Research Project
A comparison of “Koko” and “So
What”
“Koko” as well as “So What” are two of the most influential and famous pieces pertaining to
Jazz. With “Koko” being composed and performed by Charlie “Bird” Parker and “So What” being composed and performed by Miles Davis. These two musicians are no doubt heavily involved in the development of jazz and are two of the most renowned musicians in the world. “Koko” was composed in the early 1940’s, where as “So What” was composed in the late 1950’s. Although these two were composed around similar time periods, there are many differences in them. These differences as well as the similarities will be explored throughout this research task. There is also many times when the two musicians would …show more content…
The melodies in this song are extremely fast, complicated and are often just a display of the musicians virtuosity, its for this reason that the melody is a lot more complicated than it is lyrical.
ASSESSMENT TASK 5 SEBASTIANO DOS SANTOS !5 http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4310/2347/1600/ko%20ko%20full.jpg Chords
As can be seen in the above image, Koko utilises very few chords behind the melody line.
This is due to the lack of instrumentation as well as the fact that Parker perhaps wanted the influence to be purely on the soloist, and so almost all of the music which can be heard from this piece is purely soloist with a drum accompaniment, except for the sort sections where
Parker and Dizzy play together. When listening to the track ("Charlie Parker Discography". jazzdisco.org.) it is also evident that it would not have made sense to put a harmonic structure beneath the improvised solos. This is because of the complicated nature of the solos. There is simply not space for chords beneath that. However near the end of the piece there are chord symbols put in which gives the idea that in these last bars there is infect a tonal centre …show more content…
The pianist here is Bill Evans, who was
ASSESSMENT TASK 5 SEBASTIANO DOS SANTOS !7 new to Davis’s band and a vital contributor to the whole project. It is also said that Evans has an extremely advanced harmonic sense and that he had an extremely open sound. “He plays the piano the way it should be played,” said Davis about Bill Evans. When listening to the composition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXk1LBvIqU) you can immediately notice the advanced harmonies which are utilised in the piece. As well as the floating sound of the piano. In the image above you are able to see just how complex the chords actually are.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though the pieces vary in terms of the time period they were composed, the instruments used and the style of jazz itself. The two pieces contained surprising similarities within them, most noticeably the structure. There is no doubt that the musicians had been influenced by each other and you can see this through the techniques used in the solo’s. These two pieces as well as the musicians involved have in no doubt influenced the world of jazz in massive ways, and it can honestly be said that modern music would not have been the same without
A comparison of “Koko” and “So
What”
“Koko” as well as “So What” are two of the most influential and famous pieces pertaining to
Jazz. With “Koko” being composed and performed by Charlie “Bird” Parker and “So What” being composed and performed by Miles Davis. These two musicians are no doubt heavily involved in the development of jazz and are two of the most renowned musicians in the world. “Koko” was composed in the early 1940’s, where as “So What” was composed in the late 1950’s. Although these two were composed around similar time periods, there are many differences in them. These differences as well as the similarities will be explored throughout this research task. There is also many times when the two musicians would …show more content…
The melodies in this song are extremely fast, complicated and are often just a display of the musicians virtuosity, its for this reason that the melody is a lot more complicated than it is lyrical.
ASSESSMENT TASK 5 SEBASTIANO DOS SANTOS !5 http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4310/2347/1600/ko%20ko%20full.jpg Chords
As can be seen in the above image, Koko utilises very few chords behind the melody line.
This is due to the lack of instrumentation as well as the fact that Parker perhaps wanted the influence to be purely on the soloist, and so almost all of the music which can be heard from this piece is purely soloist with a drum accompaniment, except for the sort sections where
Parker and Dizzy play together. When listening to the track ("Charlie Parker Discography". jazzdisco.org.) it is also evident that it would not have made sense to put a harmonic structure beneath the improvised solos. This is because of the complicated nature of the solos. There is simply not space for chords beneath that. However near the end of the piece there are chord symbols put in which gives the idea that in these last bars there is infect a tonal centre …show more content…
The pianist here is Bill Evans, who was
ASSESSMENT TASK 5 SEBASTIANO DOS SANTOS !7 new to Davis’s band and a vital contributor to the whole project. It is also said that Evans has an extremely advanced harmonic sense and that he had an extremely open sound. “He plays the piano the way it should be played,” said Davis about Bill Evans. When listening to the composition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylXk1LBvIqU) you can immediately notice the advanced harmonies which are utilised in the piece. As well as the floating sound of the piano. In the image above you are able to see just how complex the chords actually are.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though the pieces vary in terms of the time period they were composed, the instruments used and the style of jazz itself. The two pieces contained surprising similarities within them, most noticeably the structure. There is no doubt that the musicians had been influenced by each other and you can see this through the techniques used in the solo’s. These two pieces as well as the musicians involved have in no doubt influenced the world of jazz in massive ways, and it can honestly be said that modern music would not have been the same without