Bebop Music History

A music genre without any dancing or commercial concerns had the power of transformation. The world knows it by the name of bebop, the jazz style which showcased the reality to the people who were in distress battling the greatest disaster the world has ever seen, The Second World War.

When swing music was beginning to face eternity in times of high instability of the 40s, Bebop evolved which created considerable changes in history.

Also the tug of war between the Union of musicians and the record labels had led to a ban on recordings which affected the swing orchestras badly. Historians are now tracing the history of Bebop style which evolved in this context of nationwide ban which later became responsible for a psychological revolution.

Some say bebop was first used by Christian as it hummed along with his playing and some others believe that the term derived from the cry of Arriba which was used by latin American band leaders to promote their bands.

There are many who states that the word is a syllable generated in scat singing. However, the words bebop and repop were often used interchangeably by the foremost players, experimenters and entertainers in bebop music.

When bebop originated it consisted of five basic music instruments. They were the trumpet, saxophone, piano, the bass and the drums. As music progressed guitar and vibraphones were included in the list of instruments.

When the drums created excitement and the brass players played on the first and third beats fast-paced music was formed. Though Bebop is a complete subversion of the traditional jazz tradition it is the instrumentation which makes it a part of jazz genre.

Characterised by tempo, instrumental virtuosity and improvisation combined with harmony and melody bebop featured musicians ranging from four to six. As the phrases were irregular in length it was interesting to listen to bebop.

When the fundamentals of bebop are now traced by researchers it was found out that the roots of bebop were planted in the night clubs of Monroe's Uptown House and Minton.

Bebop music history which was created, when Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker presented to the world the first bop band is indeed a milestone in world music history. They succeeded in their aim to compose music that people could listen to, a lasting sub genre that would be structurally and emotionally more complex than swing.

Inspired by them musicians came forward to re-create the magic of bebop. The result was the works of Chet Baker, Clifford Brown, Charlie Christian, Bud Powell, John Lewis, Walter Davis, Barry Harris and Herb Ellis...the list goes on.