Be Bop Jazz And What Two Musicians Were Responsible For Be Bop Development
Bebop Jazz
Bebop Jazz came into the limelight in the 1940s and was considered a modern version of jazz before the advent of cool jazz. Bebop has roots in big band swing music, except it has its unique characteristics. Valek (2022) argues that, unlike swing music, Bebop was not danceable due to its fast tempos. Earlier forms of jazz adopted danceable music, which meant limiting the song's speed. Bebop was meant for listening and thus allowed faster tempos. Another feature is Bebop's unique sound that had elements of both blues and swing music with a lot of emphasis on rhythm (Waring, 2022). Besides the fast tempos, Bebop music was composed of complex melodies and chord progressions, a walking base, irregular phrasing, and other innovative and experimental elements (Messinger, 2013). The pioneers of Bebop intended to create a more challenging style of jazz. As a result, the unique nature of Bebop influenced its association with the elite as it seemed to immerse listeners into an existential mood.
Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie are among the musicians responsible for the bebop style of music. Charlie Parker was a saxophonist and composer while Dizzy Gillespie was a trumpeter (Messinger, 2013). The two are part of the group that pioneered this jazz style as they explored and incorporated new melodic techniques into their music. The experimental and virtuosity nature of the bebop music style reflects Charlie Parker’s approach to music. Rather than following the conventional way of creating and playing music, Parker followed his intuition. His innovative style differentiated his music from that of his contemporaries. Messinger writes that the fast tempos, innovativeness of the rhythm, and ability to create new harmonic and rhythmic combinations are all synonymous with Charlie Parker. On the other hand, Dizzy Gillespie is more famous for his flamboyant performance style. He played a crucial role in introducing the public to bebop music. Besides his showmanship, Gillespie introduced the “flat fifth interval” and Afro-Cuban elements into jazz and pop (Waring, 2022). The pioneers changed the course of jazz for the rest of history.
