The Development of Bebop

During the mid 1940s, jazz started to take on a new twist. As swing jazz with big bands had risen from New Orleans origins to become widely known and the popular music of the time, the arrival of bebop gave way to a whole new era. It suddenly was an isolated music that appeared in tiny cramped nightclubs rather than brightly lit dance halls. This gave African-American a new role of innovation, which was created from the mainstream tastes of U.S. population. Then in the 1950s, additional styles grew out bebop with the rise of cool jazz, and hard bop, that gave meaning to new “schools” of jazz. Predecessors of bebop, Dizzy Gillespie the master showman and Charlie Parker who introduced strings in an attempt to popularize his music allowed this movement to begin and jazz took on a whole new meaning.

A swing musician day began in the evening to catch people just getting of work egger to enjoy some entertainment in a ballroom. Although by the time these audiences went home to bed, musicians in large cities, especially Manhattan, were just gearing up start their night. Minton’s Playhouse in New York served as an incubator and experimental theater for these early bebop players. Part of the atmosphere created at jams, like the ones found at Minton’s Playhouse was an air of exclusivity. Therefor the “regular” musician would often be considered the outsider or weaker player and not be invited or let in. It gave those that played in the jam sessions a way of relaxation at the end of a hard days work. Through this a new style of jazz was reinvented.

Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fat tempos, intricate melodies, and chaotic rhythm sections. The music itself seemed very different to the ears of the public, who were used to the bouncy, organized, danceable tunes of swing music. This gave reason for the strong African-American innovation in bebop do to their cultural struggles during this era. This is why bebop appeared to sound racing, nervous, erratic and often fragmented. Although to the African-American jazz musicians and jazz music lovers, bebop was an exciting and beautiful revolution in the history of jazz.

Therefore, racial and economic forces were driving musicians out of swing and into an unknown future of bebop. During the swing era, black bands were prevented by racial prejudice from two kinds of professions. First was a prime-time radio showing with commercial sponsors, these sponsors allowed the top white bands to gain tremendous wealth. Second was a lengthy engagement at a major hotel ballroom or dance hall in New York City. This allowed free late night broadcasts that gave publicity to the all white bands, as well as a place to rest after travel. For several months out of the year this allowed the bands to relax and be with their families. On the other hand, black bands were forced to the road and received none of the