Charlie Parker and “Honeysuckle Rose”

One of the most intriguing items in the Charlie Parker discography is his first recording, a medley of “Honeysuckle Rose” and “Body and Soul” performed as an alto saxophone solo. Probably recorded in 1940, “Honeysuckle Rose” is unique: a multichorus solo from early in his career. For the first time we hear Parker confronting the problem of embedding a well-known swing standard inside the personal network of improvisational formulas necessary for multichorus fluency at a bright tempo. While previous studies have differentiated between formula and motive in Parker improvisation, this paper investigates the roots of the distinction in his first recording. The paper begins with two readings of the chorus of “Honeysuckle Rose” to introduce elements of voice leading and motive in the tune itself. The first reading, based on Schenkerian principles, is one I think Steve Larson would have agreed with. I then present a second reading with a modified Schenkerian approach and compare it with the first reading. I continue with a general discussion of formula in improvisation and its relation to motive and voice leading. The final part of the paper relates these issues to Parker’s solo recording of “Honeysuckle Rose.”