blog post J is for jazz: B is for bebop

The J is for Jazz series is a trip through the alphabet looking at the major personalities and styles that have marked the music's first century.

Now, bebop.

Under the umbrella of jazz, there are a variety of styles of music; one of the most significant is bebop. Its origins go back to the late 1930s when musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk started experimenting with a new form of improvisation. It grew out of the style known as swing and, although there are a few theories, the origin of the word itself is a mystery. Bebop is universally known to represent inventiveness, spontaneity and being in the rhythmic groove.

What made the style stand out were the musicians’ new explorations of the harmonies and chords they normally used in swing. In the beginning, they’d play the same chords, but create new intricate melodies to play over them. The George Gershwin song “I Got Rhythm” is often cited as an example of the song that was used as the framework for many well-known bebop songs. Have a listen to “Anthropology,” “Lester Leaps In” or the old television theme song “Meet the Flintstones” to hear the structure. More complex chords were eventually added.

Bebop offered musical freedom

The bebop sound was also characterized by virtuosity on the part of the players.  They would musically soar in their solos, with what seemed a limitless source of fluid ideas. Soloists tended to play continuous passages of eighth or 16th notes that avoided the song melody, but might quote a short melody or phrase from another song in their solo. Bebop offered a kind of musical freedom traditional Dixieland or swing jazz couldn’t.

The groups playing it were often quartets and quintets, as opposed to the waning presence of the big bands and the rhythm section of piano, acoustic bass and drums took on different roles. Besides keeping the time, they could now interact in a freer manner with the soloist.

When an aspiring jazz musician begins their studies, bebop is a required area to be explored and the fundamental rules that applied than, still apply now. In fact, a credible player will be required to understand and play bebop as part of their repertoire.

There are many fine recordings dating back to the 1940s and ’50s by the pioneers of the genre. Check out Charlie Parker: The Complete Savoy and Dial Studio Recordings; or Bud Powell: The Complete Blue Note and Roost Recordings.

Related links:

J is for Jazz:  A is for Armstrong

Classical Music A –Z

Jazz police keep the music safe