By the mid-30s, on the wave of popularity, the world of jazz suffered a “creative crisis,” which reached its apogee by the end of the decade and the beginning of the 40s. It was then that a new style came to the rescue - bebop.
Prerequisites for the appearance
Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie are considered the founding fathers of bebopThe popularity of traditional jazz has led to the excessive spread of musical groups of average professionalism, performing jazz solely for the purpose of earning money, without creative desire, using musical standards and templates in their practice.
This trend was extremely unpleasant for musicians who put the creative process at the forefront of their work, the desire to create something new, rather than marking time.
It was on this fertile soil that a group of virtuoso musicians introduced the world to a new name for the musical movement in the ocean, “Jazz”.
Bebop is based on fast and complex improvisations.
The new name of the musical style, as is commonly believed, appeared thanks to, who sang melodies in blues fifths - intervals characteristic of bop. They sounded similar to the exclamation Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop.
Too fast to dance
Thelonious Monk, Howard McGee, Roy Eldridge, Teddy Hill, 1947 Through the efforts of eminent New York musicians, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, a new style in jazz music was introduced to the world - bebop.
Based on deep improvisation of musical harmonies and syncopated rhythm, often rhythmically inflated to maximum sound speeds.
This approach shocked the common listener. At first, the public responded very unflatteringly to this innovation, characterizing it as harsh and too fast, taking away their favorite music from the usual dance rhythm.
The musical community also reacted with caution to the new trend. But she soon changed her mind and appreciated the floridness of the improvisations and the new creative horizons that had emerged.
The basis of the new style was fast and complex improvisations based on harmonies, which radically distinguished it from the traditional jazz view, based on the monumentality of the melody.
From the masses to the elite
Thelonious Monk concert The complexity of constant improvisation, embedded in an equally complex rhythmic pattern, protected the new style from the influx of non-professionals and brought freedom for creativity and development to a narrow circle of virtuosos.
Practice has shown that bebop is ideal for small groups: a quartet or quintet. This allowed musicians to perform in small groups, which was much more economical at that time.
From large halls, musicians moved to small, atmospheric bars and small music salons, where friendly companies of exclusively connoisseurs of complex improvisations and progressive creativity could gather, and gained popularity. The spread of bebop led to the transformation of jazz into a purely intellectual movement.
Bebop (bebop or simply bop) is a style of jazz music originating from the first half of the 40s of the last century. The main feature is complex improvisations and fast tempo, which play on harmony rather than melody. For the first listeners, he was too fast, harsh and even “cruel.”
Performers
In the early 40s of the last century, a style appeared in jazz music that differed from the traditional one in its fast performance and complex improvisations. It was called bebop and became a real revolution in the jazz world. Boppers interpreted the very meaning of music in a new way, playing with harmony rather than melody. The founders of the style were Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Charlie Parker (saxophone), and Bud Powell (keyboards), Max Roach (drums). They performed "musician's music" based on rhythm, moving significantly away from the dance style, which was based on melody. Listeners did not immediately appreciate the complex improvisations; they said that the new direction was too sharp and fast, even “cruel.”
The main difference between bop and traditional jazz was its complex harmony, built on different principles. Parker and Gillespie introduced a super-fast tempo, thus preventing the emergence of unprofessional boppers. Improvisation in bebop began with a syncopated or second beat, often playing on a harmonic grid or an already known theme. This style was ideal for playing in small groups, such as quartets and quintets. Bop became popular in urban jazz clubs, where audiences came to listen to famous jazzmen, not to dance. Musicians gradually turned bop jazz into an intellectual form, moving it away from its roots - feelings.
Another striking difference was the shocking behavior of the musicians of the new direction. To this day they remain symbols of bebop: Monk's hats, Gillespie's curved trumpet, Parker's antics. Bop was rich in talent and revolution. Dizzy Gillespie continued his experiments and founded the Afro-Cube movement, popularized Latin jazz and revealed to the world many stars of this style.
Bebop, bebop, bop (English bebop) is a jazz style that developed in the early to mid-40s of the 20th century and is characterized by a fast tempo and complex improvisations based on playing harmony, and ... Read all Bebop, bebop, bop (English bebop) is a jazz style that developed in the early to mid-40s of the 20th century and is characterized by a fast tempo and complex improvisations based on playing harmony rather than melody. Bebop revolutionized jazz, and boppers created new ideas about what music was. The founders of bebop were: saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianists Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, drummer Max Roach. The bebop phase marked a significant shift in the emphasis of jazz from melody-based dance music to the less popular, more rhythm-based "music for musicians." Bop musicians preferred complex improvisations based on strumming chords instead of melodies. Bop was fast, harsh, and "cruel with the listener." History In the early 40s, many creative musicians began to acutely feel the stagnation in the development of jazz, which arose due to the emergence of a huge number of fashionable dance and jazz orchestras. They did not strive to express the true spirit of jazz, but used replicated preparations and techniques of the best groups. An attempt to break out of the deadlock was made by young, primarily New York musicians, including alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, drummer Kenny Clarke, pianist Thelonious Monk. Gradually, in their experiments, a new style began to emerge, which, with Gillespie’s light hand, received the name “bebop” or simply “bop.” According to his legend, this name was formed as a combination of syllables with which he sang a musical interval characteristic of bop - the blues fifth, which appeared in bop in addition to the blues third and seventh. The main difference of the new style was a more complicated harmony built on different principles. The ultra-fast tempo of performance was introduced by Parker and Gillespie in order to keep non-professionals away from their new improvisations. The difficulty of constructing phrases compared to swing lies primarily in the initial beat. An improvisational phrase in bebop may begin on a syncopated beat, perhaps on a second beat; often the phrase played on an already known theme or harmonic grid (Anthropology). Among other things, a distinctive feature of all bebopists was their shocking behavior. The curved trumpet of “Dizzy” Gillespie, the behavior of Parker and Gillespie, Monk’s ridiculous hats, etc. The revolution that bebop produced turned out to be rich in consequences. At the early stage of their creativity, the following were considered boppers: Erroll Garner, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, George Shearing and many others. Of the founders of bebop, only Dizzy Gillespie's fate turned out well. He continued his experiments, founded the Cubano style, popularized Latin jazz, and discovered the stars of Latin American jazz to the world - Arturo Sandoval, Paquito DeRivero, Chucho Valdez and many others. Recognizing bebop as a music that required instrumental virtuosity and knowledge of complex harmonies, jazz instrumentalists quickly gained popularity. They composed melodies that zig-zagged and rotated in response to chord changes of increased complexity. The soloists in their improvisations used notes that were dissonant in tonality, creating music that was more exotic and had a sharper sound. The appeal of syncopation has led to unprecedented accents. Bebop was best suited to playing in a small group format such as the quartet and quintet, which proved ideal for both economic and artistic reasons. The music flourished in the city's jazz clubs, where audiences came to listen to inventive soloists rather than dance to their favorite hits. In short, bebop musicians were transforming jazz into an art form that appealed perhaps a little more to the intellect than to the senses. With the bebop era came new jazz stars, including trumpeters Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard and Miles Davis, saxophonists Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Johnny Griffin, Pepper Adams, Sonny Stitt and John Coltrane, and trombonist JJ Johnson. Bebop went through several mutations in the 1950s and 1960s, including hard bop, cool jazz, and soul jazz. The format of a small musical group (combo), usually consisting of one or more (usually no more than three) wind instruments, piano, double bass and drums, remains the standard jazz composition today. Collapse
Kirill Moshkov. "The Jazz Industry in America. XXI Century"
Planet of Music, 2013
Hardcover, 512 pp.
The second, expanded edition of a unique study of the jazz sector of the American music industry, which in 1998-2012. carried out by the editor-in-chief of "Jazz.Ru" Kirill Moshkov. The book is based on nearly fifty interviews with leading American producers, heads of festivals and clubs, teachers and heads of jazz colleges, recording engineers, jazz researchers, heads of jazz radio stations and other pillars of the jazz industry.
Bop
In the early 40s, many creative musicians began to acutely feel the stagnation in the development of jazz, which arose due to the emergence of a huge number of fashionable dance and jazz orchestras. They did not strive to express the true spirit of jazz, but used replicated preparations and techniques of the best groups. An attempt to break out of the deadlock was made by young, primarily New York musicians, including alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, drummer Kenny Clarke, pianist Thelonious Monk. Gradually, in their experiments, a new style began to emerge, which, with Gillespie’s light hand, received the name “bebop” or simply “bop.” According to his legend, this name was formed as a combination of syllables with which he sang a musical interval characteristic of bop - the blues fifth, which appeared in bop in addition to the blues third and seventh.
LISTEN: Dizzy Gillespie & Charlie Parker - "KoKo" (1945)
Gillespie solos on trumpet and accompanies Parker on alto saxophone on piano. Double bass: Curly Russell, drums: Max Roach. -- Ed.
The new style, which arose as a counterpoint to the commercial "swing", of course, did not appear out of nowhere. Its birth was prepared by the work of the musicians of the swing era, who came closest to the border of styles. Among them are saxophonist Lester Young, trumpeter Roy Eldridge, guitarist Charlie Christian, bassist Jimmy Blanton. The new style was developed at the Minton Play House club, where musicians gathered to jam late at night after work, and at other clubs in the 52nd Street area of New York in the early 40s.
At first, the music of boppers shocked listeners brought up in the traditions of swing; their music was ridiculed by critics, and their recordings were not released by recording companies. The revolt of musical youth was associated not only with a protest against the sweet smoothness of swing music, but also against the exaltation of the features of old traditional jazz, which they perceived as a museum exhibit, generated by the “negro entertainers” of the old formation, with no prospects for development. These musicians understood that the essence of jazz was much broader, and a return to the improvisational root system of jazz did not mean a return to a long-gone style.
LISTEN: Charlie Parker "I Remember You" 1953
Charlie Parker - alto saxophone, Al Haig - piano, Percy Heath - double bass, Max Roach - drums
As an alternative, the boppers proposed a deliberately complicated language of improvisation, fast tempos, and the destruction of the established functional connections of the ensemble musicians. A bebop ensemble usually included a rhythm section and two or three wind instruments. The theme for improvisation was often a melody that had a traditional origin, but was modified to such an extent that it was given a new name.
However, the musicians themselves were often the authors of original themes. After the theme was carried out in unison by the wind instruments, consistent improvisation by the ensemble members followed. At the end of the composition, the unison theme reappeared.
LISTEN: Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie - Birdland Radio Broadcast Recording: "Anthropology" (March 1951)
In the process of improvisation, the musicians actively used new rhythmic patterns, melodic turns not accepted in swing, including increased intervallic jumps and pauses, and a complicated harmonic language. The phrasing in improvisation differed sharply from established swing idioms. The ending and beginning of the solo were not finished in the usual sense of the word. Sometimes the solo ended in the most unpredictable way. There have also been significant changes in the rhythm section. The reliance on the bass drum that existed in swing disappeared, and the rhythmic basis in bop lay on the cymbals. The bass drum began to be used, essentially, in an improvisational texture, emphasizing individual notes. To old-school musicians, it seemed that the drummer, instead of creating a basic rhythm, only confused it with his accents and irregular inserts. In any case, the dance function of the new music was completely excluded.
The first recordings of boppers came only in 1944. Among the first were Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, trumpeter Benny Harris, and already at the end of 1944 Dizzy was called a “new star”. In 1945, a very young trumpeter, Miles Davis, entered the game.
LISTEN: Charlie Parker and Miles Davis - "Yardbird Suite" (1946)
Dodo Marmarosa (piano), Arvin Garrison (guitar), Vic McMillan (double bass), Roy Porter (drums). Recorded in Los Angeles.
Bop's rise was rapid, and it developed a wide and stable audience. Just as in other cases, the emergence of new music is accompanied by fashion with corresponding paraphernalia - Monk's sunglasses, Gillespie's goatee, black berets and external equanimity.
Not all musicians of the new style found themselves in its standard mainstream. As an example, we can recall one of the veterans and even the founders of bop, pianist Thelonious Monk, who had completely individual stylistic features that did not fit into the framework of bop classics. These features are believed to be due to the influence of Art Tatum; however, Monk, unlike Tatum, extremely rarely demonstrated performing technique. His performing style is unpredictable, laconic, he preferred dissonance and very carefully built a minimal form. He was not immediately accepted by the public and colleagues, but his music played a significant role in the formation of later styles - from cool to modal jazz.
LISTEN: Thelonious Monk Quintet - "Round Midnight" (1947)
George Taitt - trumpet, Sahib Shihab - alto saxophone, Thelonious Monk - piano, Bob Page - double bass, Art Blakey - drums
A rare example for the bebop era: in the presence of two wind instruments, the first voice of the theme is played by the piano. -- Ed.
More typical in terms of the general idea of bebop was pianist Bud Powell. His melodic single-voice lines allowed him to easily reproduce and support Parker's saxophone phrases.
In fact, he took it upon himself to transcribe the essence of brass bebop for piano, which served as the basis for subsequent generations of pianists. These generations produced great musicians who were not revolutionaries; rather, they integrated the achievements of their predecessors and presented them to the public in an understandable and attractive way. Such pianists of the post-bop era include Erroll Garner, George Shearing, and Oscar Peterson. LISTEN:
(1949)
Bud Powell - "Bouncing With Bud"
Sonny Rollins - tenor saxophone, Fats Navarro - trumpet, Bud Powell - piano, Tommy Potter - double bass, Roy Haynes - drums
Bebop was the first style of modern jazz to boldly leave the realm of popular music and take a step towards “pure” art. This was facilitated by the interest of boppers in the field of academic music, which many of them mastered independently in adulthood.
The next school for many boppers to learn the new style was the Earl Hines Orchestra, which then passed into the hands of Billy Eckstine.
It was here that the second line of bebop musicians was formed.
The path of the older generation of boppers, who started at Minton's club in 1941-42 and made a place in the musical world for music not intended for entertainment, was continued in the second half of the 40s by the next generation of musicians, of whom trumpeters Miles Davis and Fats Navarro stood out (" Fats" Navarro), trombonist Jay Jay Johnson, pianists Bud Powell, Al Haig, John Lewis, Tad Dameron, double bassist Tommy Potter, drummer Max Roach (Max Roach).
Charlie Parker's Records
Recordings by Dizzy Gillespie
Throughout the history of jazz, there has been a constant change of stages, which in their means of expression gravitated towards the hotter (hot) or cooler (cool) side of jazz. By the end of the 40s, the bop explosion was replaced by a new period, which even in name exactly corresponded to the accepted change of scenery. In essence, the kul (cool) style only formally corresponded to the cooling of musical energy. In fact, the change in active means of expression has transformed this energy into new forms; it has moved from the state of external effects to essential, deep components. In bebop, the form of music-making was based on solo improvisations, carried out in more complex rhythmic and harmonic conditions. A new generation of musicians at the end of the 40s became interested in a different approach, based on the unity of complex arrangements and possible collective improvisation based on them.
Early cool
Signs of cool can be found in the playing style of Miles Davis as early as 1945, when he was a member of Charlie Parker's ensembles. The inability to imitate the nervous and virtuosic playing of Dizzy Gillespie led to the search for his own language. Similar trends are noticeable in the playing of the young pianist John Lewis ("Parker's Mood" Charlie Parker), who found himself in Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra. Similar searches were undertaken by pianist Ted Dameron in his arrangements for orchestra and small ensembles. Even earlier, the cold concept was realized in the "cool "solo by tenor saxophonist Lester Young, who anticipated the emergence of a new style by ten years. The theoretical foundations of cool were developed by pianist Lennie Tristano, who arrived in New York in 1946 and organized his own "New School" there (in 1951). Of Music". Lenny Tristano improvised at a special level of freedom, being very inventive in constructing a melodic line.
LISTEN: Lennie Tristano Sextet - Marionette (1949)
Lenny Tristano - piano, Lee Konitz - alto saxophone, Warne Marsh - tenor saxophone, Billy Bower - guitar, Arnold Fishkin - double bass, Denzil Best - drums
In new music, attention was concentrated on the search for new expressive means in combinations of timbres, the balance of different instruments, the nature of phrasing, and the unity of the general movement of musical texture. The achievements of academic music in the field of orchestration were involved. Instruments uncharacteristic of traditional jazz began to be introduced into the orchestra: horn, flute, horns, tuba. The number of musicians in such ensembles increased to 7-9 people, and such combinations themselves were called combos. The music performed by these compositions was clearly not entertaining, but rather philharmonic in nature. Thus, the process of jazz moving away from the sphere of pop music and entertainment continued.
One of the first ensembles of this kind was a group assembled under the name of Miles Davis to record at the Capitol studio in 1949. It included, in addition to the leader himself, alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, tuba player John Barber, horn player Edison Collins, trombonist Kai Winding ), pianist Al Haig, bassist Joe Shulman and drummer Max Roach. The ensemble "Capitol" made historical recordings, released under the significant title "Birth Of The Cool". The significant effect of the new music was due to the special arrangements made by the main members of the lineup and, in addition, by pianist, arranger and future bandleader Gil Evans, who was heavily influenced by the French impressionists.
LISTEN: Miles Davis - "Birth Of The Cool": entire album
(1949-1954)
(all recordings of this nonet were released as a single album only in 1954, and before that they were released only as separate “singles.” - Ed.)
In the 50s, the compositions of the kul style gradually decreased to quartets and quintets and were distributed in the direction of distinct individual styles. In them, the role of the arranger continued to remain significant, harmonic means were improved, and polyphony began to be widely used. Swing, as a performing quality, was expressed in a special ease of improvisation and freedom of playing music. Particular attention was paid to effortless, non-stop movement. The sound of the instruments was characterized by a clear sound without the use of vibration. Kula is characterized by bright themes and the use of rare modes. The leading kula musicians (except for members of the Miles Davis Orchestra) were saxophonists Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, trumpeters Chet Baker, Shorty Rodgers, trombonist Bob Brookmeyer, pianists Lenny Tristano, Dave Brubeck, drummers Joe Morello, Shelly Manne.
Lester Young's recordings
Records of Chet Baker
Records of Gerry Mulligan
West Coast
During the first phase of the development of the cool style, most of the musicians who made significant contributions to it worked on the West Coast of the United States. It was there that a creative school emerged, called “West Coast” as opposed to the more hot New York direction (“East Coast”). This movement represented the next step in the development of the kula. Many West Coast musicians have worked in Hollywood studio orchestras: trumpeter Shorty Rogers, clarinetist and saxophonist Jimmy Giuffre, drummer Shelley Mann, baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Their music shows rationalism, intellectuality, and the influence of European musical elements.
One of the signature representatives of the West Coast movement, pianist Dave Brubeck came to jazz with a solid academic background, having been a student of Darius Milhaud and Arnold Schonberg. The quartet he formed with saxophonist Paul Desmond attracted public attention for many years. Brubeck's work is characterized by the convergence of jazz improvisational thinking with European academic developments. His innovation lay in all aspects - harmony, melody, rhythm, form. His compositional work continues the process of improvisation inspired by composition.
In fact, he took it upon himself to transcribe the essence of brass bebop for piano, which served as the basis for subsequent generations of pianists. These generations produced great musicians who were not revolutionaries; rather, they integrated the achievements of their predecessors and presented them to the public in an understandable and attractive way. Such pianists of the post-bop era include Erroll Garner, George Shearing, and Oscar Peterson. Dave Brubeck - "The Duke" (1954)
The West Coast School gave birth to another distinct trend associated with the work of baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. Even at the beginning of his creative career, educated youth were attracted by the strange mixture of musical pedantry and humor in the musician’s performances. Real fame came to the saxophonist in 1952, when a quartet was created without a piano with trumpeter Chet Baker. Harmonic support was provided only by the double bass, and the interaction of the winds in the quartet was polyphonic and amazed with a strange combination of dull timbres. Gradually, the format of the ensemble was expanded, the arrangements became more refined, and connections with the academic tradition were established.
LISTEN: Gerry Mulligan & Chet Baker - Festive Minor (1957)
With this publication, the site opens a series of materials about the most “advanced” albums of the main jazz styles. Speaking about bebop, I must immediately warn you: for half a century it has been considered serious and intellectual music. Roughly speaking, bebop is a style that arose when jazz ceased to be the pop of its time and became music for those who understood - Jack Kerouac and other young intellectuals admired it. Actually, it was then that the image of intellectual music was forever attached to jazz.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Music writes that bebop (or simply bop) is “a jazz style that originated in New York City in the early 1940s.” “...the main importance in bebop is given to improvising melodies at fast tempos, with asymmetrical phrase structure and irregular distribution of accents.” Simply put: when the rhythm section plays quickly, and the soloist plays raggedly, as if twisting the solo into a spiral, then this is bebop. And yes, it is important here that bop was played by small groups: a trio, a quartet, a quintet, and very rarely a sextet. This was due to economic considerations: it was no longer profitable to transport a big band. But the phenomenon of the jazz “combo” was born, which turned out to be like an atomic nucleus: with a small size, the energy is infinite. Actually, jazz is still feeling the shock wave of the bebop explosion, and its half-life is not even in sight.
Grove names Dizzy Gillespie as the founder of the style, and “among the leading masters” he mentions Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Coleman Hawkins. Perhaps only Oscar Pettiford has been forgotten.
Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie "Bird&Diz"
Although this album was released under the name of Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker (trumpet and alto saxophone, respectively), and their nicknames are in the title, other luminaries also play here. Drummers Buddy Rich (yes, the same idol of the hero of the film Whiplash) and Max Roach, Thelonious Monk and the future star of hard bop trumpeter Kenny Dorham. Together, Parker and Gillespie (his real name was simply John, Dizzy is a nickname meaning “dizzy”) performed more than once or twice. They were connected by friendship and participation in various projects in their youth - they generally came from the same nest. But these are all details, the main thing is that you can listen to almost any of their live albums. Fortunately, we managed to record several of them, and also with the strongest lineups in the style of “Who’s Who in Bebop.”
Bird&Diz exists in different versions with different covers. In the 90s, they began to release on CD just all the takes (some for ten seconds!) and outtakes made during that session. Excellent melodies, hot improvisations, and even outright “rewinding” (like the aforementioned screwed up takes) - and that’s interesting.
Charlie Parker "The Complete Dial Savoy Sessions"
Recently, one reader, in the comments to my article about tracks from which you can fall in love with jazz, complained that jazz music is good, but it’s so old that a lot of it was recorded on wax rollers - it’s impossible to listen to. Charlie Parker no longer recorded on rollers, of course, but, alas, there is a problem with recordings, I admit. So it’s better to immediately tune in to rustles and creaks and listen to early Parker. A collection of recordings for the Savoy and Dail labels, of course, is not for high-end testing.
But here there is, firstly, all the drive and freedom for which “Bird” Parker became famous, and secondly, the atmosphere of real bebop. And thirdly, the sound of the wonderful viola and the peculiar Parkerian phrasing still haven’t gone away, and this is the main thing. Well, the material, of course: even the frankly pop “I’ll Always Love You” with vocals. Everything is so masterful and stylish that it becomes clear why in those years all the advanced youth like the beatniks and Kerouac went crazy about Parker’s saxophone. This is the trip-hop of the forties, no matter what!
Thelonious Monk "Brilliant Corners"
In the era of record stores, this album with a funny cover could easily be found on the “Jazz” shelf, starting with the letter “M”. Thelonious Monk's "Brilliant Corners" has been reissued a hundred times, including on SACD. I haven’t listened to this particular medium, but they say panoramic sound added little to great music.
The album, released by the Riverside label in 1956, is truly outstanding. The supergroup plays here again: Sonny Rollins, bassists Paul Chambers and Oscar Pettiford, drummer Max Roach...
This, of course, is already late bop, turning into hard bop and anticipating the avant-garde. But Monk is completely his own person, a composer unlike anyone else with original harmonic thinking. “Zombie music,” pianist Mary Lou Williams scorned him. And she turned out to be right: Thelonious Monk (1917 – 1982) is still alive today.
Coleman Hawkins "The Hawk Flies High"
Ask a person on the street what the main jazz instrument is, and the answer will be the same - the saxophone. Who made the saxophone the main jazz instrument? Coleman Hawkins. Well, practically. Hawkins, with his wide, grungy sound and cascading notes, is one of the fathers of bop. That is, in theory, you need to listen to everything from him. But to avoid complaints about the recording, we recommend the album “The Hawk Flies High” from 1957.
There's a strong line-up here again: Pettiford, Joe Jones on drums, JJ Johnson on trombone, Hank Jones on piano. Exceptionally bright plays, played with drive. There are strangely funny arrangements: “Juicy Fruit” combines Jones’s minimalist piano plodding with Idris Suleiman’s endless trumpet notes. Chain breathing or just magic? And so - everywhere!
Oscar Pettiford "Winner's Circle"
To a real Indian... Well, you understand. One of the first boppers, Oscar Pettiford, was indeed Indian: dark skin from a father who was half Cherokee, half African. Pettiford lived only 37 years and died in Europe from some terrible virus, but before that he played on many key bop albums, starting to brew in the bop scene back in 1943. A cult bassist who invented his own playing style, an insightful bandleader who revealed to the world the talent of the great Cannonball Adderley. “I didn’t like the way others played the double bass,” he allegedly said. He was also the first to play jazz on the cello, and he literally started as a joke.
Pettiford, like Charlie Mingus, is one of the most prolific double bassists-leaders-composers in jazz: strictly speaking, in terms of influence, there is no one to put next to these two (bassists are usually in secondary roles). Let's listen to the large lineup on the album "Winner's Circle", which was released in 1957 on the Bethlehem label. Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Philly Joe Jones and others - a dream team!
Bud Powell “The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1"
And finally, the main pianist of bebop is Bud Powell. The spiritual father of all subsequent jazz virtuosos, from Bill Evans to Chick Corea and so on. Powell had a difficult fate: he suffered for a long time from an acute mental disorder, spending months in the hospital (and one must understand what kind of psychiatry was half a century ago - the musician was even treated with electric shock), and died early. Accordingly, not all of his recordings are equally good, but there are several masterpieces.
One of them, recorded on Blue Note back in the late 40s, in his youth - “The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1" (there are two more "volumes" with later sessions). Here are two versions of Powell's hit with the sad Spanish title "Un Poco Loco" (A Little Crazy). We asked a specialist - pianist, composer, drummer Yakov Okun - to comment on this: “This piece was recorded in two takes. In the first, his improvisation is amazing, and the second is more harmonious in terms of form. On the same album there is a version of the standard “It Could Happened To You”, touching, as if under Art Tatum - amazing!”