Potato Head Blues is a song that greatly represents the face of early jazz music during the early 1900’s. Many of Louis Armstrong’s roles in early jazz music became the pathway that jazz seemed to take. Iconic pieces such as this one include elements that were unique of Armstrong’s styles.

In the beginning of this song, no time is wasted establishing the texture that is present throughout the whole piece. Granted, the roles of the instruments and the presence of them change throughout, from the first note all instruments are present. In the first verse of this piece, it seems as if 3 or 4 instruments are playing a disjunct tune that almost sets up the melody. Each layer in its own timbre plays the overall melody of the song, which is a disjunct tune where all of the instruments aren’t necessarily playing in the same tune, however they are moving through time as one. This tempo present in the opening of the song is fast paced, with heavy swing to the notes, typical of jazz music. The Syncopation in the beginning also plays a role in the disjunct tune, as each layer is playing with their own sub-division, making notes fall on the off beats of other layers, which is a heavy motive for the disjunct nature. All of these elements including the dissonant nature of the harmonic character in the beginning make up the overall melody being played to establish or set up for the solos present as the piece progresses.

We see a dramatic shift in all elements as the piece moves through time. The piece is set up by this extremely disjunct and wild melody at the beginning, and is almost soothed about 45 seconds into the piece when the first solo begins. When the disjunct tune regresses, the only instruments we hear present for this section are an underlying pulse of a string instrument, accompanied by a melodic tune being played by what seems to be a trumpet. Both of these components seem to move through time at a rather rapid pace with the speed of each layer progressing steadily. One main component in this solo is the progression of timbre in the trumpet playing. There is heavy bending and distortion of the notes, as if they incorporated almost a sass into their trumpet playing. The articulation of this section is also important specifically in the function and timbre of the layers. The function of the trumpet solo playing is to heavily express feeling or relay a specific message through their tone, which is very evident. The range in every layer except for the pulse is extremely variable, and depends on the function of the layer. For example in  the first solo, the progression of the range from start to finish is significant, as the range builds, complimenting the timbre.

As the we move on to the second solo in this piece, we see more of a call and response type action being performed in the song. With the shift in style of music, we see a major shift in roles of the layers which are essential to this piece. I see it as three major shifts in function as the song progresses. The song begins and ends with a disjunct tune, sandwiched by two different types or styles of playing. One is the trumpet solo playing accompanied by the pulse of the string instrument that I previously discussed. The second is the unique solo by Armstrong. Here is when we see the call and response really start to play out, however the bass is almost just an accompanying response, not as detailed as Armstrong. In this piece, as the book discusses, Armstrong’s unique style of playing is shown, as he includes vibrato at the ends of his phrases. Up until the moment of Armstrong’s solo at the end the phrasing of the layers helps to set up or establish a platform for what he relays at the end. the tempo and swing of the notes is present throughout the opening and majority of the first half of the song, then armstrong uses semitones which is a motive to set up the shape of the contour which changes at the end. It is altered by the characteristics developed such as the semitones that resemble Armstrong’s style of music. the Timbre of the harmonic character is dramatically altered at the end as well. When we hear Armstrong’s trumpet playing to conclude the solos in this piece, the function and speed of each layer is changed which seems to alter the message relayed. This piece doesn’t even include text, as most jazz doesn’t, but it is evident that all of the melodic elements specifically character, range, and motives really help to establish timbres that relay a message without text. The power of the musical elements present helps shape the piece and build its character without words.

During the early to middle 20th century, Jazz music and categories alike flourished as musical genres developed and branched off of blues and jazz. Musicians like Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae helped to develop the sub-divisions of popular genre, creating popular styles such as bebop which was expanded greatly by these two. Parker and McRae both developed jazz music in their own respects as Parker focused on Saxophone solos and McRae took a vocalist approach. Both McRae and Parker were extremely respected artists that received social recognition by receiving several Grammy Award Nominations. Many fans and musicians looked up to Parker and McRae as they assisted greatly in the progression of this genre, however encountered hurdles in their personal lives along the way. In this Literature Review, an in depth look at the social, historical, as well as musical elements will show the impact Parker and McRae had during their musical careers.

A social context of a someones life is seen as a large influential factor as to the development of their social interactions. In one case, in particular Charlie Parker, the social structure and stratification of Parkers life heavily influenced the path his life took. Parker had a chronic addiction to heroin, along with a good number of jazz musicians as heroin was popular during this time. This influenced Parker so heavily that he missed performances and even went as far as to pawning his saxophone for drug money. Parker was extremely popular and well respected as his fans fueled his addiction by assisting him monetarily to buy heroin. This addiction, as any kind of addiction would, took over his musical career, slowing down the progression of bebop and jazz. Parker couldn’t perform in a number of shows, which is what his fans lived for as they loved seeing him perform live. When parkers addiction to heroin became less impactful, he resorted to alcohol, which also caused similar affects to shows as the heroin did. As seen even today, fans stay faithful through hard times. Parker attended rehab in California, where he developed his musical career eventually releasing music in reference to his stay in California. This heavy drug addiction ultimately ended Parkers career at a tender age of 35. Parkers life ended too early, and left behind hours and hours of hard work he used to perform at the top of the genre and be respected by so many. Many people rejected the improvisation of his style of jazz he pioneered, as they viewed it as no longer being a part of the jazz tradition, especially when artists elaborated his innovation ( Patrick , 227). Similarly to Parker, McRae started her playing career at a very young age. McRae showed significant resistance in her early years as she was an African American woman musician in the north. McRae had a nack for performing and loved to be on stage. She had a similar intellectual approach as Parker, however appeared more in public as she did not let drugs affect her life. McRae also tagged along with some of the most influential artists such as Billie Holiday, which is when McRae received significant publicity. Parker, compared to McRae, created a name for himself by more of a self-promotion approach. Both Parker and McRae were highly respected in the jazz scene, but established themselves socially in their own respect.

In a Historical context for both Parker and McRae, both of these artists significantly impacted history, and were also affected by the events that were present during their lives. Charlie Parker was seen as an artist that shaped the course of twentieth-century music (Larkin, 415). Parker grew up in Kansas city where jazz was very popular and saxophone playing was extremely competitive. Parker dropped out of school at a young age and decided to take up playing the saxophone. Impacted by the war, the number of big bands present was numerous in Kansas City, so Parker took his playing to Harlem where he started to pioneer new music along with other artists like Charlie Christian and Thelonious Monk (Larkin, 416).  Parker was playing improvisation pieces accompanied by percussion instruments, eventually creating his own style that the press started to call “bebop”. Parker and other African American artists became extremely confident during this period in time when full employment for the black community was present, as parker established bebop (Larkin, 416). At the time, Parker was seen to be producing music for what was considered to be modern and hip. Notoriously known for extreme heroin use, jazz musicians found the drug easily available from the rise of mafias that came about at the end of WWII. Fortunately, Parker was able to go to rehab and eventually produce music about his stay in rehab. As for Carmen McRae, when she began performing in her late teens with idols such as Billie Holiday, she developed as a musician during the thick of the Harlem Renaissance. During this movement, many african american artists migrated to norther cities in search of a fresh start. These musicians celebrated their renewal through musical collaborations. These artists picked up on the bebop that Parker had pioneered a few years earlier. McRae began playing in New York Clubs part time early in her career when she thought she was too young and inexperienced to really make her living as a musician (Armstrong, 162). In Harlem, it had become a breeding ground for thriving arts particularly music. Minton’s Playhouse was one spot in particular that artists played and experimented with harmonies and rhythms into the new music (Gourse). This is where McRae began learning about bebop as McRae referred to it as “the new thing” that became the focus of her life, which influenced Carmen’s overall style (Gourse).

Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae had a significant impact on the jazz scene, in particular the rise of bebop. As Parker helped drive the birth of what is referred to as bebop, McRae helped influence the progression and ultimately the success of the style. Not only did events during their lives help the establishment of bebop, the evolution continued after their passing as well. Bebop didn’t initially flourish as parker was deviating from the norm, but it continued to progress after his passing when he was just 35 years old. Both Charlie Parker and Carmen McRae were affected by their physical surroundings heavily which influenced their playing with the people around them, and ultimately the genre of Jazz.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Robin, and Julia Rubiner.Contemporary Musicians – Profiles of the People in Music. Gale Research. 162-164. Print.

Gourse, Leslie. “Learning on the Jazz Scene in Harlem.” Miss Jazz. New York: Billboard, 2001. 17-18. Print.

Larkin, Colin, ed. The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. 4th ed. Vol. 6. Oxford UP, 2006. 415-417. Print.

Patrick, James. New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Kernfeld, Barry. 2nd ed. Vol. 3. 227-232. Print.

This piece of work is another one of charlie parkers iconic saxophone playing pieces. To start, lets talk about the texture of the song. From the very beginning of the song, Parker is playing the saxophone, and to start it is a simple one layer of a solo, with a bass of some sort complimenting the saxophone. Shortly, additional layers become incorporated into the song about 10 seconds into parkers saxophone playing. A simple call and response between Parker and a background piano is heard, as parkers playing is more pronounced than the response. While parker is playing his part on the saxophone, and the layer of the piano is added in, and right away compliments and plays a call and response with parkers lead saxophone part. This layer of the piano that is added in does a significant job in establishing the melody throughout this song. This layer of the piano does an excellent job of filling the gaps and keeping the song going as there is a slight progression from Parkers saxophone playing to the guitar solos, possibly mixed in with some trumpet playing. . Throughout the song there are typically 2 melodies in each of the layers as the call and response is seen with different instruments played alongside of parkers saxophone. If i were to take a guess, I would say this is a chordal polyphony. You can hear several melodies being played at the same time, as the notes move along in time together. Each of the layers has a distinctive timbre shown by the stress of the notes and the complexity of each rhythm. These timbres are also evolving throughout the song as it progresses, and the solo instruments becomes diverse. For example, the timbre of Parkers saxophone playing seems smooth and conjunct, as opposed to when the soloist comes in playing the trumpet. Not only is the trumpet harsher on the ears as opposed to the saxophone, but the music that was complimenting the trumpet was also more harsh. As the song moves on, we see different instruments being played with several different compliments each contributing to the timbre of each layer.  As we discuss the time of the song, most of what parker is playing is scales, and its hard to distinguish the stressing, if there is any at all, on the notes in each meter. the pulse of the song is played by a bass string instrument behind the piano as it responds to parkers saxophone. The overall Meter typically stays consistent through the whole song, with exceptions of the call and response where there are only 2 instruments playing. The basic tempo of the piece consists of the call and response between saxophone and piano for one meter, a scale complimented by the piano, and back to the call and response as a repeated theme. This theme that we see go back and forth incorporates more character each time it is established by adding more instruments and increasing articulation. Most of the time the syncopation is noticeable as the last note of each subdivision is held, but other than that the stress of the notes varies. About halfway through the song as the two bass instruments play a call and response scale to transition instruments for the solo, the syncopation becomes evident and more pronounced. The piano is the biggest player in the syncopation as well. Most of the solos played wether it be the sax, trumpet or guitar, scales built up and transitioned one instrument to the next. As the instruments transitioned from one to the next, the piano syncopated the change with a tune from the melody in between. The melody of this song is created by a variety of pitches. As parker and the piano perform the call-response mechanism, the next phrase is usually inclusive of  a scale with a pronounced note to start. The phrases in this song all work together, as a wide range of notes are played through a wide variety of scales. Scales played seem to range from C to D major. The character of these scales is constituted by the blending and bending of the notes that parker plays, which is a natural element and often times key to successful saxophone playing. You can hear a lot of blending of notes as each phrase is coming to an end. Parker also tends to hold the notes at the end of each solo which adds to the motives of the melody, building on this throughout the whole song. One of the motives that we hear evolve throughout this piece is the constant repetition of the use of scales for every instrument. This can be found in the melody as well as the functioning layers. Each of these scales plays along and compliments the overall functioning pulse, played by a string instrument. He does this to create the stye of jazz he plays in many of his pieces. There are no lyrics in this piece, however it seems as if the different phrases vary in length based on his style of play with the overall contour, up and down, of the scales. Most jazz songs flow and come together by incorporation of background playing of some instrument that goes along with the main playing of the saxophone, trumpet, etc. There is heavy articulation of notes that are both far apart or close together, but parker makes these punctuated notes blend together, so the sound is not harsh on the ears. Parkers timbre only changes slightly throughout the song, and is only noticed when he changes from the call and response and solos, like he is setting up for call and response. The separated notes of the call response create a different identity for a short time, and a change of pace from the punctuated scales he plays throughout.