SwingDJs

I'm afraid of Dizzy G. and bop in general. Where should I start?

Afraid? How can you be afraid of cute little chipmunk cheek Dizzy?

Hell, I love bop. It's the later stuff I don't like a-tall. This thread should probably be in Other Music though.

Try Bop Lives from Delmark Records - very nice primer.

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... ftxqqald6e

Kalman

i think the ken burns charlie parker CD is a pretty good introduction. it's not too wiggy, for the most part. it even starts out with bird soloing in a big band to ease you into it.

mousethief wrote:
This thread should probably be in Other Music though.

Good point. I did not think about that. I guess I subconsciously did not want to enter into a "bop does not swing" argument which then devolves into "what is swing".

In any event, moderators any thoughts? Should this thread be moved?

This thread has now been moved.

Jesse Miner
SwingDJs Moderator

I'd check this album out: Clifford Brown and Max Roach

mousethief wrote:Afraid? How can you be afraid of cute little chipmunk cheek Dizzy?

I'm sure you've seen "Search for the Holy Grail". I believe the quote was "One rabbit stew coming right up!" and then that was followed by "Runaway!".

sonofvu wrote:

mousethief wrote:Afraid? How can you be afraid of cute little chipmunk cheek Dizzy?

I'm sure you've seen "Search for the Holy Grail". I believe the quote was "One rabbit stew coming right up!" and then that was followed by "Runaway!".

Ah... that was a big guy who wanted to beat up a bunny. He was picking a fight, the big meanie.

Go to the Y6A event and we'll sneak down to see Mingus Big Band or steal over to Birdland.

Kalman

sonofvu wrote:I'm afraid of Dizzy G. and bop in general. Where should I start?

From a listening standpoint, I would highly suggest checking your local library.

Here are some compilations of Dizzy Gillespie from the 40s and into the early 50s that are fantastic:

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... q6g4ebtv1z

and

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=am ... 27gjlro6ip

The style that Gillespie, Parker, Monk, Kenny Clarke and co. were innovating was much more 'angular' than later styles. In fact once you get to the Clifford Brown and Max Roach collaborations from 1950 and on, the style of bop changed.

The earliest styles of Gillespie and Parker are hardly ever played any longer. For one they are technically very demanding. The styles of bop that Fats Navarro and then Clifford Brown evolved to is still the most copied style of bop playing. When you hear a lot of jazz musicians today play, they are using this later style of bop. It is much easier on the listener.

Fats Navarro has a great compilation on proper:

http://www.propermusic.com/code/products.asp?recid=1915

This even includes a few of the ill fated Benny Goodman bebop bands.

I would suggest borrowing from the library from Dizzy or Parker from the 1940s. Also some Clifford Brown with Max Roach from 1950-1954.

From that you will get a very good idea of what part of bop music you may enjoy.

Enjoy the exploration.

George,

I'll burn some stuff as a sampler and send it yo way.

Kalman

sonofvu wrote:I'm afraid of Dizzy G. and bop in general. Where should I start?

Two avenues:

First, you can track it historically because bop DID evolve out of the Swing Era stuff you already know and love. As I've noted before, that's how I developed a much better appreciation for "bop" and other, more modern jazz after several years of obsessively and exclusively listening to swing.

Second, you can branch out into 1950s and 60s mainstram jazz like Oscar Peterson, Ray Bryant, Betty Roche, and others, and go backwards from there into bebop.

One of the other DJs here just recommended Best of Odyssey 1945 to 1952 to me... is anyone familiar with it?

Tina

gatorgal wrote:One of the other DJs here just recommended Best of Odyssey 1945 to 1952 to me... is anyone familiar with it?

Tina

I'm not familiar with that exact compilation. I have heard all of the tracks listed and it sounds like a good introduction to bop styles.

Echoing Jerry, I don't have that cd but it seems a decent compilation of his work. Some of the tracks are songs he recorded with other artists, e.g., "Slim's Jam" with Slim Gaillard.

mousethief wrote:George,

I'll burn some stuff as a sampler and send it yo way.

Kalman

I guess you'll need my address. I'll pm you.