Friday, May 29, 2020

51. The history of Jazz: 7. Bebop, ACJ Music Academy


How are you?

Following the last week, I am going to start my 51st lecture.

I had conducted music lectures at Art Collage JANG in Seoul, South Korea every Saturday from March 2015 to December 2017.

I am going to introduce the lecture by the lecture’s order every Saturday.

The 7th theme of “The history of Jazz” I will introduce this week is “Bebop”. It is a summary of the contents of “51st ACJ Music Academy, The history of Jazz: 7. Bebop”, which was introduced on June 11, 2016.

'Bebop' is a jazz genre developed in the United States from the early to mid-1940s. In the history of jazz, the emergence of Bebop was a big event, and ultimately it became a signal that marked the start of the "Modern Jazz." Bebop was led by a new generation of young jazz musicians who were eager to turn popular, dance-oriented Swing music into new music for genuine music appreciation.

Bebop was no longer music for dancing, therefore musicians were able to play "quicker tempos". Also, unlike many other jazz genres, Bebop has been thoroughly recognized as the sanctuary of the black people that cannot be infiltrated by white people because it was the music which were thoroughly led and driven by the black people.

Looking at the background of the birth of Bebop, in order to prevent the dance called Swing, it was necessary to create music that were much faster or slower than Swing music, and Bebop was born as a reaction to the Swing. Bebop provided a decisive opportunity for jazz to escape from the dance hall, but it was difficult to reach the public. Bebop was an innovation among musicians of the time, but it was during the 1950s that Cool Jazz was formed when the public recognized the Bebop which was formed in 1940s.

The word ‘Bebop’ was derived from the meaningless syllables used in the vocal adlib ‘Scat Singing’, which features complex chord progression, including rapid tempo and chord changes, advanced instrument playing techniques, and improvisation.

Bebop's leading musicians include saxophone player Charlie Parker and trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie. Charlie Parker had the nickname “Bird,” and he was a true genius who never achieved such a high artistic level while achieving musical innovation for such a short period of time. Dizzy Gillespie, on the other hand, wasn't a genius, but played an almost equal role in the formation of Bebop as Charlie Parker, and the term “Bebop” also officially began in the song "Bebop" released by Gillespie.


Charlie Parker

Dizzy Gillespie

By the 1950s, Bebop formed a very wide base among musicians, forming one of two great mountain ranges of jazz with Cool Jazz. Bebop's position in the popular music industry is very important. Until the formation of Bebop, popular music did not deviate greatly from the means for entertainment, but after Bebop appeared, many jazz musicians began to focus on this genre. Bebop was a unique and abstract music, and a genre in which jazz provided a place for aesthetic evaluation. 

"Bird Lives" sculpture, Robert Graham, Kansas City, Missouri

Statue of Gillespie in his hometown of Cheraw, South Carolina

You can also review this lecture from following media.

Next week, I will introduce you “Cool Jazz” as the 8th theme of “The history of Jazz” lectures.

Thank you.

Charlie Parker's grave, Lincoln Cemetery






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