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Rutgers University/Newark
Prelude:
Fats Navarro was the one who was able to take the modern jazz style
and get away from Dizzy’s thing – though on live records especially,
Dizzy’s influence is clear. But Navarro created a lyrical flowing line on the
trumpet, with beautiful voice-leading that influenced all the trumpet players
since then. Clifford himself mentioned Fats. On the Leonard Feather
questionnaire done in 54, under "Who are your favorite musicians?"
Brownie wrote only: “The late Fats Navarro”!
One thing that Clifford learned from Fats is a bluesy expressive way of
connecting choruses. You can hear it on the alternate take of “The Squirrel.”
[Audio excerpt, “The Squirrel”, alternate take, first issued ca. 1960.]
(Notice that this alternate solo is very similar to the issued take—it was
not typical of Fats to plan his solos this way.) I want to single out one phrase
that he uses to connect choruses and show you something like that in a
Brownie solo. [Audio excerpt, “The Squirrel”, alternate take at :40.]
Brownie uses a similar idea on “Joy Spring”--*not* a quote, but a similar
idea. [Audio excerpt: “Joy Spring”, end of first chorus, into second chorus.]
It’s not recognized as often, but remember that by the time Brownie
began recording in 1952 Davis was well established as a soloist and was
having an influence of his own. You can hear his influence for sure. I’m
going to use an example here of Miles from 1954, so that’s a little late for it
to be something to influence Brownie in his formative years. I’m just using
it because it’s an example of the kind of thing that Miles would do to start a
chorus, and Brownie learned from this. It’s the beginning of Miles’s solo on
“Oleo” 1954. [Audio excerpt: “Oleo.”] Compare this to the beginning of
Clifford Brown’s second chorus on “Pent Up House”—again, *not* a quote,
just a similar approach. [Audio excerpt: “Pent Up House.”]
But that’s followed by an amazing long line all in one breath, and
covering a wide range, a line that Miles would never have played. Brownie
was of course very much his own person!
Now, one of the cornerstone pieces for learning the new music of bebop
was the tune “Cherokee.”
The blues was the first medium for soloing in jazz. Almost all of the
early recorded jazz solos of any length are on blues numbers—
“Dippermouth Blues,” etc. And, of course, the blues remains to this day an
essential part of the jazz repertory, and of the jazz language even when
playing on forms other than blues. Soon, the last strain of “Tiger Rag” (first
recorded in 1918) became a favorite vehicle for improvisation, in addition to
the blues. Then, from 1930, “Rhythm Changes” was considered the test of
an advanced soloist. In the bebop era “Rhythm Changes” became standard,
while “Cherokee” became known as the test of an advanced soloist. Since
the 1960s the test pieces for advanced soloists have been “Giant Steps,”
some of Wayne Shorter’s changes, etc.
Cherokee was studied, not for the A sections, but for the bridge that
uses a sequence of two-five-ones descending by whole steps. As Jimmy
Heath points out in my Coltrane book, one of the main differences between
the boppers and the previous generation is that where the previous
generation would learn things in a few keys – C, G, B flat, E flat, maybe D
flat, -- the boppers would try to learn things in every key. They could take
the 2-5-1 sequence in the bridge of Cherokee and continue it through all
keys.
Here are the first versions of “Cherokee” by Charlie Parker that exist:
There are two from 1942—both are undated so nobody knows which
came first. First let’s hear one with J. McShann’s band from Kansas City
performing in NYC—“Cherokee” was one of Bird’s features with that band.
Pay attention to the way he negotiates the bridge-- he has certain patterns
that he almost always uses, and usually in this order. [Demonstrates the two
bridge patterns at the piano: the first bridge, then the second.]
Of course his most famous version is the one that became called Koko
from his very first session as a leader, Nov. 1945. [Audio excerpt: “Koko”,
first take.]
Yes that was the first take which is not so well known. The voice at the
end was the producer of Savoy records, Teddy Reig, interrupting them
saying “Wait---you can’t… [play that theme]”---because they were supposed
to be recording originals. When they recorded originals he could copyright
them to Savoy music and make what little money there was to be made on
the original. If they recorded standards by other composers, not only didn’t
he make any money, but he’d have to pay to pay a fee to their publisher.
Then came the famous version of “Koko”, and I’m just going to play
Bird’s solo, and again listen to what he plays on the bridges—if you wish,
you can follow the transcription on the screen. By the way, notice the highly
chromatic line leading into the bridge of the second chorus. [Audio excerpt:
Bird’s solo on “Koko”.]
You can hear Dizzy laughing a little bit at the end when Bird quotes
“Cocktails for Two.”
First and foremost, nobody ever talks about development in the styles
of jazz artists like Charlie Parker and Clifford Brown. They always talk as
though they played the same from the beginning to the end of their careers.
Bird’s playing in 1952 live at the Rockland Palace is a world away from the
way he played on “Koko” in 1945. In fact his playing between say 1950 and
1953 is amazing musically and technically – incredibly fluent and virtuosic.
His first version of “Cherokee” was for Blue Note with John Lewis,
Percy Heath, Art Blakey. Charlie Rouse, and Gigi Gryce.
[Audio excerpt: “Cherokee”, Blue Note 8/28/53, issued take, take 2.]
Notes on take 2:
• Really starts to take charge at end of 2nd chorus and start of trading
with Blakey.
[Audio excerpt: “Cherokee”, Blue Note 8/28/53, alternate take, take 1.]
Notes on take 1:
Many people missed his next version of “Cherokee”, exactly one month
later, because it was a bit disguised. On tour with Hampton in Paris, 9/28/53:
“Brown Skins” by Gigi Gryce—slow theme goes into “Cherokee” (at about
2:22). Nice and flowing—a bit undermiked. He misses the last note.
[Audio excerpt: “Brown Skins”, take 2, master take.]
• His rising arpeggios are in last A. Nice high notes and blue notes to end
chorus 1.
There is also a live version with the Hampton band from this tour.
• Very LONG lines, full tone—a bit rough but overall much more
flowing than in 1953.
• After him, Harold Land is great and so fluent at this tempo—let’s hear
a little.
The famous practice tape is undated but goes here somewhere. [Audio
excerpt: “Cherokee”, practice tape. Discussion of his practice tapes in
general—how many, what one hears on them, etc.]
Finally, there is the quintet with Rollins (who had just joined) live at
the Beehive in Chicago, 11/7/55. (Thanks to Don Glanden for the info that
this was released by Lion Hill in 2004.)
You can follow the transcription on the screen – please note that this is
in trumpet key from the big Brownie solos book transcribed by Mark Lewis
and published by Charles Colin music. [Audio excerpt: “Cherokee”,
11/7/55.]