How many Charlie Parker Tunes Do You Know?

[Pocket Player]

Thanks eddy b, princeplanet !! smoking ....

[Hep To The Jive]

Here are 11 common Bop Heads played on guitar back to back. Now, some advocate that heads have all the vocab you'll need. But of these there's only 3 or 4 that contain a lick or 2 that I like enough to use in my own playing. You could spend a year learning all these heads that well, or you could go through solos, Bird's and others, that contain lines that you just "have to have". In the same year you could end up with a hundred lines that you love, and will actually use.

Sure, you could say that if someone learned all those heads, what's to say they wouldn't put all that material to work in their own solos. Fair enough, but I certainly wouldn't care for hearing solos littered with those lines over and over.

Let's face it, some bebop language/vocab/devices, or whatever you want to call them, have aged better than others. Some ideas can sound at home in a contemporary setting, others will just sound dated or even corny...

I listened to the whole thing, well I think you're right, I hear some licks here and there, but overall I'm not inspired to lean them a lot of them. But some are cool in my book. Groovin High... awesome! Daahaud- never heard that one before, and it's absolutely beautiful. Tell me it's a Charlie Parker tune?

[princeplanet]

I listened to the whole thing, well I think you're right, I hear some licks here and there, but overall I'm not inspired to lean them a lot of them. But some are cool in my book. Groovin High... awesome! Daahaud- never heard that one before, and it's absolutely beautiful. Tell me it's a Charlie Parker tune?

Some of the tunes don't appear to be Parker tunes...

[Hep To The Jive]

Here's Anthropology version that I dig the most. I guess, also depends who's playing. Everything that this guy played is superb, even the bebop tunes I originally didn't like that much.

[princeplanet]

Thanks eddy b, princeplanet !! smoking ....

But that's not me, the guitarist in that clip is called Todd Homme.

[vintagelove]

Let's face it, some bebop language/vocab/devices, or whatever you want to call them, have aged better than others. Some ideas can sound at home in a contemporary setting, others will just sound dated or even corny...

Maybe to your ear they sound dated or corny, to mine it sounds like genius.

[Pocket Player]

its all about the Cheese ...

[princeplanet]

Maybe to your ear they sound dated or corny, to mine it sounds like genius.

I understand that, in fact from recent polls on this forum, seems like a lot of folks here prefer Swing to Bop, so a lot of the Bop language sounds too "modern" for them! I certainly don't wanna imply that modern = better as I don't believe that's true for just about anything (movies, cars, architecture, art etc etc....).

But pure Bebop wasn't really played for very long, it quickly morphed into several different forms. Some argue that no-one really plays pure bebop any more, anywhere, and haven't since 1953. Yet there have always been Swing bands, Gypsy Jazz or even Ragtime and Dixieland bands, and indeed they're still around today, with no signs of going anywhere.

It's funny how some styles become "classicised" in that way, and yet Bebop which continues to be the source for many aspiring Jazz soloists to drink from the cup of, is acknowledged but rarely played.

Bit like how Latin is essentially a "dead" language, yet still taught and used by many professions that like to hang on to a tradition that refers to Latin terminology.... or something....

[HighSpeedSpoon]

Here's Anthropology version that I dig the most. I guess, also depends who's playing. Everything that this guy played is superb, even the bebop tunes I originally didn't like that much.

I like that one too. I have Parker playing it at almost the same tempo on a Ken Burns Jazz CD. Personally, I prefer Pepper. Then there is this notably more up-tempo version - not one I like (or appreciate if you prefer) ...

[Jazzman35]

My favorite is Nows the Time

[grahambop]

Daahaud- never heard that one before, and it's absolutely beautiful. Tell me it's a Charlie Parker tune?

Daahoud is by Clifford Brown:

[MarkRhodes]

[QUOTE=princeplanet;515906]

Here are 11 common Bop Heads played on guitar back to back. QUOTE]

Well done! I agree that the heads don't contain all the needed vocabulary but I think if one can play those heads to tempo, one should have the technique to play most of the bebop "vobab" one decides to learn. Don't you? Lot of technique in those heads....

[princeplanet]

[QUOTE=MarkRhodes;516350]

Here are 11 common Bop Heads played on guitar back to back. QUOTE]

Well done! I agree that the heads don't contain all the needed vocabulary but I think if one can play those heads to tempo, one should have the technique to play most of the bebop "vobab" one decides to learn. Don't you? Lot of technique in those heads....

Once again, that's not me, it's a player named Todd Homme. And sure, the heads are great for technique , but so are the solos! If ya gonna spend a year on this stuff, you may as well get some useable lines you actually like, as well as the technical chops. I mean if you love Dexter, Clifford, or Rollins lines more than Parker's, then just go ahead and learn them! A lot of it is post Bird anyway, you're not missing any essential understanding to post Bop era Jazz (as in- later than 1953...).

As you know, people have analysed Bird to death, but no-one has ever played just like him. You can't think like Bird, and nor should anyone aspire to that. Invent your own system after you learn the lines you love, which may be Parker lines, or maybe not.... I've learned my fair share of Bird, and have no regrets, but I could have learned McClean, or Cannonball lines, Woods, McPherson etc etc, and be equally happy, or even happier. Any one single bop influenced master can serve as a role model, Getz, Mobley, Miles, Wes, there's so many...

[MarkRhodes]

[QUOTE=princeplanet;517724]

And sure, the heads are great for technique , but so are the solos! If ya gonna spend a year on this stuff, you may as well get some useable lines you actually like, as well as the technical chops.

I agree. It doesn't have to be Bird. I spend a lot of time on Herb Ellis lines. (Though Herb suggests guitarists analyze some Bird solos and learn from them!) But for me, I should know more Bird heads. When I was younger, I learned several but my technique was spotty, so I couldn't play them near performance tempo. Now my technique is better and I want to learn more Bird heads both for their value in and of themselves and as a personal accomplishment (-"once upon a time, this was way beyond me but now I can play it---yay!")

Love Clifford Brown too.

[Dutchbopper]

Clifford is great too. I did his solo on "Joy Spring" a long time ago, so the video below is pretty old. I did not even have glasses at the time I had to slow the solo down a bit because bars 17-23 are impossibly fast on guitar. I dare anyone to play them on guitar in real time!

Still, this solo has some nice II-Vs that I isolated and slowed down later in the video. Highly recommded!

Regards,

DB

[Hep To The Jive]

Just added Yardbird Suite and Anthropology to my list. Yardbird Suite is my fave Bird's tune right now, it's less complicated but very catchy. And that's how I think good tunes should be, you can get all kind of crazy s&$T going in a solo. Donna Lee is still my least fav., I practice it obsessively, but hate it! Maybe I just love the chord changes and it keep me going.

[grahambop]

Donna Lee is still my least fav., I practice it obsessively, but hate it! Maybe I just love the chord changes and it keep me going.

If you like the chords, play 'Back Home in Indiana' - same chords.

[Hep To The Jive]

If you like the chords, play 'Back Home in Indiana' - same chords.

I know that, but I still force to play Donna Lee, just to say I've done, and it's not a big deal. 'Cos you know, people would say, hey you hate it because you can't play it... well, get this! Also, I'm practicing it to a techno dance beat now, so it's a little bit more fun.

[vootie]

Again, it deepens your music to know the tunes that Parker's tunes came from. So Yardbird, according to me, is the changes to Lady Be Good on the outside and Nice Work if You Can Get It on the bridge. If you get tired of Donna Lee, make sure you know Indiana. The words are pretty good too. https://tomross1.bandcamp.com/track/indiana-in-india, a version in 7 beats.

A bit of perhaps useless history: Indiana is in F. Dixie people often goose the key up to Ab on the last chorus. That's why Donna Lee is in Ab!

[Sharelone]

I just finished learning the repeating part of Donna Lee and I’m enjoying it so much. Though I can only play it at a fraction of its original tempo plus having a few mistakes here and there as I’m still a beginner.

Another song I enjoy is “I’ll see you in my dreams” by Django. I guess what I’m looking for is a song with lots of picking.

Any suggestion would help, much appreciated if you include the sheet or some kind of tutorial.

Thank you

[hohoho]

Four Brothers?

[orri]

other Charlie Parker tunes like
Confirmation
Blues for Alice
Ornithology

others that come to mind:
Joy Spring
Four
Solar

[princeplanet]

I worked on a couple, last one was Scrapple from the Apple, but like alot of his music, I quickly forgot it.
Charlie Parker was an interesting person, but his music is a major turn-off for me and his solos are unlistenable. Its like 200 bpm note-vomit.

No! I won't have it! You're wrong, wrong, wrong I say! It was more like 300...

[Doug B]

The ironic part is that most if not all of the people on Broyale's list either were influenced by Charlie Parker or played with him. (For example, Miles)

It would seem to me that Broyale just does not know what he does not know.

There's a saying often attributed to Elvin Bishop:" I've been young but you've never been old, so don't tell me what it's like." (Paraphrased)

Doug B

[steve burchfield]

Jerry Hahn has a good version of Joy Spring on his Moses record available on YT