Billie's Bounce, recorded November 26, 1945, is one of the most celebrated blues heads in the bebop canon. Performed by Charlie Parker's Reboppers in the key of F at a medium swing tempo of roughly 161 BPM, the 12-bar blues features Parker's inimitable alto saxophone solo spanning four choruses of melodic brilliance and rhythmic sophistication. A young Miles Davis, just nineteen years old, contributes a two-chorus trumpet solo that, while less harmonically adventurous than Parker's, reveals the spare, thoughtful approach that would define his own revolutionary career. The rhythm section for this historic date included Sadik Hakim on piano, Curly Russell on bass, and Max Roach on drums. Parker's solo on Billie's Bounce has been transcribed and studied by generations of jazz musicians for its masterful blues phrasing, logical motivic development, and the way it balances bebop complexity with deep-rooted blues feeling. The composition itself became a jazz standard and remains one of the most commonly called tunes at jam sessions worldwide.
