Bebop jazz is a wonderful and uplifting, dynamic, and delightful form of music that offers a rich and nuanced listening experience. This long listening exercise presents four songs by the late great Dizzy Gillespie, playing with Sonny Stitt and the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet in Belgium in 1958. The songs are all analyzed in terms of the role of the instruments and the nature of the solo.
Jazz
"Blues After Dark," Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (tenor sax), Lou Levy (piano), Ray Brown (bass), Gus Johnson (drums). In Belgium, 1958
Style = BeBop
Role of Piano = Stride and Comping
Role of the Bass = Walking
Role of the Drums = Brushing and Riding
Role of the Trumpet and Saxophone = Lead and Melody
"Blues After Dark" starts off with Dizzy Gillespie and Sonny Stitt, for a few measures only the trumpet and saxophone play before the drums, bass, and piano enter. This is a dynamic song, but it starts mellow. The brief introduction ends and the main riffs or phrases are featured soon around a central rhythmic structure. Although there are repeating elements, it is not the same two times around. Each time the trumpet and saxophone play, the effect is different. There are also pauses in the music, and silent spots throughout.
The head or lead instruments are the saxophone and the trumpet. They harmonize and play together throughout most of the song. Their role is for the melody, as if they were singers. The piano plays what is known as the stride type of playing, in which jazzy chords are used. However, there are also times in which the piano serves in the "comping" role, when working with the solo players in the song. There is a piano solo at the end of the song. Sometimes, the piano only plays chords that are used in a rhythmic function.
The drummer uses brushes and sticks, but when the sticks are used, the effect is still soft. Mostly, brushes are used. The bass does most of the rhythm work. The bass line is a walking one. The bass player continually walks up and down the neck, playing continuously almost the entire time.
Although the piano, saxophone, and the trumpet all play solos, the most important solo is the trumpet solo by Dizzy Gillespie. His cheeks are huge. The trumpet solo is long, and is accompanied by the bass. The bass does not always walk during the solo. During the saxophone solo, the bass plays some notes in accompaniment with the saxophone.
"Sunny Side of the Street,"
The style of the song is BeBop
The role of Piano is sometimes stride and sometimes comping
The role of the Bass is a walking line
The role of the Drums is brushing and riding
Role of the Trumpet and Saxophone = Lead and Melody
The trumpet serves as an echo in a higher register that is in harmony with the saxophone melody. The differential phrasing works, as the instruments harmonize. The bass line follows the general melodic flow of the lead instruments. Then, the two head instruments decide to play the same melody once again.
The first solo is the saxophone solo. It begins rather abruptly, although there is a short lead-in signaling a change in the song. The saxophone is occasionally staccato, but mainly smooth, dancing around the bass notes. Brushes can be heard in the background, with the occasional cymbal. The saxophone solo is long, and nuanced, moving through various registers. The song finishes with vocals. Their voices are thin and harsh not particularly deep and smooth. As Gillespie picks up the singing duties, the sax accompanies him along with the whole band. The piano does not really play a major role here but it is still a team effort.
Performance: "Loverman," Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Sonny Stitt (tenor saxophone), Belgium 1958
The style is not bebop, but ballad
The role of the piano is delicate
The role of the bass is regular bass line
The role of the drums is brushing
The role of the saxophone is to play lead and melody
Piano adds accent and punctuation, when necessary. Suddenly the saxophone speaks more, packing sixteenth notes into each bar. The overall feeling is soft and mellow, even as the melody becomes more urgent and complex. At about two minutes, the backing band ceases to play. It is Stitt, on his own. He is speaking directly to the listener. His approach allows him to be his own rhythm as well as his own melody section.
It is apparent now that this was his solo. The phrasing at the end, the way he plays the last notes, is iconic. Although the song itself is very slow and languid, it leaves the listener with a deep emotional impact. The title, "Loverboy," does suggest that there is a love song written here.
Performance: "Blues Walk." Dizzy Gillespie Quintet Live in Belgium 1958 with Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet) Sonny Stitt (tenor saxophone), Lou Levy (piano), Ray Brown (bass), Gus Johnson (drums)
Style = BeBop
Role of Piano = Stride and Comping
Role of the Bass = Walking
Role of the Drums = Brushing and Riding but also mallets and sticks
Role of the Trumpet and Saxophone = Lead and Melody
Then, the tempo slows somewhat so that the meat of the song begins. Central phrases are repeated, and the trumpet and saxophone play together. The drumming is lively and integral to the song, adding a fast tempo and coaxing all the other instruments to follow suit. Drumming is not just brushes, but also using sticks. This is also a complex song.
The first solo is the saxophone. Stitt plays a continuous flow of notes, barely stopping to breathe. The piano accompanies with some punctuation. A walking bass line also plays sixteenth notes. In fact, the title of the song could easily refer to the walking bass line. Toward the end of the saxophone solo, the phrasing changes briefly and it has an overall improvised feel.
You’re 85% through this paper. Sign up to read the full paper.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.