Charlie Parker
Alto Sax Solo on
Anthropology

About

Charlie Parker's alto saxophone solo is the second of three improvisations on this recording, following Davis's trumpet. Taking two choruses of the 32-bar AABA form in B-flat at 227 BPM, Parker delivers a commanding statement over the rhythm changes contrafact based on "I Got Rhythm." His two-chorus solo at this fast tempo is a masterclass in bebop improvisation, his fluid eighth-note lines and harmonic sophistication demonstrating why this composition would become one of the definitive vehicles of the new jazz language.

Charlie Parker was 24 to 25 years old at the time.