History Unlimited: BeBop & The Birth of Cool Jazz #1

History Unlimited

co.uk

On This Page: Lionel Hampton, Gil Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Charlie Parker,

Charles Mingus, Modern Jazz Quartet

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BeBop & The Birth of Cool

In the beginning was The Bird ….

Through the halcyon days of the big bands, up and coming musicians moved from ensemble to ensemble with almost predictable regularity. In the early 1940s two such, Charlie ‘Yardbird’ Parker and Dizzie Gillespie, came to rest briefly with the Earl Hines orchestra. This meeting, and late night jam sessions with other like-minded members of the band, laid the foundations of a jazz revolution. BeBop signalled the onset of modern jazz with virtuoso musicianship and improvisation, complex harmonics, breathless exhilaration and a departure from conventions that were sliding towards inertia. Many were alienated by the pace and convolutions of BeBop, but through the 1940s it gathered a select following of performers who were to feature in the coming decades: Thelonious Monk was an early associate of Bird and Dizzie. And by the late 1940s, most notably through the collaboration of Miles Davis with such future luminaries as Gerry Mulligan, John Lewis (later of MJQ) and Canadian composer and arranger Gil Evans, a more laid back style of jazz was evolving. In 1948 and 1949 Davis, fronting various line-ups, recorded a number of sessions that were eventually released in 1954 as The Birth of the Cool — the album that gave a name to a jazz genre.

Arguably the decade between 1949 and 1959 was the most creative period in the history of modern jazz. The musicians and composers that drove it forward left a lasting legacy: Monk, Davis, Mulligan, Gil Evans, John Coltrane, Chet Baker, Charles Mingus and many more, who came together in constantly re-forming alignments that were too complicated to be dealt with in detail on these pages. The new vernacular was the antithesis of big band sound and swing, which were moving more and more towards the popular mainstream. The shift was towards tight instrumental combos — trios, quartets, quintets and sextets. The idiom was more melodious, discarding for the most part the frantic licks of BeBop. Small groups and melodic style allowed the rhythm section greater predominance, producing a mood that suited the intimacy of the night club, provided the almost obligatory backing to the sombre tones of film noir and, with growing acceptance and respectability, found its way to the more cerebral environment of the concert hall.

From the outset, jazz had drawn on many sources. Latin-American music had been an influence since the days of ragtime. The African roots of jazz, always present, were now deliberately sought out with the growth of black consciousness during the social turbulence of the post-war years. And Europe, always fascinated by American ethnic music and a frequent haven for black musicians, contributed its own influences, whether from the Classical tradition or through the intellectual pretensions of the French avant-garde. The result was a continuously evolving fusion of styles and innovation — until innovation itself isolated modern jazz from much of its following.

We strongly suggest that you review the information provided on Amazon carefully before selecting your choices. Artists develop and draw upon their own repertoires of standard numbers which appear, in various combinations but with frequently changing line-ups, on a succession of albums. It is worth studying the available information to avoid unwanted duplication (although the variations produced by different ensembles are often interesting in their own right). On the other hand, compilation albums and sets can be of varying degrees of comprehensiveness, a factor that is often reflected in a wide range of prices. Where appropriate, we have tried to give choices that cater to all budgets.

BEWARE of ‘Complete Recordings’. This may be a misleading title in some cases and refer to a specific period, a specific record label or a specific line-up. To avoid disappointment, check the Amazon track listing and product details before ordering.

Artists on our Jazz pages are arranged in order of their dates of birth.

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Lionel Hampton

1908-2002. Born Lionel Leo Hampton in Louisville, Kentucky.

Detail to come.

Flying Home: 48 Original Mono Recordings 1930-1949 / Lionel Hampton

Format: 2 Discs. 48 Tracks.

The Lionel Hampton Story / Lionel Hampton

Format: 4 Disc Box Set. 92 Tracks

Jazz Ballads / Lionel Hampton

Format: 2 Discs. 15 Tracks.

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Gil Evans

1912-1988. Born Ian Ernest Gilmore Green in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Detail to come.

Out of the Cool / Gil Evans

Format: 1 Disc. 5 Tracks.

The Complete Pacific Jazz Recordings / Gil Evans

Format: 1 Disc. 15 Tracks.

The Individualism of Gil Evans / Gil Evans

Format: 1 Disc. 9 Tracks.

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Dizzy Gillespie

1917-1993. Born John Birks Gillespie in Cheraw, South Carolina.

Detail to come.

The Dizzy Gillespie Story 1939-1950 / Dizzy Gillespie

Format: 4 Disc Box Set. 100 Tracks.

Afro / Dizzy Gillespie

Format: 1 Disc. 7 Tracks.

Bebop Professor / Dizzy Gillespie

Format: 1 Disc. 13 Tracks.

Birk's Works: Verve Big Band Sessions / Dizzy Gillespie

Format: 2 Disc Set. 42 Tracks.

Sittin' in / Dizzy Gillespie

Format: 1 Discs. 4 Tracks.

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Thelonious Monk

1917-1982. Born Thelonious Sphere Monk in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.

Detail to come.

Blue Monk / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 5 Tracks.

Brilliant Corners / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 5 Tracks.

Mulligan Meets Monk / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 6 Tracks.

Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 6 Tracks.

Monk Mysterioso / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 8 Tracks.

Thelonious Monk and His Quartet / Thelonious Monk

Format: 1 Disc. 7 Tracks.

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Art Blakey

1919-1990. Born Arthur Blakey in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Detail to come.

Moanin' / Art Blakey

Format: 1 Disc. 8 Tracks.

Mosaic / Art Blakey

Format: 1 Disc. 5 Tracks.

Roots & Herbs / Art Blakey

Format: 1 Disc. 9 Tracks.

The African Beat / Art Blakey & The Afro-Drum Ensemble

Format: 1 Disc. 7 Tracks

Freedom Rider / Art Blakey

Format: 1 Disc. 8 Tracks.

Drums Around The Corner / Art Blakey

Format: 1 Disc. 8 Tracks.

Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers with Thelonious Monk / Blakey, Monk

Format. 1 Disc. 8 Tracks.

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Charlie Parker

1920-1955. Born Charles Parker Jr in Kansas City, Kansas.

Detail to come.

Bird - The Charlie Parker Story / Clint Eastwood

1988. Colour. USA. 154 mins. DVD.

Forest Whitaker stars in Clint Eastwood’s unsentimental homage to a childhood hero. Based on an unpublished account by Parker’s partner Chan Richardson that tells a story of a genius destroyed by personal demons and massive appetites — Bird died at the early age of 34. Whitaker provides a moody and tortured characterisation, with Diane Venora in support as Chan. Clint Eastwood elected to use Parker’s original alto sax solos rather than try to duplicate them. The film features a number of unreleased versions with the background accompaniments removed, and recreated by modern musicians. Must see.

Bird — The Charlie Parker Story / Soundtrack Album

Format: 1 Disc. 11 Tracks.

Boss Bird / Charlie Parker

Format: 4 Disc Box Set. 101 Tracks.

The Complete Norman Grantz Master Takes / Charlie Parker

Format: 4 Disc Box Set. 84 Tracks.

The Genius of Charlie Parker / Charlie Parker

Format: 2 Disc Set. 33 Tracks.

Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie: NYC Town Hall 1945 / Parker, Gillespie

Format: 1 Disc. 17 Tracks.

Ornithology / Charlie Parker

Format: 1 Disc. 24 Tracks.