January 2024 - Billie's Bounce

[M-ster]

Our standard for Jan 2024 will be Billie's Bounce (Charlie Parker, 1945).

Background:
Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Billie's Bounce)

[AllanAllen]

Should be a lot of takes on this tune. A truly practical standard.

[supersoul]

[alpop]

supersoul: You might want to check that melody. I think you're playing an E natural in bar 6. Shouldn't it be E flat?

[supersoul]

supersoul: You might want to check that melody. I think you're playing an E natural in bar 6. Shouldn't it be E flat?

usually it's written Eb, but Mr. Benson plays an E natural.

[alpop]

usually it's written Eb, but Mr. Benson plays an E natural.

Cool. If it's good enough for Mr. Benson who am I to complain?

Mr. Parker's version:

[AllanAllen]

What kind of guitar is that?

[pamosmusic]

After Hours Billies Bounce.

Got to rambling so I cut the video.

[ragman1]

I don't do bebop heads. I'm incompetent :-)

[supersoul]

What kind of guitar is that?

It's an old East German archtop from the 50s that I completely overhauled. Carved, solid wood everywhere; the neck is a baseball bat without a truss rod that I've grown to love.
When I say "overhauled" it sounds like I knew what I was doing, but it was a Covid lockdown project of mine where I figured out everything myself. I was bitten by the Old German Archtop bug, inspired in part by various threads on here.

[AllanAllen]

It's an old East German archtop from the 50s that I completely overhauled. Carved, solid wood everywhere; the neck is a baseball bat without a truss rod that I've grown to love.
When I say "overhauled" it sounds like I knew what I was doing, but it was a Covid lockdown project of mine where I figured out everything myself. I was bitten by the Old German Archtop bug, inspired in part by various threads on here.

I think I remember that, you were talking about adding a trussrod with hand tools right? Do you have a picture? It looks cool, the headstock and the fretmarkers are interesting.

[supersoul]

I think I remember that, you were talking about adding a trussrod with hand tools right? Do you have a picture? It looks cool, the headstock and the fretmarkers are interesting.

Here the thread from when I had just bought it. It looks the same but now it's much more playable. It has bigger frets now.
Vintage German Archtops

The neck was bowed. I didn't add a trussrod, but I flattened the neck relief by sanding it with long (spirit) level with sandpaper attached. I also flattened the fingerboard radius to be 10". The neck is so thick that it doesn't need a trussrod to stay straight. The fretboard is pretty narrow, but I was able to maximize the area by cutting the nut so the outer strings are closer to the edge. I also had to remove the back plate to address where the side wood had swollen and was bulging out.

That's a great thread, btw. There is a lot of good knowledge contained within.
Oh, and here's the uncleaned interior right after I took off the back: Vintage German Archtops

[Jimmy Smith]

I don't do bebop heads.

You could if you'd practice them! Get it together ragman!!

[ragman1]

No, sorry, not my thing :-)

[Jimmy blue note]

I don't do bebop heads. I'm incompetent :-)

Billie's Bounce is a veritable catalogue of melodic devices, ornaments, rhythmic tools and displacements cleverly packed into a blues form. It's such a smart piece, deep and full of months if not years of study. Anybody doing an analysis of all the goodies contained in this piece and using them to put together a bebop designed solo?

[ragman1]

Put it this way, it's better when other people do it :-)

[Jimmy blue note]

Put it this way, it's better when other people do it :-)

Even Charlie Parker had a time when it's as much a mystery to him as it is to you. He was curious and he wanted it. All a matter of how we spend our time. Hope the music that's yours is equally rewarding. It's in you.

[ragman1]

Even Charlie Parker had a time when it's as much a mystery to him as it is to you.

It's not a mystery to me, any more than rap is. It's just that I'm not interested, it doesn't grab me. Sorry about that.

Hope the music that's yours is equally rewarding. It's in you.

Sounds like a gift card :-)

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

[James W]

After Hours Billies Bounce.

Got to rambling so I cut the video.

This is awesome BTW. Shame it ends a bit abruptly though!

I'm gonna have to transcribe it... and steal at least some of it.

[pamosmusic]

This is awesome BTW. Shame it ends a bit abruptly though!

I'm gonna have to transcribe it... and steal at least some of it.

Ah you’re too kind.

Though I can assure you, you’re not missing anything with the ending. Only downhill from there.

[James W]

I've recorded myself quite a few times recently playing this, but no attempts have been IMO quite as good as this, which I recorded in 2020 (and even this isn't that good lol).

[ragman1]

You seem to be holding your timing much more exactly than recently, James. Terrific!

(What happened in those other recordings, then, which we were all concerned about? Do you know?)

[pamosmusic]

You seem to be holding your timing much more exactly than recently, James. Terrific!

(What happened in those other recordings, then, which we were all concerned about? Do you know?)

Whew.

[James W]

You seem to be holding your timing much more exactly than recently, James. Terrific!

(What happened in those other recordings, then, which we were all concerned about? Do you know?)

Thanks. The recent recordings have all remained safely un-uploaded.