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Chapter 46
Charlie Parker
Chapter at a Glance
Listen to This First
Jazz Combo Timbre
From Improvisation to Melody
Texture: Rhythm Section Plus Soloist
Sectional Form
Connect Your Playlist: Improvisation
Listening Guide
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter and listening to the work, students should be able to:
46.2 Listen for the timbres and texture of a jazz combo as represented in Charlie
46.3 Discuss the role of improvisation in jazz.
Key Concepts
jazz combo instrumentation, improvisation, soloist versus rhythm section
Chapter Highlight: Bebop Jazz
Jazz music for listening, not dancing, arose in the mid-1940s. Smaller ensembles, more
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Chapter Summary
Bebop consists of small combos that play music involving more dissonance, complex chord
changes, and a virtuosic style of playing than previous jazz styles. This music is more for serious
improvisation styles of each performer in turn.
Parker developed his style by sitting in on the best Harlem jazz sessions. Using violin,
piano, and clarinet etude and scale books, the bebop musicians borrowed short motifs, scales,
(opening melody) in unison or perhaps unison octaves, after which each soloist improvises a
Listening Guide
each of these using the Time and Form columns. As each chorus features a different performer,
MyMusicLab Resources
Automated Listening Guide
Chapter Audio: Chapter 46
Watch
Discussion Topics and Critical Thinking Questions
1. When Charlie Parker left home at the age of 15, moved to Harlem, and began honing his skill
as a sax player in jam sessions, do you think that he and the others were trying to invent a new
style of jazz?
3.
Activities and Exercises
1. Invite a jazz musician to class for an interview. Before the musician arrives, plan a format for
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the interview. Here are suggestions for questions:
When did you begin to play your instrument?
Did you study music with a private teacher? If so, for how long?
Did you play in a school band or orchestra?
Are you proficient at improvisation?
Does it take a lot of practice to play well?
Can you describe your work sessions when you practice?
What about inspiration? What drives you to keep playing?
Journaling Prompt
Bebop is often superficially credited with bringing about the end of jazz as a form of
popular music and making it more of an art music. How would you define the terms