Music Background and Compositional Overview

Chapter 1 begins with a discussion of Parker’s life, emphasizing his musical background, his early musical training, and his experiences that bear directly on his future as a jazz saxophonist. This overview tracks Parker’s growing professional stature as well as his role in the development of bebop style. Once Parker achieves significant professional success as a member of the Jay McShann Orchestra (1940–1942), the emphasis in the narrative shifts to his career as a composer. The relationships between Parker and his record companies, which secured his copyrights as publisher, are explored. The chapter ends by discussing his unrecorded compositions, including the possibility that they are not by Parker.