"Ko-Ko" is a 1945 bebop recording featuring Charlie Parker on alto saxophone, with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie.
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The recording ban, imposed by the American Federation of Musicians from 1942-1944, prevented musicians in the nascent Bebop movement from recording new works during the crucial formative period of this emerging genre. As a result, "Ko-Ko" is considered by many to be the very first time Bebop was ever recorded.
Charlie Parker is said to have "realized" Bebop while playing Ray Noble's tune "Cherokee". He played that piece so many times that by the end he hated it, but he had mastered the chords perfectly in all 12 keys. "Ko-Ko" has a partially improvised head and the chords are based on "Cherokee".[1]
Other musicians involved include Curly Russell on bass and Max Roach on drums. Trumpeter Miles Davis was originally meant to play in the recording, but was taken over by Gillespie closer the time.
In 2002, the Library of Congress honored "Ko-Ko" by adding it to the National Recording Registry.
"Ko-Ko" was recorded on November 26, 1945, New York City at Savoy Records (MG 12079), with Charlie Parker (alto saxophone), Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet and piano), Curley Russell (bass), and Max Roach (drums).[2] Other recordings at this session were "Billie's Bounce," "Warming Up a Riff," "Now's the Time," "Thriving on a Riff," and "Meandering." Out of this session came the album The Charlie Parker Story (Savoy Jazz) (1945).[3]
The piece starts with a 32-bar introduction, split into four 8-bar phrases, each likely written by Gillespie:
Following the intro are two 64-bar solos from Parker on the saxophone; each solo (or 'chorus') follows the Thirty-two-bar form (AABA), except that the number of bars is augmented to 64, partly due to the extensive importance of solos in bebop music, and partly due to the extremely fast 300bpm tempo. It is an extremely virtuosic solo, incorporating fast quavers and formulaic improvisation. The second chorus of the solo opens with a two-bar quotation from the notably difficult clarinet piece High Society, made famous by clarinettist Alphonse Picou.
After the solo from Parker is a 27-bar drum solo from drummer Max Roach, the slightly manic style of which is considered innovative in jazz. The drums for the piece are tuned higher than normal, which gives the solo a brighter, livelier feel.
The piece finishes with a 28-bar coda, integrating the main themes from the introduction and improvisation from Parker and Gillespie, and finally an imperfect cadence.