Whenever I attempted to talk about Bebop improvisation with any degree of analytical flavor, I was often struck by a hilarious scene from “What’s sex got to do with it?” episode of HBO’s hit TV series Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw, with Richard Davis’s music on the background, confessed to her new jazz-bass-player-boyfriend Ray King about her point of view on Jazz. “This might be a good time to tell you…,” said Carrie. “I don’t like Jazz…I don’t know, you can’t follow it…and there’s no melody.” Obviously, due to my limited Big-Apple-experience, I truly realize that I might not be intellectually and culturally well-equipped to argue with our beloved Ms. Bradshaw, or any girl who doesn’t like jazz in that matter, the essence of Jazz. The issue here, however, is that any analytical attempt of my feeble writing about Bebop improvisation gravely boosts the tendency of leaning toward can’t-follow-and-no-melody kind of mess. Can’t help it. Whenever I talk about Bebop improvisation analytically, gigantic-analytical-and-somewhat-boring terms proudly march in like a fleet of hungry Emperor Penguins and loudly demand their fair air-time.

So, you see, basically, the first paragraph of this mindless-and-self-entertaining rambling is just a prolonged but placid disclaimer if I somehow lost you in the analytical discussions in this post where kings and queens of analysis reign supreme.

 

Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines

This project is designed to meet the demands of intermediate to advanced jazz saxophonists as they establish the dexterity of their sight-reading skill in all key signatures. The standard ii-V-I jazz lines of the bebop era are transposed chromatically, covering the full register of a saxophone to extend the technical flexibility. The author of this project avoids lengthy theoretical annotation, aiming to establish the practical aspect as a sight-reading exercise. However, it is advised that the saxophonists review the theoretical structure of each jazz line parallel to the sight-reading practice in order to enhance the learning activity. Although the project is designed specifically for jazz saxophonists, it can be used by other jazz instrumentalists who wish to develop their sight-reading skill.

Theoretical Considerations

The sole objective of this paper is to provide a brief theoretical annotation to twenty jazz lines in the style of the bebop. The basic linear constructions of jazz lines in the bebop era are excluded purposefully, limiting the discussions only to the constructions that might be beneficial to the developing jazz improvisers as a critical supplement to their own studies. Discussions are grouped thematically to enhance the associations of the concepts of jazz melodic construction.

Inverted mordent has been favored by improvisers of the bebop era as a valid element in embellishing their improvisational lines. Legitimately speaking, the term mordent refers to the ornamentation of written music which might not serve as a valid reference when considering the improvisational nature of jazz music in the bebop era. It is noted that the author implies only the aspect of musical embellishment when adopting the terminology. During the bebop era, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, along with other bebop improvisers, utilized this element effectively in almost every single improvisation. This particular element of bebop improvisation is avoided, consciously or unconsciously, by contemporary jazz improvisers as a way of departing from the influence of bebop. In this project, aiming to use bebop as a common musical language in jazz to enhance sight-reading capacity, the author includes this element as a basic constructional block in building jazz lines which can be found on numerous occasions. For example, the second downbeat in the second measure of the first line illustrates this device.

Compound melody, a device that has been utilized by the composers of western classical music, is also closely associated with bebop improvisation. Compared to quotation, which might serve as a musical metaphor or a figurative vocabulary in jazz improvisation, compound melody has its constructional necessity in linear melodic structure when elaborating a single melodic line. One is advised to analyze the difference between compound melody and countermelody, the latter consisting of a main melody and its counterpart. In this project, the author utilizes this particular constructional devise on numerous occasions. For example, the second and the eighth lines illustrate such usage.

Bebop character phrase, or bebop lick as suggested by David Baker and Jerry Coker, along with other musical components, has established bebop as one of the most identifiable music language in jazz. Parallel to the musical developments of major bebop figures such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Pud Powell, and other bebop improvisers, the bebop character phrase was introduced and has become highly influential. The melodic figure and its variations suggest not only the linear construction, but also partially reveal the harmonic structure of bebopism, resulting in the installment of theoretical components such as bebop scales. In this project, the author utilizes the variations of the bebop character phrase. For example, the middle section of the eleventh line displays such usage.

Superimposition has been practiced by many jazz improvisers. Improvisers might superimpose a melodic line, implying IV7 in the second bar of blues that might be different than the supplied harmonic structure; furthermore, improvisers might superimpose a melodic figure, outlining ii-V sequence against the cycle of fifth sequence in the bridge of I’ve Got Rhythm. Though the concept of superimposition does not originate from the bebop era, bebop improvisers were responsible for the expansion of this technique. Terminologically speaking, superimposition and substitution are often used interchangeably. However, superimposition is sometimes used specifically to refer to the implication of a new harmonic structure against a preexisting one played by accompanists to achieve the goal of elaboration, such as superimposing Coltrane Change against ii-V-I; however, substitution is used to refer to the embellishment of preexisted harmonic structure such as substituting V7 with V7b9. In this project, the author utilizes a common superimposition in ii-V-I. For example, the first half of the thirteen and fourteen line illustrate such employment.

Quotation is one of the most communicative devices in the jazz language of improvisation. It confirms improvisers’ knowledge of music literature; it might also serve as a symbolic component of figurative language in improvisation. During Bebop era, improvisers were responsible for the expansion of quotation technique to include not only the jazz standards, but also large amount of melodic figures from western classical literature. For instance, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker quoted the melodic figure from Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie quoted the melodic figure from Bizet’s Carmen. In this project, the author utilizes quotation technique by quoting the melodic figure from Honeysuckle Rose in the fourteen line.

Although the concept of descending guide line has not been legitimately confirmed in scholarly journals, however, it represents a large portion of theoretical constructions in this project. Similar construction can be found in many bebop improvisations and bebop compositions, such as Charlie Parker’s Blues for Alice. The analytical device that is used to explore the descending guide line has its close association with Schenkerian analysis, though the author has adopted the theory by taking the common theoretical considerations in jazz into account.

The descending guide line is a continuous melodic line in the descending motion that serves as the linear structural construction to link the improvisational vocabulary and reinforces the harmonic chord progression. Adopting the layer approach of Schenkerian analysis, the descending guide lines could be analyzed as the foreground structural line which can often be reduced to guide tone lines, the background structural lines of some jazz improvisations. In ninth line, a single descending guide line reveals the improvisational direction throughout the entire line and serves as a structural outline.

Summarizing the constructional functions of the descending guide line, the author purposes that the single descending guide line without any linear delay resolution has the most concentrated linear structure; this construction depends largely upon the linear embellishments, such as neighbor tones and bebop notes, to maintain the level of interest. The single descending guide line with one linear delay resolution constitutes the desired linear balance. While the number of linear delay resolution increase, the degree of concentration of linear structure decreases. The related double descending guide lines that structuralize one phrase share the similar functions of the single descending guide line and might be considered as the broken descending guide line. The interpretation of the reduction to the descending guide line reveals one important harmonic structural construction in ii-V-I phrases. The notes that are not included in the presented key might reveal the alteration of harmony. If the location of notes that are outside of the presented key is in the middle of the descending guide line, it might indicate an intensified harmonic alternation as shown in example six. If the location of notes that are outside of the presented key is at the beginning or the ending of the descending guide line, it might only serve as an indication of harmonic embellishment.

In conclusion, although the ascending guide lines and combinations of the descending guide line and the ascending guide lines exist in bebop improvisation, the descending guide line is significant for its frequent occurrence. In addition to the analysis of the ascending guide lines, the other theoretical considerations that are presented in this paper serve only as an alternative way to understand bebop improvisation and can be beneficial only to the developing improvisors who have involved themselves musically in bebop improvisation.

 

Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines (730.67 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 001 [BIAB File] (3.34 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 002 [BIAB File] (3.34 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 003 [BIAB File] (3.3 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 004 [BIAB File] (3.47 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 005 [BIAB File] (3.4 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 006 [BIAB File] (3.58 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 007 [BIAB File] (3.4 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 008 [BIAB File] (3.47 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 009 [BIAB File] (3.26 kB)
Chromatic Transposition of II-V-I Bebop Lines 010 [BIAB File] (3.48 kB)