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Charlie Parker's major compositions

6K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  whaler 
#1 ·
If you were to make a list of 10 major original compositions of Charlie Parker, what would it be? The criteria is probably the popularity of compositions within Jazz community circles, i.e. what is most often played on various gigs vs what is normally "avoided". I don't want to diminish his less popular compositions but I have only 10 blank lines on my list and 1 line will accept only 1 composition name.

(When I say "original" - it doesn't matter whether that's a contrafact of a known harmonic progression or not; - it means "introduced" by C.Parker)

If I put it as follows - does it make sense?

1. Confirmation
2. Donna Lee
3. Anthropology
4. Ornithology
5. Yardbird Suite
6. Scrapple from the Apple
7. Now's the Time
8. Blues for Alice
9. Ko Ko
10. Au Privave

Feel free to correct/replace but please keep in mind that I'm more interested in what is commonly accepted rather than your personal preferences (which I also value but that's a subject of another thread, "Your favourite C.Parker compositions").
 
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#2 ·
Miles Davis always claimed he wrote Donna Lee - and it is more linear than a typical Bird melody. Not many people play Ko Ko on a gig but it is an indisputably important composition. A few more to consider would be:

Billie's Bounce
Cool Blues
Relaxin' At Camarillo
 
#3 ·
Both 'Donna Lee' and 'Ornithology' might be subject to some dispute as they were supposedly transcribed from Parker's improvised lines by someone else (Miles and Benny Harris) but they are so connected with Bird I think they are acceptable.

I think 'Dewey Square' might be another contender.

Now, where's the "Your favourite C.Parker compositions" thread? :cool:
 
#12 ·
I absolutely don't mind! - but I'm only getting into the Bird's repertoire. I knew his most... ehhhh... exposed tunes? - and I listed them first.

Now what's about Diverse and Segment?
Is it the same tune?

I first thought there was a mistake in naming the mp3's when I started to listen to them but then I briefly compared the lead sheets and they look identical at first sight.
 
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