Parkeology 022: Third Degree

[Note: For the purposes of this discussion, I define “chromaticism” as consecutive half steps in a melodic line, and “scale runs” as consecutive scale degrees in a melodic line. All audio excerpts are slowed down for clarity.]

Parker’s 1940–43 recordings are particularly vital because they present him at his most spontaneous; he had not yet codified his musical vocabulary, and he took an impromptu approach to the spinning forth of melody, much like his prime influence, Lester Young. – Carl Woideck

Was Ben Webster a bigger influence on Bird than Lester Young? No one in their right mind would say so. Without Lester, there would be no Bird, and the same can’t be said of Webster.

But there’s a case to be argued, futility notwithstanding. Bird adopted a chromatic motif from Webster’s “Cotton Tail” solo (Motif 1) that became a fundamental building block in his vocabulary (Parkeology 018, Brute Force). Motif 1 appears so frequently in Bird’s mature style that Webster might beat out Lester on a technicality. Here it is, first Webster, then Bird:

Lester loyalists, unswayed by statistics, still face a difficult question: Where did Bird get his chromaticism from? He certainly didn’t get it from Lester, and it doesn’t exist in his early recordings with Jay McShann (1940-42).

I believe Bird derived his chromaticism from Webster, and that it solved certain structural problems (for lack of a better word) in his own melodic lines.

In his mature style, Bird divided Motif 1 into two sections (although he also continued playing them as one). The first half, Motif 1A, consists of five descending half steps. The second half, consisting of three ascending eighth notes, became a freestanding motif of its own, Motif 1B, which will be left aside.

Here’s Motif 1A:

One of the clearest distinctions between Bird’s early style (1940-43) and his mature style (1944 onward) can be found in his use of scale runs. In his apprenticeship period, scale runs often spanned an octave or more. By the time he reached his mature style, scale runs generally spanned a fifth. This isn’t to say that longer runs disappeared completely, or that shorter scale runs were unknown in his early work. It was a gradual shift in proportion, which makes it hard to quantify.

We’re fortunate, in one respect, that Bird’s early recordings are few. This makes them easy to pore over, and Remi Bolduc’s transcriptions make it easier still. Anyone can go to YouTube and evaluate my argument on their own:

https://www.youtube.com/playlistlist=PLYZojZ1nFMdzCPuxZF6cqi1YyVjCktoM4

The very first motif in Bird’s very first recording, “Honey and Body,” (mid-1940, full track below), consists of a descending G major scale (all names in E-flat). The recording begins as he’s heading into the bridge. He starts on a high D that descends an octave and a third, ending on a B. That’s ten consecutive scale degrees. Here it is:

In bars 37 & 38, Bird plays nine degrees of A major. In bar 99, he plays nine degrees of G major. In bar 118, he plays ten degrees of G minor. Here they are in order:

Scale runs were also common in Bird’s early solos with Jay McShann (Late 1940, full tracks below).

In bars 11 & 12 of “I Found A New Baby,” he plays ten degrees of D minor. In bars 12 & 13 of “Lady Be Good,” he plays ten degrees of B major. In bars 23 & 24 of “Honeysuckle Rose,” he plays nine degrees of D minor. Here they are in order:

The fact that these are all descending scale runs brings up a rule of thumb: When Bird is moving scalewise, he’s generally descending; when ascending, he’s generally moving in thirds.

The excerpts above show that Bird’s eighth-note scale runs descend unbroken for four or five beats. This is a long stretch without any change in melodic direction, but it’s a common architectural element throughout his career.

Now (after five posts in a row on this subject!), I will finally make my closing argument for Webster’s influence.

I contend that Bird gradually replaced descending scale runs with Motif 1A. This is how he solved the “problem” referred to. The five half steps of Motif 1A allowed his lines to descend unbroken without traveling distances of an octave or more, making it easier to connect chord tones together, and generally making his lines more compact.

As Webster deduced, five is the magic number. Harmonically, it spans a major third. Rhythmically, it starts and ends on a downbeat. In the case of “Cotton Tail,” Motif 1A connects the 3rd to the root, but it can also connect the major 7th to the 5th. Both Webster and Bird frequently use it this way. In fact, it’s just as common. Here are three Webster examples:

Webster also uses Motif 1A to connect 9 to flat 7, as does Bird on “Thriving From A Riff,” bar 29:

Bird also uses it to connect 5 to flat 3, as in “Koko,” bar 115:

The shift from descending scale degrees to descending half steps took place gradually, between 1943 and 1945, and continued at a slower pace in subsequent years. The shift emerges on the Redcross recordings, gathers steam on the Effrage Ware recordings, and is well underway on the Tiny Grimes date (September 1944). It can be traced through Bird’s 1945 recordings as a sideman, too, but no time for that now.

Instead, I will jump ahead to Bird’s first recording session as a leader, on November 26, 1945. This Savoy date was a defining moment for his mature style, still in its early stages, and it demonstrates that the shift is essentially complete.

Scale runs of an octave or more are in decline. Five-note scale runs, starting on the 5th and ending on the root, are becoming the norm. Motif 1A is increasingly common, taking over the structural function that scale runs use to perform.

“Thriving From A Riff” and “Warming Up A Riff,” based on Bird’s favorite changes (“I Got Rhythm” “Cherokee”) make good case studies.

Motif 1A appears three times in Bird’s 32-bar solo on “Thriving From A Riff,” in bars 3, 12, and 29:

There are only two descending scale runs, nine degrees of G major at bar 36, and a sixteenth note run at bar 44, also nine degrees of G major:

There are three descending five-note scale runs: at bar 5, bars 29 & 30, and bars 37 & 38:

“Warming Up A Riff” (full track below) is much faster, which means Bird is relying more on his reflexive building blocks. The shift toward Motif 1A is even more pronounced, but a direct comparison to “Thriving From A Riff” requires some calculation, because Bird takes two 64 bar choruses here, with an extra 16 bars out front, making this solo four times as long, plus change.

That makes it all the more surprising that there are only three descending scale runs in “Warming Up A Riff” (bars 38, 100, and 102). Measured as a percentage of the longer form, this points to a steep decline.

There are only three five-note scale runs, as well (bars 5, 54, and 86), also a surprising decline:

But Motif 1A is everywhere, as bars 18, 24, 36, 45, 58, 63, 72, 77, 79, 83, 121, and 127 make clear. These excerpts are presented at full speed to help drive home the point:

I will rest my case here. As of November, 1945, Motif 1A has become a lynchpin in Bird’s vocabulary. As time went on, consecutive half steps in his melodic lines continued to expand, although five remained the norm. The record, as far as I can determine, is ten. This excerpt comes from “Bird Gets The Worm,” (December 21, 1947) three bars before the end of his solo:

I would argue that very little in “Warming Up A Riff” can be traced back directly to Lester, whereas Webster’s influence, as measured by Motif 1A, appears every eight bars or so, making him the statistical winner by far. That’s ironic, given that Bird and Webster don’t share much else in terms of sound and feeling. But statistics are of limited value anyway.

What Bird and Lester share can’t be measured at all.

* * * * * * * *

Here’s “Honey And Body,” Bird’s first recording, mid-1940.

Here are Bird’s early recordings with Jay McShann, November/December 1940. “I Found A New Baby,” “Body And Soul,” “Moten Swing,” “Coquette,” “Oh! Lady Be Good,” “Wichita Blues,” and “Honeysuckle Rose.”