Critical Listening #7: Salt Peanuts

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie is commonly acknowledged as one of the major forces behind the bebop movement. Gillespie was a talented trumpeter who worked with Charlie Parker (generally considered one of the most gifted alto saxophonists in jazz history). This piece, entitled "Salt Peanuts" is a quirky tune written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1942. This recording is by Dizzy Gillespie and His All-Stars and was made on May 11, 1945 in New York City for Guild Records. It features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet, Charlie Parker on alto sax, Al Haig on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Sid Catlett on drums. 

8 bar drum intro

8 bar band intro

8 bar A

8 bar A 

8 bar B 

8 bar A 

8 bar C?

8 bar A by Parker (vocals by Dizzy)

8 bar A by Parker (vocals by Dizzy) 

8 bar solo over B by Parker

8 bar A by Parker (vocals by Dizzy)

8 bar (1 chorus) piano solo

8 bar C?

32 bar (4 chorus) piano solo

32 bar (4 chorus) alto solo

8 bar call and response between trumpet and alto

32 bar (4 chorus) trumpet solo

24 bar (3 chorus) drum solo

8 bar ending (same as band intro) 

This tune is clearly a bebop piece. It is very easy to see the differences between this song and pieces from the swing era. For one the tempo is even faster than a swing tune and the tune doesn't really seem to imply that you should be dancing although it does make you want to move. The melodies are also extremely angular and don't swing in the way we're used to. This tune does retain the typical 8 bar phrases and is AABA. It also has a very heavy four beat feel. 

Every member of this band except the bassist takes a solo at some point. Charlie Parker first solos over the B part of the second chorus. He later takes a 4 chorus solo. Both of these solos are marvelous. Parker brings his warm tone on the alto sax to an otherwise angular and almost harsh piece. But with his excellent feeling for time and ability to play at a high speed, Parker never once drops the energy of the piece. Because of the almost perpetual fast notes, the few longer notes Parker plays have so much more feeling than they would have otherwise. For me, this solo exemplifies the saying, "Slow is smooth, smooth is fast". Parker may play a lot of notes but each one of them is given the proper attention. 

Dizzy Gillespie also takes a four chorus solo. His solo is much more "in your face" than Parker's. Like Parker, Dizzy plays at an impressive speed with a finesse that is remarkable. His sound is much more "brassy" and therefore comes off as harder than Parker's. He also has a tendency to sit on long, high notes even though they are sometimes dissonant to the underlying chords. This causes a tension in the music that carries over into the drum solo. 

Sid Catlett's solo is all about energy. It's all about hitting as much and as hard as possible. He uses a series of rim taps and even for about half a chorus falls back into just keeping time. This solo pushes the song towards its end and keeps it driving hard the entire time. 

Al Haig plays an 8 bar solo and then later plays a 4 chorus solo. His 8 bar solo is almost just a rhythm case showcase as Haig doesn't really elaborate beyond the chords of the piece. However, in his 4 chorus solo he expands the harmony of the chords. In typical bebop fashion, his left hand is rather sparse. We can hear it clearly near the end of his solo, but he never really plays more than the chord progression in the left hand. His right hand performs a series of runs and riffs at the same speed as the other soloists, although Haig uses syncopation very strongly so his riffs are not as never-ending as Parker's seem to be. 

This tune showcases some important bebop features. The rhythm section is much more audible (partially because of the small size of the group) and much more active. The bass keeps the walking bass line grooving and the drummer provides interesting hits to set up new choruses. We can hear the pianist comping short, sharp chord progressions under the melody. Interestingly enough, we also hear some call and response between the trumpet and sax. 

"Salt Peanuts" is a great piece to show the contrast between bebop and swing as well as their similarities.