Koko (Parker)
Encyclopedia
"Ko-Ko" is a 1945
bebop
recording featuring Charlie Parker
on alto saxophone, with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
.
from 1942-1944, prevented musicians in the nascent Bebop movement from recording new works during the crucial formative period of this emerging genre. As a result, "Ko-Ko" is considered by many to be the very first time Bebop
was ever recorded.
Charlie Parker
is said to have "realized" Bebop while playing Ray Noble
's tune "Cherokee". He played that piece so many times that by the end he hated it, but he had mastered the chords perfectly in all 12 keys. "Ko-Ko" has a partially improvised head and the chords are based on "Cherokee".
Other musicians involved include Curly Russell on bass
and Max Roach on drums. Trumpeter Miles Davis
was originally meant to play in the recording, but was taken over by Gillespie
closer the time.
In 2002, the Library of Congress
honored "Ko-Ko" by adding it to the National Recording Registry
.
at Savoy Records
(MG 12079), with Charlie Parker
(alto saxophone), Dizzy Gillespie
(trumpet and piano), Curley Russell
(bass), and Max Roach
(drums). Other recordings at this session were "Billie's Bounce
," "Warming Up a Riff," "Now's the Time," "Thriving on a Riff," and "Meandering." Out of this session came the album The Charlie Parker Story (Savoy Jazz) (1945).
Following the intro are two 64-bar solos from Parker
on the saxophone; each solo (or 'chorus') follows the Thirty-two-bar form
(AABA), except that the number of bars is augmented to 64, partly due to the extensive importance of solos
in bebop music, and partly due to the extremely fast 300bpm tempo. It is an extremely virtuosic
solo, incorporating fast quavers and formulaic improvisation
. The second chorus of the solo opens with a two-bar quotation from the notably difficult clarinet
piece High Society, made famous by clarinettist Alphonse Picou
.
After the solo from Parker is a 27-bar drum solo
from drummer Max Roach
, the slightly manic style of which is considered innovative in jazz. The drums for the piece are tuned
higher than normal, which gives the solo a brighter, livelier feel.
The piece finishes with a 28-bar coda
, integrating the main themes from the introduction and improvisation from Parker and Gillespie, and finally an imperfect cadence.
1945 in jazz
-Deaths:* Bobby Stark, American jazz trumpeter* Jack Jenney, jazz trombonist* Nat Jaffe, American swing jazz pianist* Pha Terrell, American jazz singer* Richard M...
bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
recording featuring Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
on alto saxophone, with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
.
Overview
The recording ban, imposed by the American Federation of MusiciansAmerican Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is a labor union of professional musicians in the United States and Canada...
from 1942-1944, prevented musicians in the nascent Bebop movement from recording new works during the crucial formative period of this emerging genre. As a result, "Ko-Ko" is considered by many to be the very first time Bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
was ever recorded.
Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
is said to have "realized" Bebop while playing Ray Noble
Ray Noble (musician)
Ray Noble was an English bandleader, composer, arranger and actor. Noble studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and became leader of the HMV Records studio band in 1929. The band, known as the New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, featured members of many of the top hotel orchestras of the day...
's tune "Cherokee". He played that piece so many times that by the end he hated it, but he had mastered the chords perfectly in all 12 keys. "Ko-Ko" has a partially improvised head and the chords are based on "Cherokee".
Other musicians involved include Curly Russell on bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
and Max Roach on drums. Trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
was originally meant to play in the recording, but was taken over by Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
closer the time.
In 2002, the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
honored "Ko-Ko" by adding it to the National Recording Registry
National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording...
.
Recording session
"Ko-Ko" was recorded on November 26, 1945, New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at Savoy Records
Savoy Records
Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part in popularizing bebop.Savoy Records is an American record label specializing in jazz, R&B and gospel. Starting in the mid 1940s, Savoy played an important part...
(MG 12079), with Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
(alto saxophone), Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
(trumpet and piano), Curley Russell
Curley Russell
Dillon "Curley" Russell was an American jazz double-bassist, who played bass on many bebop recordings.A member of the Tadd Dameron Sextet, in his heyday he was in demand for his ability to play at the rapid tempos typical of bebop, and appears on several key recordings of the period...
(bass), and Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
(drums). Other recordings at this session were "Billie's Bounce
Billie's Bounce
"Billie's Bounce" also known as "Bill's Bounce", is a jazz composition written in 1945 by Charlie Parker in the form of an 12 bar F blues. It was dedicated to Billy Shaw by the Yardbird. The original recording by Charlie Parker and His Re-Boppers was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.....
," "Warming Up a Riff," "Now's the Time," "Thriving on a Riff," and "Meandering." Out of this session came the album The Charlie Parker Story (Savoy Jazz) (1945).
Structure
The piece starts with a 32-bar introduction, split into four 8-bar phrases, each likely written by Gillespie:- Bars 1-8 - Alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
and trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
in unisonUnisonIn music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
octaves - Bars 9-16 - Brief trumpet solo
- Bars 17-24 - Brief saxophone solo
- bars 25-32 - Alto saxophone and trumpet in thirds, then briefly in octaves
Following the intro are two 64-bar solos from Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
on the saxophone; each solo (or 'chorus') follows the Thirty-two-bar form
Thirty-two-bar form
The thirty-two-bar form, often called AABA from the musical form or order in which its melodies occur, is common in Tin Pan Alley songs and later popular music including rock, pop and jazz...
(AABA), except that the number of bars is augmented to 64, partly due to the extensive importance of solos
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
in bebop music, and partly due to the extremely fast 300bpm tempo. It is an extremely virtuosic
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
solo, incorporating fast quavers and formulaic improvisation
Musical improvisation
Musical improvisation is the creative activity of immediate musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians...
. The second chorus of the solo opens with a two-bar quotation from the notably difficult clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
piece High Society, made famous by clarinettist Alphonse Picou
Alphonse Picou
Alphonse Floristan Picou was an important very early jazz clarinetist who also wrote and arranged music....
.
After the solo from Parker is a 27-bar drum solo
Drum solo
A drum solo is an instrumental solo played on a drum kit. A drum solo may be set or improvised, and of any length, up to being the main performance....
from drummer Max Roach
Max Roach
Maxwell Lemuel "Max" Roach was an American jazz percussionist, drummer, and composer.A pioneer of bebop, Roach went on to work in many other styles of music, and is generally considered alongside the most important drummers in history...
, the slightly manic style of which is considered innovative in jazz. The drums for the piece are tuned
Drum set tuning
- Drum Set Tuning :Drum set tuning is the process of tensioning drumheads on a drum to produce a pleasing drum tone. A drummer tunes the drums using a drum key, a small, square socket-wrench that fits over the tension rods....
higher than normal, which gives the solo a brighter, livelier feel.
The piece finishes with a 28-bar coda
Coda
Coda can denote any concluding event, summation, or section.Coda may also refer to:-Acronyms:* Calgary Olympic Development Association, the former name of the Canadian Winter Sport Institute, a non profit organization...
, integrating the main themes from the introduction and improvisation from Parker and Gillespie, and finally an imperfect cadence.