Bebop: a Controversial Transition to Modern Jazz
Bebop: A Controversial
Transition to Modern Jazz
Nathan Marketich
Music 0711
Professor Leon Dorsey
Recitation TA: Alton Merrell 1:00
December 10, 2010
The decade of the 1940’s was an important era in the history of jazz. The 1940’s was a transition from traditional jazz into modern jazz. Leading this transition was the introduction of the Bebop period in Jazz. Bebop created controversy in the jazz world for being a contradiction to traditional jazz and was widely disliked by many audiences across America. Despite its controversy, Bebop, also referred to as “Bop,” was one of the most important eras in the history of Jazz. The technical creations by some of Bebop’s greatest musicians influenced future generations of jazz musicians and transformed the jazz world into the modern era. The word Bebop, according to Bebop artist Dizzy Gillespie, came from people trying to sing the unique melodic leaps. The singing created a distinct “bop” sound that led to it being referred to as bop or Bebop music (Berendt and Huesmann, p. 14). The rhythm and technicalities of the Bebop style were unlike any other used in jazz before. This completely different method of jazz led to the popular accusation that Bebop was not jazz and many traditional jazz artists dismissed it as such. And since Bebop could not be danced to, it was largely dismissed by the public as well for not being jazz music. Although it is true that Bebop was not classical jazz and was not typical “dancing” music, it was in fact the first type of modern jazz to be recorded. The flatted fifth is the most important interval of Bebop and in traditional jazz the flatted fifth would be considered erroneous. Also characteristic of Bebop are the nervous and racing phrases that appeared as melodic fragments. Bebop music left out “every unnecessary note” giving it a distinct irregularity that had not been present in jazz before 1940 ( Berendt and Huesmann, p.15). Other technical characteristics of Bebop uncommon to
Transition to Modern Jazz
Nathan Marketich
Music 0711
Professor Leon Dorsey
Recitation TA: Alton Merrell 1:00
December 10, 2010
The decade of the 1940’s was an important era in the history of jazz. The 1940’s was a transition from traditional jazz into modern jazz. Leading this transition was the introduction of the Bebop period in Jazz. Bebop created controversy in the jazz world for being a contradiction to traditional jazz and was widely disliked by many audiences across America. Despite its controversy, Bebop, also referred to as “Bop,” was one of the most important eras in the history of Jazz. The technical creations by some of Bebop’s greatest musicians influenced future generations of jazz musicians and transformed the jazz world into the modern era. The word Bebop, according to Bebop artist Dizzy Gillespie, came from people trying to sing the unique melodic leaps. The singing created a distinct “bop” sound that led to it being referred to as bop or Bebop music (Berendt and Huesmann, p. 14). The rhythm and technicalities of the Bebop style were unlike any other used in jazz before. This completely different method of jazz led to the popular accusation that Bebop was not jazz and many traditional jazz artists dismissed it as such. And since Bebop could not be danced to, it was largely dismissed by the public as well for not being jazz music. Although it is true that Bebop was not classical jazz and was not typical “dancing” music, it was in fact the first type of modern jazz to be recorded. The flatted fifth is the most important interval of Bebop and in traditional jazz the flatted fifth would be considered erroneous. Also characteristic of Bebop are the nervous and racing phrases that appeared as melodic fragments. Bebop music left out “every unnecessary note” giving it a distinct irregularity that had not been present in jazz before 1940 ( Berendt and Huesmann, p.15). Other technical characteristics of Bebop uncommon to
Bibliography: Gitler, Ira. Swing to Bop: an Oral History of the Transition in Jazz in the 1940s. New York: Oxford UP, 1985. Print. Gridley, Mark C., and David Cutler. Jazz Styles: History & Analysis. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003. Print. Berendt, Joachim-Ernst, and Günther Huesmann. The Jazz Book: from Ragtime to the 21st Century. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill, 2009. Print. James Patrick. "Parker, Charlie." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 7 Dec. 2010http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/20922 Ran Blake. "Monk, Thelonious." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 7 Dec. 2010http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/18962 Thomas Owens. "Gillespie, Dizzy." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. 7 Dec. 2010http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/11145