Ornithology (composition)
"Ornithology" | |
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Single by The Charlie Parker Septet | |
B-side | "A Night in Tunisia" |
Recorded | March 28, 1946, Radio Recorders Studios, Hollywood |
Genre | Bebop |
Length | 3:03 |
Label | Dial 1002 |
Songwriter(s) | Charlie Parker Benny Harris |
"Ornithology" is a jazz standard by bebop alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Benny Harris.
Description
Its title is a reference to Parker's nickname, "Bird" (ornithology is the study of birds). The Charlie Parker Septet made the first recording of the tune on March 28, 1946 on the Dial label, and it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989.[1]
"Ornithology" is a contrafact – a newly created melody written over the chord progression of another song, in this case the standard "How High the Moon".[2] It remains one of the most popular and frequently performed bebop tunes. Jazz vocalists scatting on "How High the Moon" (notably Ella Fitzgerald) often quote the melody of "Ornithology" (and vice versa). Coleman Hawkins used the first two bars of the melody in a Cozy Cole recording session dating back to November 14, 1944, in a tune called "Look Here".
Notable recordings include Bud Powell's version and the Gerry Mulligan-Chet Baker 1957 version. Babs Gonzales wrote vocalese lyrics for the tune.
"Ornithology" was prominently featured in the novel Suder by Percival Everett.[3]
The name was also used by a jazz club in Brooklyn, Ornithology Jazz Club.[4]
See also
Footnotes
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- Bird and Diz (1952)
- South of the Border (1952)
- Big Band (1954)
- Charlie Parker Memorial, Vol. 1 (1956)
- The Immortal Charlie Parker (1956)
- Charlie Parker Memorial, Vol. 2 (1956)
- The Genius of Charlie Parker (1956)
- The Charlie Parker Story (1956)
- Now's the Time: the Quartet of Charlie Parker (1956)
- The Cole Porter Songbook (1956)
- Swedish Schnapps (1958)
- Jazz at Massey Hall (1953)
- Bird on 52nd St. (1958)
- Bird at St. Nick's (1958)
- Bird Is Free (1961)
- One Night in Birdland (1977)
- Summit Meeting at Birdland (1977)
- Inglewood Jam (1978)
- The Washington Concerts (1983)
- Live at Rockland Palace (1997)
- Charlie Parker's Savoy and Dial sessions
- Complete Charlie Parker on Dial
- Charlie Parker on Dial: The Complete Sessions
- Bird: The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
- "Ah-Leu-Cha"
- "Anthropology"
- "Au Privave"
- "Big Foot" aka "Driftin' on a Reed"
- "Barbados"
- "Billie's Bounce"
- "Bird Gets the Worm"
- "Bloomdido"
- "Blues for Alice"
- "Chasin' the Bird"
- "Cheryl"
- "Confirmation"
- "Constellation "
- "Dexterity"
- "Donna Lee"
- "Ko-Ko"
- "Moose the Mooche"
- "Now's the Time"
- "Ornithology"
- "Parker's Mood"
- "Relaxin' at Camarillo"
- "Scrapple from the Apple"
- "Swingmatism"
- "Yardbird Suite"
- Bebop
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Charlie Parker with Strings
- Charlie Parker Omnibook
- Bird (1988 film)
- Bird and Diz
- Category
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