Bebop Flashcards
When was bebop a thing?
1940s.
How did bebop come about?
It was a rejection of the organised sound of mass-produced swing; it aimed to revitalise and re-personalise jazz music.
Essentially a revival of hot jazz/Dixieland.
What are the key musical features of bebop?
Fast moving harmonic changes (two chords per bar).
Complex syncopation.
Very fast tempos.
Dissonance (like, more than usual).
Who are some significant musicians from this period?
Charlie Parker.
Dizzy Gillespie.
What is the flat five substitution?
Substituting the dominant seventh from a II-V-I progression with a chord a tritone away.
What pattern of chords did jazz musicians frequently use to make a cadence?
II-V-I.
What is a ‘turnaround’?
A transitions from extended improvisation back into the beginning of the chorus.
How is the percussion different in bebop?
A more notable emphasis on cymbal action.
When comping, the drummer plays a lot of accents.
What form of composition was frequently used by bebop artists?
Contrafact: a more complex and improvisatory melody over the harmonic sequence of an existing piece.
What is the typical tempo speed for bebop?
Approximately around 300bpm.
Describe the phraseology of bebop?
Swing quavers are syncopated with accents.
