Parker's Mood
"Parker's Mood" is a piece of music originally performed by Charlie Parker as an improvised blues in 1948. Vocalese lyrics were later written and recorded by King Pleasure and Eddie Jefferson.
Original recording[edit]
Alto saxophonist Charlie Parker recorded "Parker's Mood" in New York City on September 18, 1948.[1] The other musicians for the Savoy Records session were pianist John Lewis, bassist Curley Russell, and drummer Max Roach.[2] There were five takes: two false starts and three complete takes.[3] The complete takes were improvised spontaneously,[4] with the probable exception of the opening two bars, which are the same on each take.[5] Parker "varies the phrasing and motivic relatedness of the opening melodic idea in each take".[6] The tempo across the takes varies from 65 quarter notes to 87.[7]
"Parker's Mood" is a B♭ blues.[5] "The introduction begins on G minor [...] The feature then proceeds to C minor, which [...] suggests i–iv in G minor (or v–i in C minor)."[8] Then, from the third bar, "the rhythm section begin a four-bar chord progression that establishes B♭ major through a tritone substitution of each chord of a vi–ii–V progression with major-seventh chords as the vi substitute (D♭M7) and the ii substitute (G♭M7)".[6]
The piece was copyrighted on November 15, 1948.[9]
Vocalese versions[edit]
Vocalese lyrics were added in 1953 by King Pleasure.[10][11] Lewis appeared on piano in Pleasure's recording of it for Prestige Records, which was released around 1954.[12] Separately, Eddie Jefferson wrote vocalese lyrics.[13] Jefferson's version was retitled as "Bless My Soul" and recorded in 1962 for his album Letter from Home.[13]
Reception and legacy[edit]
Jazz historian Ted Gioia described Parker's performance of "Parker's Mood" as a "bittersweet lament [that is] as deep a statement of the blues as exists in the jazz tradition".[14] Jazz writer and musician Brian Priestley categorised the piece as a "slow blues masterpiece".[15] By late 2018, there had been at least 90 recordings of Parker's piece.[16]
References[edit]
- ^ Priestley 2005, pp. 158–159.
- ^ Priestley 2005, pp. 154–159.
- ^ Martin 2020, pp. 266–267.
- ^ Martin 2020, p. xxiii.
- ^ a b Martin 2020, p. 288.
- ^ a b Martin 2020, p. 268.
- ^ Woideck, Carl (2020). Charlie Parker: His Music and Life (revised ed.). University of Michigan Press. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-472-03789-6.
- ^ Martin 2020, pp. 267–268.
- ^ Martin 2020, p. 5.
- ^ Martin 2020, pp. 269, 288.
- ^ Whitehead, Kevin (2011). Why Jazz: A Concise Guide. Oxford University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-19-973118-3.
- ^ "Jazz". The Cash Box. Vol. XV, no. 35. May 22, 1954. p. 31.
- ^ a b Martin 2020, p. 269.
- ^ Gioia, Ted (2021). The History of Jazz (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 243–244. ISBN 978-0-19-008721-0.
- ^ Priestley 2005, p. 64.
- ^ Martin 2020, pp. 300–302.
Bibliography
- Martin, Henry (2020). Charlie Parker, Composer. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-092340-2.
- Priestley, Brian (2005). Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker. Equinox. ISBN 978-1-84553-036-5.