Alto saxophone solo · 1945

Charlie Parker: Thriving on a Riff

Key: B♭ major
Tempo: 227 BPM UP
Rhythm feel: Swing
Style: Bebop
Choruses: 2
Form: A8A8B8A8

Charlie Parker's solo on “Thriving on a Riff” has 357 notes in 68 seconds (5.2 notes per second), spanning 27 semitones from F3 to Ab5. The average tempo is 227 BPM with a swing feel. About 54% of the melodic motion is stepwise (one or two semitones).

Notes

357Notes

68sSolo length

5.2Notes per second

F3–Ab5Range (27 semitones)

54%Stepwise motion

Pitch-class distribution

C♯

E♭

F♯

A♭

B♭

Most frequent intervals

-1 ×61
-2 ×57
-3 ×43
+2 ×42
+3 ×35
+1 ×31

Changes played over

B♭G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7B♭⁷

E♭⁷A♭⁷

D^m7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7B♭⁷

E♭⁷A♭⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7

D⁷

G⁷

C⁷

F⁷

B♭^maj7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7G⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7B♭⁷

E♭⁷A♭⁷

C^m7F⁷

B♭^maj7

Record

Record: Ornithology · Savoy · 2002
Recorded: 1945-11-26
Line-up: Dizzy Gillespie (tp); Argonne Thornton (p); Curley Russell (b); Max Roach (dr); Charlie Parker (as)
Composer: Parker/Gillespie
Solo length: 00:38-01:47

Source: Weimar Jazz Database, Jazzomat Research Project (HfM Weimar), ODbL 1.0.