Discussion opener for GRGR(5)

[LOT64 at aol.com]

In a message dated 96-11-15 15:40:21 EST, you write:

<<   There are all sorts of keywords or phrases in this section which
     one could expound on. Anyone care to comment on "wasted Roxbury"
     (63.23), "wailing" (63.24), "floundered in the channel" (63.28),
     "Indian spirit plot" (63.30), "*have* mercy what is it a fucking
     machine-gun or something" (63.34), "32nd notes demisemiqauvers"
     (63.35), "Munchkin voice" (63.36), "honks" (63.39), "old Mister
     fucking Death he self" (63.40), "seeps" (64.1), "his bird's
     singing" (64.2), "prophecy [. . .] is beginning these days to work
     itself out in 'Cherokee'" (64.4) Amen! >>


"floundered in the channel" refers to the bridge of the tune Cherokee.
 Popular songs often have an AABA structure.  Channel is an older slang term
for the bridge or B section. Each section is usually 8 bars long, totalling
32.  Cherokee is unusual in that it is 64 bars per chorus.  The melody is
doubled and made up of long tones, whole notes, much longer than in the
typical tunes of that era.  Its easy to get lost while soloing on a tune like
that. Parker's cascade of notes is what is referred to by "32nd notes
demisemiqauvers". I remember (accurately I hope) Dizzy Gillespie referring to
a particularly memorable night of listening to Bird improvise as a night when
he was "playing snakes".  Parker's solo on Cherokee, which he recorded later
as Koko (to avoid royalty problems) was a revelation/revolution to the
musicians who heard it (and dug what he was doing) subverting a rather tame
big band swing number into an assault on the musical status quo.  "machine
gun" also refers to the fuissillade of notes Parker could play.  The best way
to understand this is to listen to a straight rendition of Cherokee, like by
Charlie Barnet's orchestra, and then the Parker recording of Koko (originally
issued on Savoy around '45 I think).


Ron Churgin