Chapter 1

THE CONTRAFACT

NOTE: I am indebted to an excellent article in Journal of Jazz Studies (June

1975) entitled "Charlie Parker and Harmonic Sources of Bebop
Composition: Thoughts on the Repertory of New Jazz in the 1940s" by
James Patrick for the present use of the term "melodic contrafact" and
some of the following ideas regarding its importance.

A contrafact is a tune which is based on an extant set of chord changes (harmonic progression), and it was
this type of tune which comprised a large portion of the bebop repertoire. To be sure, throughout the history of
Western music (jazz included) composers have used extant harmonic schemes as the basis for new original
compositions; the chorale prelude is but one example, Jazz compositions such as Sidney Bechefs "Shag"
(1932), based o n U IGot Rhythm"; "Moten Swing," basedon"You're DrivingMe Crazy"; "Trumpet No End,"
based on "Blue Skies"; "Rainbow Mist," based on "Body and Soul"; "Up On Teddy's Hill," based on
"Honeysuckle Rose"; "Dickie's Dream," based on "I Found a New Baby"; andL'DaybreakExpress," "Hot and
Bothered," "Slippery Horn," and ''Braggin' in Brass," all of which are based on "Tiger Rag," are all examples
that predate the beboppers' use of contrafacts.
After the blues, the changes to "I Got Rhythm" serve as the basis for more bebop tunes than any other single
composition. Other favorite bases for tunes include "What Is This Thing Called Love," "How High the Moon,"
and "Honeysuckle Rose."
The contrafact was valuable for a wide variety of reasons. During the bebop era the working performer was
expected to function without music most of the time and to be familiar with a common body of tunes and changes
which were virtually public domain. (This is perhaps even more crucial in today's bebop.) Many of the tunes
which served as bases were tunes which were a part of the basic repertoire of the bands in which the beboppers
served their respective apprenticeships and were consequently very familiar to them. It seems perfectly logical,
then, that in choosing tunes for the ubiquitous jam sessions, the often hastily prepared record dates, and the gigs
that used X amount of memorized heads in X hours, that musicians would rely on already memorized chord
structures, which meant simply learning new melodies instead of learning both new melodies and new chords.
In contrast to the compositions of previous eras, the newly written compositions were inextricably linked to
and interwoven with the ensuing improvisations. Many of the tunes probably began very loosely and then
crystallized, possibly accounting, in a minor way, for the large number of bebop compositions with the A sections
varied and those which were actually throughcomposed, such as "Confmation," "Hot House," "Half Nelson,"
"Moose the Mooch," "Klaunstance," and "Cardboard" Further evidence of this can be seen in the number of
melodic phrases shared by different tunes, among them the following: "Ornithology" A 1-2 equals
"Anthropology" B 1-2; "Ornithology" A 7-8 equals "Anthropology" B 7-8; and "Cool Blues" 1-2 equals
"Perhaps" 1-2.
The new approaches to improvisation during the bebop era demanded new compositional vehicles
consistent with those approaches. The contrafact was an inexpensive way of putting together new material with
minimum rehearsals, retakes, and composer's fees. It was also a way to avoid paying royalties on recordings of
compositions which were chosen simply because the changes provided good improvisational vehicles.
Any good improviser in the bebop tradition is expected not only to know and recognize a large body of tunes
strictly from the changes, but is also obligated to know the most frequently played heads on those changes. (Make
it a practice to learn as many heads as possible on a given set of changes.) The remaining pages in this chapter will
!ist some of the most frequently played tunes along vith a number of their contrafacts.

I. "I Got APhythm"

1. "Anthropology"
2. "Boppin' a
3. "Cailing Dr. Jazz"
 "Celerity"
"Crazyology"
"CTA" (altered changes)
"Dizzy Atmosphere" (different bridge)
"Eternal Triangle7'(different bridge)
"Good Baity'(A sections only)
"Moose the Mooch"
"Movey'
oleo7'

"An Oscar for Treadwell"

"PassportYY
"Red Cross"
"Room 608" (different bridge)
"Rhythm-a-ning"
'L Salt Peanuts"

"The Serpent's Tooth"

" Steeplechase"

"Turnpike"
"Webb City"
"Jay Jay"
"Eb Pob"
"Goin' to Minton's"
"Fat Girl"
" somyside"

"0Go Mo"
"Dot's Groovy"
"Down for the Double"
"On the Scene"
"52nd Street Theme"
"Flying Home"
"Seven Come Eleveny'
"Lemon Drop"
"Lester Leaps In"
"Apple Honey"
"Tuxedo Junction7'
"Love You Madly"
"Cheers"
"Merry-Go-Round"
"One Bass Hit"
"OopBopSha-Bad

"AhLeu-Cha"
"The Theme7'
"Cottontail"
"Dexterity"

II. "All God's Children Got Rhythm''

1. "Coffee Pot" (J.J. Johnson)
2. "Little Willie Leaps" (Miles Davis)
3. "Mayreh" (Horace Silver)
4. "Never Felt That Way Before" (Sonny Stitt)
5. " Surburban Eyes" (Quebec)
111. "All the Things You Are"
1. "Bird of Paradise" (Charlie Parker)
2. "Charge Account'' (LamberUStewart)
3. "Getting Together" (Mingus)
4. "Prince Albert" (Dorham/Roach)
5. "Young Lee" (Konitz)

IV. "Cherokee"
1. "Blue Serge" (Chaloff)
2. "Brown Skins" (Gigi Gryce)
3. "Home Cookin' 11" (Charlie Parker)
4. "KO KO" (Charlie Parker)
5. "Marshmallow" (Warne Marsh)
6. "Parker 5 1" (Jimmy Raney)
7. "Serenade to a Square" (Bud Powell)
8. "Warmin' Up a Riff' (Charlie Parker)

9. "You Gotta Dig It to Dig It" (Byrd)

V. ''Confiation"
1. "As I Live and Bopy' (Getz)
2. "Denial" (Davis)
3. "I Know" (Rollins)
4. "Juicy Lucy" (Silver)
5. " Strivers Row" (Rollins)

VI. "Fine and Dandy"

I. "Bebop Romp" (Fats Navarro)
2. "Blue Boy" (Tristano)
3. "Double Date" (Rugolo)
4. "Keen and Peachy" (BurnsIRogers)
5. "Sax of a Kind" (KoniWMarsh)
6. "Westwood Walk." (Mulligan)

VII. "Honeysuckle Rose"

1. "Cindy's Tune" (Pepper Adarns)-
2. "Cuban Holiday" (Wooten)
3. "Kicks" (Nat Cole)
4. "Lester Blows Again" (Lester Young)
5. "Marmaduke" (Charlie Parker)
6. "Plain Jane" ( Rollins)
7. "Up On Teddy's Hill" (Christian)
8. "Scrapple from the Apple" (Charlie Parker) (Rhythm bridge)

VIII. "Sweet Georgia Brown''

1. "Dig" ("Donna") (McLean)
2. " Stoptime" (Silver)
3. "Teapot" (J.J. Johnson)
4. "Bright Mississippi" (Monk)
5. "Sweet C!iRord" (Clifford Brown)
6. "Swing House" (Muiligan)
 IX. "Back Home Again in Indiana"
1. ''Donna Lee" (Charlie Parker)
2. "Ice
.,
Freezes Red" (Fats Navarro)
3. "Naptown U. S.A." (J.J. Johnson)
4. "Deliberation" (Tristano)
5. "No Figs" (Tristano)

X. "What Is This Thing Called Love"

1. "Barry's Bop" (Fats Navarro)
2. "Hot House" (Tadd Dameron)
3. " 100 Proof' (J.J. Johnson)
4. "Flat Blaclr" (J.J. Johnson)
5. " Subconscious-Lee" (Tristano)
6. "Fifth Avenue" (Coltrane)

XI. "Love Me or Leave Me"

1. "Lullaby of Birdland" (Shearing)
2. "Night on Bop Mountain" (Winding)
3. " Overtime" ( Rugolo)
4. "Segment/DiverseY'(Charlie Parker)
5. "Minor March" (McLean)
6. "Minor's Holiday" (Dorham)

XI. "Out of Nowhere"

1. "Casbah" (Tadd Dameron)
2. "Nostalgia" (Fats Navarro)
3. " Sans Souci" (Gigi Gryce)
4. "Round House" (Mulligan)
5. "Jayne" (Omette Coleman)

XIII. "Lady Be Good"

1. "Fats Blows" (Fats Navarro)
2. "The Fox Hunt" (Abene)
3. "Rifftide" (Hawkins)
4. "Two Fathers" (Moody)
-
5. "Hackensack." (Monk)
6. "In a Rush" (Moody)

XIV. "How High the Moon"

1. "More Moon7' (Rogers)
2. "Indiana Winter" (FeatherIMoore)
3. "Lennie-Bird" (Tristano)
4. "Luminescence" (Barry Harris)
5. "Ornithology" (Benny Harris)
6. "Satellite" (Coltrane)

XV. "Pennies from Heaven"

1. "Stop" (Lanphere)
2. "Hi Becic" (Konitz)
3. "Lemie's Pennies" (Tristano)
3. "Froggy Day" (Ronnie Bail)
5. "East Thirty-Second" (Tristano)