Riff Blues

Chapter 8 studies the Parker-composed blues that are based on riffs. There are surprisingly few of these as compared to through-composed blues: only ten, and of these two are early pieces: “Hootie Blues” and “The Jumpin’ Blues,” both attributed to Jay McShann as co-composer. These early pieces follow the classic blues formula of a call, a repeated call, and then a contrasting response (aab form), which occurs in only one other Parker tune, “Now’s the Time,” which may be his best-known work. Of Parker’s blues tunes based on riffs, one is unique: “Happy Bird Blues,” which was transcribed from a live improvisation and issued posthumously as a composition.

32-Bar Compositions with A Section or Partial A Section

Parker composed many works in which sections are designated by a chord progression only; the player was expected to improvise the melodic material, and these pieces are discussed in Chapter 7. For AABA compositions, for example, Parker might leave the B section open for improvisation. “Scrapple from the AppIe” is one such well-known work. In some cases, such as “Constellation,” much of the A section is improvisational as well. There are seventeen works with just an A section or partial A section, sixteen of them recorded, with one piece (“Ballade”) co-composed with Coleman Hawkins. Parker’s two contrapuntal pieces (“Chasin’ the Bird” and “Ah-Leu-Cha”) are among this group as well.

Other 32-Bar AABA Compositions

Chapter 3 examines the complete 32-bar compositions Parker wrote that do not make use of rhythm changes. There are six of these, and they include his first composition (“Yardbird Suite”), one of his most admired compositions (“Confirmation”), a work that borrows from two French popular songs (“My Little Suede Shoes”), and three works that were not recorded (“Alesia,” “Throckmorton the Plumber,” and “Tail Feathers”). “Yardbird Suite” was originally titled “What Price Love?” and is his only song for which he wrote a lyric. “Confirmation” features a bridge with apparently original chord changes. The source songs for “My Little Suede Shoes” were discovered in the early 2000s. Of the unrecorded songs, only “Alesia” was definitely written by Parker.

Introduction

The introduction begins with a discussion of the nature of jazz composition, advancing the view that improvisations can sometimes become compositions. The concept of an authoritative recording is discussed, that is, that a recording with sufficient properties may instantiate a composition in lieu of an officially notated version. The book’s method of listing and categorizing Parker compositions then follows. For the latter, Parker’s compositions are divided into seven groups, which proceed from fully composed 32-bar pieces to those works with minimal music. This final group also includes improvised pieces. The introduction ends by citing significant prior studies and explaining the book’s analytical approaches.

Improvisational Frames with Composed Sections and Non-Standard Works

Chapter 9 discusses non-traditional compositions. Among them is a group of pieces that have no preplanned music. Despite being entirely improvised, they were nonetheless registered as compositions. This group includes “Bird of Paradise,” which is based on the form and harmonies of “All the Things You Are” (Kern-Hammerstein), “Merry-Go-Round,” and “Leap Frog.” Also included here are two improvisational formulas extensive enough to be considered compositions: “M. 19C” and “The Famous Alto Break.” A second group includes pieces that have composed sections, such as introductions. These sections, however, are not improvised on. This latter group includes such famous works as “Ko Ko” and “Parker’s Mood.”

32-Bar ABAC Compositions

Chapter 4 examines all of Parker’s complete 32-bar compositions that are in ABAC form. There are only four of these, and one of them (“Ornithology”) is generally credited as a co-composition to Parker and Benny Harris. It is based on the form and harmonies of “How High the Moon” (Hamilton-Lewis). Parker performed “Ornithology” consistently through his career, perhaps because the conjunction of “Bird” and “Ornithology” was too tempting to ignore. “Donna Lee,” while credited to Parker, is widely considered to have been written by Miles Davis. One of the most popular compositions associated with Parker, “Donna Lee” is based on “Back Home in Indiana” (MacDonald-Hanley). The final two works, “Quasimodo” and “Cardboard,” are less known, but are fine compositions.

32-Bar Rhythm Changes Compositions

Chapter 2 begins with an overview of Parker’s fully composed 32-bar rhythm changes compositions. Parker is strongly associated with improvising on rhythm changes (the chord changes of “I Got Rhythm,” by George and Ira Gershwin), but there are only six such pieces, and they are all in B♭ major: “Red Cross,” “Shaw ’Nuff,” (co-composed with Dizzy Gillespie), “Moose the Mooche,” “Thrivin’ from a Riff,” “Dexterity,” and “Passport.” This allows for convenient comparison among them. Among the various conclusions, the analyses show that despite being contrafacts on rhythm changes—all in the same key and using straightforward bebop harmony—these pieces are satisfyingly different.

Summary and Assessment

Chapter 10 pulls together information from the analytical chapters and provides a summary via a series of tables. These tables include the Parker contrafacts based on “Honeysuckle Rose” and rhythm changes; Parker’s works enumerated by category, key, contrafact, and primary line; Parker’s attitude toward revisions and adaptations; what tunes Parker liked to call on the bandstand; and what works might be excluded from a list of Parker compositions, if a more traditional understanding of composition is assumed. The chapter concludes with discussions of Parker’s tendencies toward quotation and self-quotation, his interest in twentieth-century concert music (an ambition he was unable to fulfill), and his overall compositional legacy.

Through-Composed Blues in Other Keys

Chapter 6 discusses Parker’s through-composed blues that are not in C major. There are sixteen such pieces, with three of them not recorded by Parker. Among the best-known are “Bloomdido,” “Billie’s Bounce,” “Barbados,” “Au Privave,” and “Blues for Alice.” Most of Parker’s through-composed blues were written in C major (11 pieces). Ranking second and third among keys for pieces of this type are B♭ (7) and F (6); there are also three single-key pieces in A♭, E♭, and G. In all, through-composed blues comprise 27 pieces, easily the most extensive of Parker’s composing formats. Chapter 6 begins by examining the B♭ pieces, then continues with the ones in F and finishes with the single-key pieces.

Through-Composed Blues in C

Chapter 5 examines Parker’s favored key for through-composed blues, C major. (A through-composed blues does not repeat riffs in the manner of a classic aab blues.) There are eleven such pieces, of which two were not recorded. They include several well-known works, but the most famous are probably “Relaxin’ at Camarillo,” “Cheryl,” and “Perhaps.” Despite being only twelve bars long and in the key of C, these pieces are surprisingly varied. They feature ingenious bebop lines (“Bongo Bop,” “Bongo Beep,” and “Perhaps”); unusual rhythms with odd melodic turns (“Relaxin’ at Camarillo” and “Cheryl”); motivic saturation (“Visa” and “Passport Blues”); and hints of traditional blues (“Back Home Blues” and “Cosmic Rays”). “Dum Dum” and “Bongo Bird” were not recorded and are of uncertain provenance.