ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes three blues progressions from the Bebop Era and proposes additional approaches to blues improvisation. During the Bebop period, the blues underwent significant harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic developments. The melody in the bebop blues ceased to be purely vocal in character and became more virtuosic with an influx of idiomatic chromaticism. The rhythmic organization of the bebop blues experienced some considerable developments particularly in the use of intricate syncopations, metric displacements, cross rhythms, double-time figures, and others. Along with the transformation of harmony, melody and rhythm, the Bebop blues also saw some remarkable changes concerning the ways jazz musicians approached improvisation. Instead of focusing on mere chord arpeggiations, occasional chromaticism and blue notes embellishments, bebop musicians emphasized a more horizontal approach to soloing, which resulted in the plasticity of harmonic rhythm and the infusion of idiomatic chromaticism. There are a few significant differences between "Billie's Bounce" and the basic blues progression.
