose. ' ' , ,

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26 Yardbird Sute

N o W I g T H E T I M EBy Charlie Parker

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Thê soloIr{ow's The TimeThis is an audacious offering from the saxophone player,

containing some of his most celebrated and oft-quoted

vocabulary (see bars 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 resources into the most

strident and meaningful of deliveries (for example bars 37

a n d 3 8 ) . T h i s i s a c h i e v e d t h r o u g h a n i n c r e d i b l e

understanding and respect for the tradition that gave rise to

this music, backed up by virtuosic instrumental command

of articulation and inflection.

Over the six choruses there 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 each chorus on the tonic and sub-dominant chords), the

phrasing is more vocal and drawn out.

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30 Noaa's The Timec

Bird saves his more explosive double-time passages for bars

7-12 of each chorus, where we have the bebop generation's

harmonic adaptations to the blues for which Parker \Mas

very much responsible. For example, from bar 7 of the

chorus:

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

r lvr7 / | IImi /v7 ll I I Im i / v r7 / l b t t tmT lbv l7 t l r rm i7 i l l l v7 t t t l

Here the phrasing is

harmony.

Before we leave

intimates at the

more descript ive of the shif t ing

this solo , bar 52

tritone substitute

is interesting because Bird

of D7 which is Ab7.

E x í

UnusuallS however, he does

This is interesting because it

still is, to insert the tritone

this in bar 3 of the chorus.

was more conventional, and

substitution in bar 4 of the

Am7

Now's The Time 31

blues, in this case Ab7 - G7. Bars 63 and 64 are interesting

because Bird implies the harmony of Eb7. 'With

thrbl(

chord functioning as the tritone dominant of D7 (that is,

the tritone substitute of the dominant of D7- A7),

subsequent ly

the players at

. :: ;(62) (63)

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(64)

| | t l n b T t o 7 | D 7 | | |

(Ebn

these are harmonic pr inc ip les that have

become major roads of inquiry for many of

the forefront of the music.

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When practising ,hit pi.i., see ii you can really get insideI

the more blues-orientated phrases, and deliver them as if ,. ' . ' ' '

you weiê singing! As with all these transcriptions, it is. . : , i

essential to check out the original recording, béCáusè the

inf lect ion and rhythmic placement is so personal, and

notation is only the starting point for the music. Jazz ts,: : : , ' : : ' :i;w'

and always has beèn, primarily an aural tradition. : :,,'$F

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Theme )=184/160

D O N N A L E EBy Charlie Parker

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Donna Lee

F *

The SoloDonna.LeeParker's solo contains much of the harmonic information and

contour from the actual melody, material which has been

assimilated by the tradition because of its enduring melodic

strength and harmonic logic. A detailed study of the melody

would be beneficial in itself, however, let us concern ourselves

here with the Parker solo which contains all of the musical

ideas and principles within the original line - and more.

One of the defining aspects of Bird's sryle as opposed to his

predecessors who inf luenced him (for example, Lester

Young), was his use of the added notes/extensions in his

arpeggiation of the harmony. So for example, as we have

already seen elsewhere, he arpeggiates the V7(b9) chords from

the 3rd of the v7(b9) chord (superimposing a result ing

diminished 7th shape) in bars 34,39,50, 55, 58, 66,76,82

and 90.

Likewise, he arpeggiates the G9 from the 3rd to the natural 9

(superimposing the notes B D F A - Bm7(bs) - over G7;. See

bars 35, 67 (where Bird paraphrases the melody at the

beginning of the second chorus),77 and 83. Notice that

although the material in these examples is essentially the

same, his rhythmic permutation and placement in the bar and

across the bar line is seemingly endless.

It is here that we come across another favourite device of

Parker - altering the harmonic metre of the chord progression

so that the resolution is either delayed or brought forward

slightly. In bars 38 and 39 the underlying harmony is C7-p.

However, when we arrive at the F chord, Bird is still outlining

the C7(b9) chord, thus delaying the arrival of the tonic chord.

Donna Lee 3.1

d- {

Cm

Similarly in bar 5 5,

outlining the V7(bel

the stated harmony is D*7, but Bird

of Dm7 which is A7(be).

TS

\ fhen he does f inal lv resolve to the tonic chord (bv.

imp\icatïon with ttre Tï\ ïn bar 56., the hatmony of the tune

has moved to A7(b9)r

Another example is at bar 7"1, where the Cm -F7 which we

are moving to is brought forward by three beats to expand

the cadence from 17 to lVmai (that is, (Cm) F7- Bb ).

Finally there is the

harmonv in bar 93

phrase in bar 92, which is anticipating the

(the tonic chord of F major). ,**r*e*"*'Í

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38 Donna Leeiïí-4

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The effect of this harmonic displacement is exrremely subtle.

At the time Bird was doing this, many of the rhythm section

players fe l t that they were in the wrong part of the

progression.

The concept of altering the harmonic merre has been

exploited ever since Bird, and understanding it will throw

some light on many contemporary improvisers, although

stylistically they may be very different.

Another of Parker's mannerisms was to chromatically 'fill in'

the space of a descending major 3rd interval - for example, in

bar 37 between the 9th and the 7th of G minor (A-F), and in

bar 92 where he chromatrcally'fills in' the major 3rd interval

between E and C.

Bar 79 is interesting because of its arpeggiation of the minor

chord through theTth, gth and 11th.

The phrase then falls ro rhe Sth of C7(b9b13) ui" rhe accentedbB of C7(b9b13). Thi, is a good example of how parker could

decorate a guide tone line, in this case bg -b13 - 5. There is an

echo of this idea inbar 94.

Bars 60-67 and bars 95-96 show Parker inserting an AJ^7

between A minor and G minor to create a st r ing of

descending minor 7ths, a favourite device of his.

c7(b 13)

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, Donna Lee 39

Other hallmarks of Parker's style include: outlining of the

*' t! 1 1 ) chrorC, h, \m 4Lard,'"hÊ. D/(! 1 1 ) chrc"d. in lrar 44',,hr-'Honeysuckle Rose'motif in bar 38; and the repetition of the

phrase at bars 47 , 59 and 87 .

Throughout the solo Parker decorates the l ine wi th

chromatic neighbour and passing notes. For example, at

bar 94, the Db and Bh both targer the C in the following

bar and can be thought of respect ively as the upper

chromatic and lower chromatic neighbour notes to C. Of

course Parker didn't think of this when he was performing'

and we certainly don't need to. However, it is crucial to

understand, either intuitively or cognitively (and preferably

both), how notes function within a melodic line. For

example, if we immediately think ''Síhat's the maj or 7th

doing over a C7 chord at bar 94?', then we've missed the

point!

The point is, as the great pianist Bill Evans said, 'There are

nO wrong notes, iust wrong resolutions'! Ultimately there

are no rules and no right and wrong.

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Take some of the recurring material we've examined and| 1 . ? ?

,, practise the different variants as they occur in the solo (for1,

j., example, bars 35 and 67).ïíhen you have the material

i,,,md.t'.'your fingers, pr*ctisê improvisin$ using the shape

1, and then see i f you can incorporate i t in your oWn

; improvisation. Another \May of working in this area is to

,r take a bàl' (for example bar 56)'"fthefê Bird.superimposes a

descending Gm7(b5) shape over A7P9iL3) and resolves irn

o ' : ' eb1 '3 ) t t t l Dml l l

V/ ..i;iiii:iili:i;iiil:. I,:liii:iiirli.l.l..

Out of context you can then practise the cadence, and see,il

how many different,ways of playing the Gm7(bs) ,hape ;." ''i

can come up #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':t h i s w i th ideas and sounds you a re a t t rac ted to . The i

'intention here is to take Bird's solo as a starting point *r,iiil

our olvr, *rrri''"1 $I"bwth and exploration. It is fine t..Ï

practise Parker's phr:['ses and tra"'lposb them io all kef$1iiru

but where it begins to get exciting is when you start to .p rac t ise and app ly the mus ica l p r inc ip les beh ind the , i

phrases! , i i$

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Donna Lee 41

A N T H R O P O L O G YBy Charlie Parker and Dízzy Gillespie

Am7 D7

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Antbropology 45

The SoloAnthropology(also known as Thriving From A Riff)

Parker's solo here represents the man at the peak of his

immense powers i ns t rumen ta l l y , s t ruc tu ra l l y and

imaginatively. The solo contains many examples of Bird's

harmonic freedom and progressive approach, and there are

concepts contained therein that have been retained and

expanded upon ever since. For instance, bar 37 alludes to a

possible tritone substitution Db7 fo, G7, moving to C7, and

the last two beats of bar 82 whereFT(f,11) is implied, moving

to E7 6z(il11) is the tritone substitute of B7 - the original

harmony here).

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E x í

87

Another outstanding example of Bird's forward harmonic

thinking is demonstrated by the material in the first rwo 'lf

sections of the second chorus, where he superimposes a string

of V7(b9) chords, ultimately moving to chord IV7 . He realises

this largely with connecting diminished 7th shapes that

describe the implied V7(b9) -ou.ments.

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Then in bars 62 and 8 8 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 ' ó Ê ' * " ^ L , l : 1 . ^ ^ l ^ * i - ^ - .

movmg to, functlons very much like a dominant.

E x 3

This is a principle he explores further in the B secion of thesecond chorus, where the state d B7 chord is approached witha c major idea. In bar 1,07 the insertion of gb minor creares asuccession of chromatically descending min or 7th chords,implying B minor - E7- Bb mino r - Eh7- Aminor - D7,or moresimply n7 (w7) nb7 bwrl o, (v7).

Ex4

Em7(bs)

.4a,thr,cpa,oyt, 47

A similar idea can be found in bars 1,1,9 and L20 where there

is description, and therefore implication, of pb7 $W7; rhifting

to D7 N7).

These harmonic devices, although radical for the time, were

ideas that Parker may have been inspired to explore from his

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

tenor saxophone' Coleman 'Bean' Hawkins who were

masters at embellishing and expanding upon the existing

harmonic content. They may also have ref lected his

interest and study of classical music. Parker was highly

musically aware 'across the board' (note his humourous

reference to Chopin's A maior Polonaise rn bars 124-1'26,

and his quotation from Alphonse Picou's celebrated clarinet

obligato from High Society (bars 97-98). 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

satire and social comment that ensued.

In organisat ional terms, this solo contains much cross-

referencing and development of ideas over the duration of

three choruses. Thus the phrase in bars 78 and 79 is an echo

of the opening phrase of the solo (the Cil at the end of the

phrase may have been accessed by Parker's use of the side D

fingering - the authentic fingering for 'high' D, without the

octave k.y).

Parker's stock vocabulary is well represented throughout. It is

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

writer uses punctuation, that is, his use of certain phrases is

gÍ:rrnmatical and, as such, helps the overall structuring of

lkas. For example, the classic phrase in bar 35 is repeated an

r ' " l q -

Antbropology.Ë, , - .

'ftr

*-

fastn t=";in i*r*r _?f-,:,,,,,:::ii the tim

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indiviou"iË ""lt^Yithi n .

,i the b;"a11?O to

;...i:' gtàin a t"h"" o.f sPace

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,,,,,,,;,, ,,, in vouï'óËving 3S

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octave higher to top off the extraordinary fracured line ofbars 36 to 40. lt appears again in bar 47 and there is avariation of it in bar 103. Bars 110-1l,L refer back ro bars4647 , but notice how Parker comes in and out of this phrase

differently. Likewise, bars 116-11 8 are a direct lifting of bars84-86, but in each case the line either side of this contains

different material.

It is important to remember the speed of this perform ance)

and that anorher facet ro rhe reperition of language is that itallows the improviser ro rhink ahead, buying him time.

The bridge of the first chorus illusrrates how parker couldtake one idea and develop it for an extended period. In thiscase, the semitone interval is the prevailing musical idea forbars 49-56. (An instrumental note here - you may want topract ise bars 49-50 wi th the long Bb and the s ide cfingerings, also using the Bis key Bb and normal C fingering.)

Practice Tipi I ffi #ryËii#ffiË#t'Fêffi t*ir+tr+ 1p36's11;44*{1+i,t-&",sffi

Playing fast tempos requires the ability to sray physically

relaxed. In terms of fingeiing, economy of movement and acomfortable hand position are vital. This can be facilitated byincreased control of the weaker fingers. For example, over aperiod of time you may find ir useful ro 'anchor' th* ,ight

'

hand little finger óver the Eb key and the lefr hand little finger "

over the Gfi key. Pracrising slowlg with the intenrion of "oË'f

moving the fingers away from these keys and maintaining u.,;irelaxed hand position at all rimes, will begin to facilitrt*liil

econom y of movement and increased co-ordination "rrd

t'

' .:.,i':.accuracy. :: :,,

Anthropology 49