Groovin’ High

Groovin’ High was written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. It became his best-known composition and one of the first famous bebop recordings. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the melody of Groovin’ High combined with chord hits.

Groovin’ High is a contrafact of Whispering, first recorded in 1920 by bandleader Paul Whiteman (also known as the “King of Jazz”).

Dizzy Gillespie used the chord changes from Whispering and wrote a new melody on top of it, with a faster tempo and a more complex harmony.

A contrafact is a new melody written over an existing chord progression.

This approach became popular in the bebop era, allowing musicians to create new, modern tunes using familiar chord progressions.

The most famous recording of Groovin’ High features Charlie Parker alongside Gillespie, and includes an improvisation by jazz guitarist Remo Palmier.

 

 

Recommended Listening:

• Dizzy Gillespie – Dizzy Gillespie and His All Stars (1947)
• Art Pepper – Art Pepper + Eleven (1960)
• The Rosenberg Trio – Gipsy Summer (1991)
• Arturo Sandoval – Danzon (Dance On) (1996)
• Kenny Burrell – Laid Back (1998)
• Keith Jarrett – Whisper Not (2000)
• Jim Hall – Jim Hall Plays Standards (2020)

 

Groovin’ High – Video & Guitar Tabs

Learning the melody of Groovin’ High is a good introduction to the bebop style and its characteristic features, such as the use of chromaticism, rhythmic accents, syncopation, and flowing eight-note lines.

Begin by playing the melody slowly and pay attention to accurate phrasing and articulation. Once the notes feel comfortable under your fingers, try playing along with the backing track to develop your feel and bebop phrasing.

Form: AB (32 bars)
Key: Eb major

 

 

Listen & Play-Along

 

 

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