That Jazz - Monkey Max Music and File Download

Figure 7-1:
Charlie
Parker was
nicknamed
“Bird.”
Chapter 7: Bebop to Cool: The 1940s and 1950s
Parker (see Figure 7-1) grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, after his birth on
August 29, 1920. Missouri also claimed many of the best territory bands (see
Chapter 6) led by Count Basie, Bennie Moten, and others. Parker went to New
York for the first time in 1939, and sat in on jams at Monroe’s Uptown House,
where musicians invented the music that became bebop.
©William P. Gottlieb, www.jazzphotos.com
Parker’s hard-edged tone cuts through other instruments. Sometimes his
phrases are long and overlap the chord sequences; other times they’re fast
fragments. Even his speediest, densest solos have logic and structure. His
influences weren’t only his predecessors in jazz but also classical composers
Igor Stravinsky, Arnold Schoenberg, Paul Hindemith, and Edgard Varese. You
can hear their influence in Parker’s unpredictable improvised melodies and
harsh, unconventional harmonies.
John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie
Born in Cheraw, South Carolina, Dizzy Gillespie (1917–1993) became Charlie
Parker’s alter-ego. Gillespie (see Figure 7-2) was raised in a musical family. His
father was a musician who introduced his nine children to various instruments.
Dizzy started on trombone but switched to trumpet at 15. As a young professional,
he performed in big bands led by Cab Calloway, Benny Carter, Charlie
Barnet, Earl Hines, and Duke Ellington (see Chapter 6 for more about them).
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