Through-Composed Blues in Other Keys

Chapter 6 discusses Parker’s through-composed blues that are not in C major. There are sixteen such pieces, with three of them not recorded by Parker. Among the best-known are “Bloomdido,” “Billie’s Bounce,” “Barbados,” “Au Privave,” and “Blues for Alice.” Most of Parker’s through-composed blues were written in C major (11 pieces). Ranking second and third among keys for pieces of this type are B♭ (7) and F (6); there are also three single-key pieces in A♭, E♭, and G. In all, through-composed blues comprise 27 pieces, easily the most extensive of Parker’s composing formats. Chapter 6 begins by examining the B♭ pieces, then continues with the ones in F and finishes with the single-key pieces.