Bebop
tagStarted 1941Peak 1945–1950Last big hit early 1950s
Bebop is fast, harmonically dense, asymmetrical, and soloist-centered, with intricate heads, advanced chord substitutions, and ride-cymbal-driven small-combo interplay.
History
It developed in Harlem jam sessions, especially around Minton’s, as musicians such as Parker, Gillespie, Monk, Powell, and Roach turned jazz from mass dance music into listening music. Its technical demands and artistic self-consciousness permanently changed jazz’s center of gravity.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Hancock Institute Jazz in America on bebop
- Britannica on bebop
- modern-jazz histories.