American University of Beirut Nour Yazbeck

MUSC 235 201601508

Listening to Jazz

Alto Solo Analysis

The first solo is played by Charlie Parker on the alto-saxophone. It is preceded by an alto break

which begins with a tremendous improvised grooving; almost impossible to play and enormously

technical. All the other instruments stopped playing, like they are leaving the stage and letting

the perfect improvisation of Charlie Parker do all the work (01:18 to 01:23). These few first

seconds force the listener to stick to this part.

The alto saxophone solo reflects pure Be-Bop, notably with the chromatic scales and the fast

playing going in crescendos and decrescendos which are typical for this style of music. The solo

is so colorful and full of energy. We can feel that Bird is getting all his emotions on the edges of

the saxophone’s keys, each one ready to be played and to “speak” and each one giving

something different.