Charlie Parker
Alto Sax Solo on
Merry-Go-Round

About

Charlie Parker opens the solo section on alto sax, stretching out for two choruses at approximately 300 BPM. Set within a swinging rhythmic framework, the 32-bar AABA form and the key of B♭, the solo tests the player's command at high velocity. As a contrafact on "I Got Rhythm," the underlying harmony is well-trodden territory, giving the soloist a sturdy platform for creative exploration. As the first voice heard after the head, Parker sets the improvisational tone before passing to Miles Davis. Merry-Go-Round, recorded September 18, 1948, is a very fast rhythm changes performance by the Charlie Parker All Stars, taken at approximately 300-322 BPM in B-flat with a 32-bar AABA form based on I Got Rhythm.

Charlie Parker was 27 to 28 years old at the time.