Jazz music, as a genre, has always been one that constantly evolves. It draws inspiration from countless different areas, never settling. Jazz molds with society, and the music typically reflects what society is like at the time. It is also a genre that relies on musicians mentoring each other. Musicians as a whole draw inspiration from their counterparts, and it is especially prominent in jazz. One connection like this is that between Charlie Parker and Miles Davis. Parker was a mentor for Davis, and helped to allow Davis to reach his creative potential to make him into the phenomenal musician that he is known as. Charlie Parker was a saxophonist, and, unlike many of his fellow musicians, not a natural talent. Most of his success with the …show more content…
It is said that in his late teenage years, he began using intravenous drugs, as told by his wife. His dependency on heroin worsened when he traveled to New York, and the signs of addiction were becoming quite clear when John Gillespie and himself traveled to California, with the intent of bringing along a bebop band. It was not uncommon for Parker to be late, or even miss performances in the six-week time span that they were there. Due to his declining state, Parker missed his plane ride home from California. As a result, Ross Russell gave him a $100 cash advance in return for Parker recording with the Dial record company for a year. While this time period may have Parker’s best work, he was rapidly going in a downward spiral of addiction. On July 29, 1946, Parker was arrested at his hotel after a recording session. During this recording session, “Bird takes a dizzy, unfocused solo in which he is clearly drugged and unable to play up to his standard” (Pryor, 2011). The reason for his arrest was setting his room on fire. Russell managed to have him transferred to the State Hospital at Camarillo for six months. Parker’s time there served him well, as he played in the hospital band and made a recovery from his …show more content…
However, “Out of Nowhere” is a song that stood out to me. Unlike the recording we listened to in class, “Donna Lee,” this song was much slower. In “Donna Lee,” Parker trumped all, and blew his solo out of the water, while Davis struggled to keep up, and was not very sure of his playing. “Out of Nowhere,” however, gave Davis the chance to play his piece at a slower tempo, which helps him to be more sure of himself. The song begins with soft piano playing, and that remains in the background as Parker begins to play. The beat of the drum is something that stuck out to me during this song. While subtle, it is a constant, helping to keep the music on track. Parker’s solo takes up the majority of the song, leaving Davis with a shorter solo, but still noticeable. In this song, it is evident that Parker and Davis do complement each other, not mimic. As Gioia says on page 207, Davis was brought into the quintet because of his melodic sound, and that is showcased in this recording. Parker’s solo is much more upbeat and unpredictable, particularly around the one-minute mark in the song. Davis played the trumpet at a slower tempo, allowing the piano to show through a little more. Davis sounded more confident in himself, and his sound rang clearly. Even though he was an unknown musician, he played as if he belonged to be the