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The Birth Of Bebop: A Social And Musical History
The richest place in America's musical landscape is that fertile ground occupied by jazz. Scott DeVeaux takes a central chapter in the history of jazz―the birth of bebop―and shows how our contemporary ideas of this uniquely American art form flow from that pivotal moment. At the same time, he provides an extraordinary view of the United States in the decades just prior to the civil rights movement.
DeVeaux begins with an examination of the Swing Era, focusing particularly on the position of African American musicians. He highlights the role played by tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, a "progressive" committed to a vision in which black jazz musicians would find a place in the world commensurate with their skills. He then looks at the young musicians of the early 1940s, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk, and links issues within the jazz world to other developments on the American scene, including the turmoil during World War II and the pervasive racism of the period.
Throughout, DeVeaux places musicians within the context of their professional world, paying close attention to the challenges of making a living as well as of making good music. He shows that bebop was simultaneously an artistic movement, an ideological statement, and a commercial phenomenon.
In drawing from the rich oral histories that a living tradition provides, DeVeaux's book resonates with the narratives of individual lives. While The Birth of Bebop is a study in American cultural history and a critical musical inquiry, it is also a fitting homage to bebop and to those who made it possible.
DeVeaux begins with an examination of the Swing Era, focusing particularly on the position of African American musicians. He highlights the role played by tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, a "progressive" committed to a vision in which black jazz musicians would find a place in the world commensurate with their skills. He then looks at the young musicians of the early 1940s, including Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Thelonious Monk, and links issues within the jazz world to other developments on the American scene, including the turmoil during World War II and the pervasive racism of the period.
Throughout, DeVeaux places musicians within the context of their professional world, paying close attention to the challenges of making a living as well as of making good music. He shows that bebop was simultaneously an artistic movement, an ideological statement, and a commercial phenomenon.
In drawing from the rich oral histories that a living tradition provides, DeVeaux's book resonates with the narratives of individual lives. While The Birth of Bebop is a study in American cultural history and a critical musical inquiry, it is also a fitting homage to bebop and to those who made it possible.
587 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 17, 2022
The title should be taken seriously - this is not a survey of early bebop, but a historical study of its gradual emergence and consolidation as a form, focusing on the late thirties and early forties, and closing around 1945, when it was just beginning to enter national mainstream consciousness. DeVeaux presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the many forces at play that were instrumental in making bebop what it is. His scope is comprehensive, and he considers factors as diverse as economically-motivated internal migration patters in the US during the pre-war years to shortages in raw materials necessary to producing records caused by the War in the Pacific.
What interests DeVeaux is looking at the whole story, and especially in deconstructing a simplistic narrative of bebop emerging as a kind of liberation of a sophisticated art from from the chains of popular dance music, as the creative center of jazz moved from huge dance halls to after-hours jazz sessions uptown. This version is not completely false, but it is highly misleading, and to get the complete story takes a lot of time.
Perhaps too much time - this is a long book, and although much of its broad scope is genuinely fascinating, my interest peaked when he stuck more closely to a conventional approach, and closely looked at some of the key personalities involved in the transition from swing to bebop - especially Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.
I could have used a bit more of that - maybe some time spent on Thelonious Monk, who scarcely gets a mention? - and less time on the politics of the musician's union, the role of radio advertising in shaping popular culture, or whatnot. I found it a bit too comprehensive.
My only other critical comment is that at times DeVeaux indulges in a kind of overwritten academic style that primarily functions to signify to other academics that this is a "serious book". For example, he gratuitously quotes Thomas Kuhn not once, but twice.
The more you're interested not just in jazz, but in history, and especially the history of Black America and of popular music, the more you're likely to enjoy this book.
What interests DeVeaux is looking at the whole story, and especially in deconstructing a simplistic narrative of bebop emerging as a kind of liberation of a sophisticated art from from the chains of popular dance music, as the creative center of jazz moved from huge dance halls to after-hours jazz sessions uptown. This version is not completely false, but it is highly misleading, and to get the complete story takes a lot of time.
Perhaps too much time - this is a long book, and although much of its broad scope is genuinely fascinating, my interest peaked when he stuck more closely to a conventional approach, and closely looked at some of the key personalities involved in the transition from swing to bebop - especially Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.
I could have used a bit more of that - maybe some time spent on Thelonious Monk, who scarcely gets a mention? - and less time on the politics of the musician's union, the role of radio advertising in shaping popular culture, or whatnot. I found it a bit too comprehensive.
My only other critical comment is that at times DeVeaux indulges in a kind of overwritten academic style that primarily functions to signify to other academics that this is a "serious book". For example, he gratuitously quotes Thomas Kuhn not once, but twice.
The more you're interested not just in jazz, but in history, and especially the history of Black America and of popular music, the more you're likely to enjoy this book.
March 13, 2017
I think this is an extremely important book to read about the development of modern jazz. I would have preferred to give this 4.5 stars, but decided with 4 instead of 5. The best thing about this book is his method of analysis in how bebop was developed. Even the more philosophical intro was good, explaining the revolution vs. evolution debate around bebop as well as the composer/performer or entertainer/artist dichotomy and how bebop very much blurred those distinctions. He looks at a whole series of contradictions from many different angles, whether musical, social, or economical, that were building up before, during and towards the end of the swing era that led to the bebop explosion. He also does a very fine job of using interviews and texts from the period as evidence to support his claims. At first, I was afraid that DeVeaux's focus on Coleman Hawkins might distort my understanding of this period and not provide an accurate picture for me of jazz at the time, but the book heightened my appreciation of Hawkins' importance in all this. The only flaw with DeVeaux's book is that when he tries to explain more music/jazz theory issues, he REALLY delves into it. It's so tedious and sometimes feels so detached from the text that you could skip over it, and still not miss a beat. Sometimes though, it is extremely helpful, and I definitely learned a lot about the more rhythmic characteristics of bop from the standpoint of the non-percussive instruments. Anyone serious in learning about modern jazz should read this. I highly recommend this book.
April 9, 2013
"This chapter does not attempt to provide a comprehensive overview of the opening moments of bebop's "short stay in the sun." It is, instead, a series of glimpses, following up some of the biographical threads initiated in other chapters and focusing on the recordings that define, in retrospect, the early history of bebop." p.367
October 23, 2007
Took a long time to read, but it always held my interest when I picked it up. Some of its musical theory was beyond me. Interesting details and a sophisticated view of history. Lots about Coleman Hawkins as a bridge figure between swing and bebop.
May 16, 2025
Not what I expected, but so much better.
Bebop is one of the most important musical developments of the 20th century. It inhabits a shockingly short timespan from about 1945-1951 before it was replaced with other streams of jazz; now nobody really plays bebop anymore. Even with its short tenure as the state of the art of jazz, it still influenced everything that came afterwards--it had to be acknowledged, and expanded or reacted to. Hard Bop and Cool Jazz were essentially direct responses to bebop, and they birthed everything else that came later.
Bebop also produced some of the most iconinc names in jazz history: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, etc. All of them produced brilliant music that endures to this day.
Scott DeVeaux's excellent book really lives up to its title. It is about how bebop came about as a sensation. When I actually read his intro and realized he stops in the year 1945, I was initially disappointed. 1945?! That's when bebop got going! But reading the book, I was very happy he stopped when he did. He uses the brilliant Coleman Hawkins' career as a framing device for the whole book, which turns out to be a very savvy move. Hawkins influenced the development of bebop, somewhat took part in the creation of bebop, and then needed to react to its advances afterwards. So, his career serves to highlight the various twists and turns in the development of jazz over a 20-30 year span.
DeVeaux somehow manages to have sections that focus on explicit aspects of the development of bebop, like the nightclub scene, financial issues, the impact of World War 2, etc., but also thrusts forward through time as he goes. I'm not sure how he balances these threads and makes them cohere, but he uses some kind of alchemy to create a very propulsive, interesting, and supremely informative history.
I would label this as essential reading for anyone interested in bebop, or jazz generally.
Bebop is one of the most important musical developments of the 20th century. It inhabits a shockingly short timespan from about 1945-1951 before it was replaced with other streams of jazz; now nobody really plays bebop anymore. Even with its short tenure as the state of the art of jazz, it still influenced everything that came afterwards--it had to be acknowledged, and expanded or reacted to. Hard Bop and Cool Jazz were essentially direct responses to bebop, and they birthed everything else that came later.
Bebop also produced some of the most iconinc names in jazz history: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, etc. All of them produced brilliant music that endures to this day.
Scott DeVeaux's excellent book really lives up to its title. It is about how bebop came about as a sensation. When I actually read his intro and realized he stops in the year 1945, I was initially disappointed. 1945?! That's when bebop got going! But reading the book, I was very happy he stopped when he did. He uses the brilliant Coleman Hawkins' career as a framing device for the whole book, which turns out to be a very savvy move. Hawkins influenced the development of bebop, somewhat took part in the creation of bebop, and then needed to react to its advances afterwards. So, his career serves to highlight the various twists and turns in the development of jazz over a 20-30 year span.
DeVeaux somehow manages to have sections that focus on explicit aspects of the development of bebop, like the nightclub scene, financial issues, the impact of World War 2, etc., but also thrusts forward through time as he goes. I'm not sure how he balances these threads and makes them cohere, but he uses some kind of alchemy to create a very propulsive, interesting, and supremely informative history.
I would label this as essential reading for anyone interested in bebop, or jazz generally.
May 2, 2015
I chose this book for further insight into the Bebop movement and for the credibility of the author. As a person with just a passing interest in jazz, I was surprised by just how good (and readable) this book was! DeVeaux tells a great story. The only bits I had to skim were periodic breakdowns of harmonics and the music theory involved, but even that seemed to be clearly laid out and annotated with musically-transcribed graphics.
June 4, 2009
One of the best music books ever! Bebop tore music a new one, and this is its neat-o story, incredibly detailed and slanted toward the musician.
March 3, 2012
Wonderful history of an exquisite period of change. Very well written.
January 11, 2015
Superb. An engaging and insightful study of the social & commercial pressures and musical impulses that drove the development of the idiom of bebop.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews