Essential Bebop Listening « The Kurt Rosenwinkel Forum

Hey guys,

my goal for the upcoming long winter evenings is to get more into Bebop, both listening and playing-wise.
What would be the 2-3 most essential Bebop recordings you would suggest? Ideally they would include lots of Blues and Rhythm Changes, with lots of clear + easy to follow solo lines to transcribe and steal licks from. Textbook bebop, if you will.
I know, everybody has their favorites, but some consensus would be really helpful, otherwise I end up buying 10+ records and not knowing where to start with the transcribing.
(BTW, I already have some Parker stuff, mostly live recordings from the JATP, but the audio quality sucks and a lot of stuff is slightly off key, so its tough to transcribe..)

I'd also be interested in some of your specific experiences/ suggestions transcribing Bebop. What were the most educational and rewarding bebop solos you learned?

Cheers, Jake

Posted 5 months ago
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jorgemg1984
Member

Obviously anything by Parker. Actually my favorite bebop player was by far Bud Powell - I highly recommend his "Bud Plays Bird".

About transcribing I enjoy the ones I have already mentioned and also Mile's solos on his Parker Quintet period.

Bebop used very common techniques: 1) bebop scales (Bergonzi and Baker books) 2) arpeggios (1357 and 3579 mainly) 3) targeting chord tones 4) blues cliches 5) consecutive eight note lines connecting chord tones 6) the 12 outline lines mentioned by Bert Ligon on "Connecting Chors with Linear Harmony" 7) quoting other bebop melodies 8) etc...

Baker books "How to play bebop" are nice but nothing replaces transcribing. Barry Harris books are supposed to be great. Also listen to some modern guys takes on bebop - there's a thread here with lots of good versions of Rhythm Changes; I also like Paul Motian's EBB and Eric Alexander records!

Posted 5 months ago
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Gia5
Member

Bud Powell. Bud Powell. Bud Powell. Then add some Bud Powell. And later on, more Bud Powell.

Posted 5 months ago
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wommusic
Key Master

I'd like to add to also make sure you listen to some Bud Powell! ;-)

Posted 5 months ago
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david6strings
Member

jorge and gia5 are right. i subscribe every word. as a guitar player i recommend you to hear and transcribe jimmy raney. he is considered one of the greatest guitar players but still underrated to me, cause he is the greatest bebop guitar player in terms of talent and the influence, of course wes is too, but strictly bebop i said jimmy. i said this because maybe is a good idea to transcribe the work of a man who put the idiomatic of bebop into the guitar. for me this is the best choice, then parker, bud etc. but you don't stop hearing the music of bud powell and bird

Posted 5 months ago
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Matt
Member

dexter gordon

Posted 5 months ago
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laruenickelson
Member

Charlie Parker --Complete Dial Recordings
Dizzy Gillespie---Sonny Side Up
Bud Powell--The Amazing Bud Powell 1 and 2
Sonny Stitt---Tune-up and constellation
Sonny Rollins-Tour de Force
Fats Navarro---nostalgia
Clifford Brown---All of it!
Monk---the Genius of Modern Music vol 1 and 2
Dexter Gordon--dexter rides again
Jimmy Raney-Jimmy Raney and Sonny clark
Barry Harris-At the Jazz Workshop
Tal Farlow---The swinging guitar of tal farlow
Chuck Wayne---Tasty pudding
Stan Getz ---Live at storyville

some of my favorite bebop

Posted 5 months ago
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TruthHertz
Member

Pianists Herbie Nichols and Elmo Hope are always left off the lists but they're on the top of mine. They were peers with Monk and they both have a harmonic and conceptional complexity that is well suited for modern guitarists. And they swing.
Billy Bean was a guitarist with Hal Gaylor and Walter Norris. Very worth checking out.
Fats Navarro on trumpet.

David

Posted 5 months ago
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Neither
Member

It's out of the topic but anybody knows if Kut Rosenwinkel has been influenced by Billy Bauer ? I just listen his album "Plectrist"...

Posted 5 months ago
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fakejake
Member

Fantastic stuff, thanks a lot!
I just downloaded quite a few tracks by the guys you suggested from itunes.
Up to now I wasn't really aware of Bud Powell (knew his name of course), but boy could he play!! Thats precisely what I meant by 'textbook bebop'. Super clear, consistent melodic lines, easy to follow, loads of stuff to steal!!!! Jimmy Raney also seems very cool.

I've worked on the Bert Ligon book for a while, also on one by Don Mock ( the one on approach notes, small but extremely helpful book to get some of that bebop sound going), but I guess nothing can substitute from transcribing from the masters and playing along with the records.
I haven't done a lot of transcribing since the days I was into Django Reinhardt, and most of the bebop stuff seems more complex than what Django did, but Bud Powell seems like a perfect start. His recording of 'There will never be another you' is just marvelous. I guess this is going to be my first project.
Cheers!

Posted 5 months ago
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jorgemg1984
Member

Just as a side note I am not a big fan of learning licks but I do think there are some licks everyone should know. The ones Ligon shows in his book (12 I think) derived from thousands of transcriptions and can be heard in millinos of solos. I highly recommend people to learn them... Just look on scribd, they are usually there.

Posted 5 months ago
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david6strings
Member

i think im gonna buy the Ligon's book, seems very interesting

Posted 5 months ago
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mrzzajjazz
Member

Regarding Scribd, can anyone tell me what they think of this website? I see that you have to register via facebook and allow scribd access to your account information and to allow it to post and share information in your name.. It really look like an awesome website but this makes me sceptical. Is it really safe?

-mrzzajjazz

Posted 5 months ago
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contremisart
Member

Hey, why is no one mentioning the great Pat Martino?

Posted 3 months ago
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jorgemg1984
Member

Well I wouldn't recommend him as an essential bebop player... I don't think he is exactly a master on that.

Posted 3 months ago
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JFB
Member

jorge ---}Really? who is then?

Posted 3 months ago
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jorgemg1984
Member

The ones mentioned in the thread... Pat's a great player (I am not a big fan actually but I see his greatness), I just don't see him as bebop expert but this I my ow opinion of course. You can think the opposite.

Posted 3 months ago
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JFB
Member

Have you ever checked out the very young pat martino? in records with big don patterson, or jack mcduff.
his playing there is unbelievable, and he was only 17!

Posted 3 months ago
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jorgemg1984
Member

I don't know that record - but I am have heard Martino a lot 5 or 5 years ago. I just heard "It's you or no one" on youtbe - he is great but not to my taste. And I still don't think is a master bebop player... Just opinions, I have mine you haver yours :)

Posted 3 months ago
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Essential Bebop Listening

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