"Au Privave" is a bebop blues head composed by Charlie Parker, first recorded on January 17, 1951, for Verve Records with a quintet featuring Miles Davis on trumpet. The title, a play on the French phrase "en prive" (meaning "in private"), reflects Parker's characteristic wit. The composition is built on the 12-bar blues form but departs from basic three-chord progressions through the use of more frequent chord changes, often two per measure, incorporating intermediate harmonies that add tension and forward motion. The melody is a lively, swinging line that outlines the blues structure with the intricate phrasing and rhythmic invention that defined Parker's approach to composition. The head is typically played twice at the beginning and end of a performance, framing the improvised solos. Harmonically, the tune exemplifies Parker's method of enriching familiar forms with bebop-era reharmonization, making it a dynamic vehicle for improvisation without straying from the blues foundation. "Au Privave" occupies an important place in the jazz repertoire as one of Parker's most enduring blues compositions, widely performed at jam sessions and club dates since its introduction. It has been recorded over a hundred times by artists including Sonny Stitt, Cannonball Adderley, Hank Mobley, and James Moody, among many others. The tune remains a staple of the bebop canon, valued both as a pedagogical tool for studying Parker's harmonic language and as a satisfying piece for performance.
