Jazz Changes

Charlie Parker, music · Lyrics later added by Eddie Jefferson and Jon Hendricks · First recorded for Savoy, New York

Billie's Bounce

Billie's Bounce is a 12-bar blues in F that Charlie Parker wrote and recorded in 1945. Its chords are a standard bebop blues, so they carry over to many other tunes. You will hear it at jam sessions and on records by horn players, pianists, guitarists and singers.

▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.

  1. 1 Learn the song Charlie Parker's Re-Boppers
  2. 2 Hear it live Charlie Parker Quintet
  3. 3 Hear the chords without horns Bud Powell Trio
  4. 4 Hear it on tenor saxophone Dexter Gordon Quartet
  5. 5 Hear it with guitar Wes Montgomery
  6. 6 Hear a long blowing session The Red Garland Quintet
  7. 7 Hear it sung Eddie Jefferson
  8. 8 Hear a long modern trio reading Keith Jarrett Trio

How the tune works

F majorusual key
12 barsBlues chorus form
Fkey centers

Each chorus is 12 bars in F. Bars 1 to 4 sit on F7, with B♭7 in bar 2. Bars 5 and 6 move to B♭7 and bar 7 comes home to F7. Bar 8 uses Am7 and D7 to lead into bars 9 and 10, a Gm7 and C7 pair that points back to F7. Bar 11 returns to F7 and adds D7 for its last two beats. Bar 12 turns around with Gm7 and C7 so the next chorus can start. Every solo is one or more of these 12-bar choruses, and the 1945 record plays the theme twice before the solos.

A published lead sheet, checked against Parker's four solo choruses on the 1945 Savoy record as transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database. Fake books differ in places.

Key F major
Abars 1–12
Bar 1: F7
Bar 2: B♭7
Bar 3: F7
Bar 4: F7
Bar 5: B♭7
Bar 6: B♭7
Bar 7: F7
Bar 8: Am7D7
Bar 9: Gm7
Bar 10: C7
Bar 11: F7D7
Bar 12: Gm7C7

Bar 6: the Learn Jazz Standards sheet writes B°7; other published sheets and Parker's 1945 record stay on B♭7, as drawn here. On the record Parker's solo holds F7 in bar 11 and plays C7 alone in bar 12. Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.

Source: Learn Jazz Standards: Billie's Bounce chord chart (C instruments), checked against the Weimar Jazz Database

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path runs from Parker's own record and a live version through a piano trio, a tenor quartet, a guitar date and a hard-bop quintet to a singer and a long modern trio. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to try.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    Charlie Parker's Re-Boppers 1945

    F major · 4/4 · swing

    Listen for
    A piano plays an introduction, then alto saxophone and trumpet play the theme together for two choruses. After that, count the four 12-bar choruses Parker plays on his own.
    Try this
    Play along at your own speed with one chord per bar: F7, B♭7, F7, F7, B♭7, B♭7, F7, Am7 D7, Gm7, C7, F7 D7, Gm7 C7. Say "one" aloud on bar 1 of each chorus so you hear where it comes back.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear it live Now playing

    Charlie Parker Quintet 1946

    “Billie's Bounce (Live At The Finale Club, 1946)”, Yardbird In Lotus Land

    Listen for
    Play step 1 and this track back to back. Listen for the phrases Parker repeats from the Savoy record and the ones he changes.
    Try this
    Hum the theme once with this track, then play it on your instrument. The track runs under four minutes, so you can repeat it several times.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear the chords without horns Now playing

    Bud Powell Trio 1957

    Bud Plays Bird

    Listen for
    There are no horns, so the piano carries both the theme and the harmony. Follow the bar count with the bass and drums.
    Try this
    Pick one chorus and play only the root of each chord, one per bar, with the record. Then play each root with its chord symbol, like F7 or Gm7, to hear the colors.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear it on tenor saxophone Now playing

    Dexter Gordon Quartet 1975

    Bouncin' with Dex

    Listen for
    Compare the tenor saxophone's sound with Parker's alto in step 1. At eight minutes the tune runs through many 12-bar choruses, so keep the count.
    Try this
    Play the chord tones of each bar's chord (root, 3rd, 5th, 7th) as four quarter notes, one chord per bar. If that is too much, play only the roots and thirds. Playing a real solo over the changes is a bigger step, so treat this as a warm-up.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear it with guitar Now playing

    Wes Montgomery (The Montgomery Brothers and 5 Others) 1957

    The Montgomery Brothers and 5 Others

    Listen for
    Eight players share this track. Pick out the guitar whenever it enters and compare its tone with the saxophones, trumpet and vibraphone.
    Try this
    Play the chords with a steady four beats per bar for two choruses with the record, saying the chord names aloud. Then play only the root on beats 1 and 3.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a long blowing session Now playing

    The Red Garland Quintet (with John Coltrane and Donald Byrd) 1957

    Dig It!

    Listen for
    Trumpet, tenor saxophone and piano all take solos over nine and a half minutes. Count how many 12-bar choruses each player uses.
    Try this
    Write the 12 chords on paper, one box per bar, and follow along with a finger for a whole solo without losing the place. A harder version is to play one chorus of your own over the chords.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear it sung Now playing

    Eddie Jefferson (with the Johnny Griffin Quintet) 1962

    “Billie's Bounce (Take 4)”, Letter From Home

    Listen for
    A singer follows the tune with words. Replay step 1 and compare where the sung phrases fall against the horn lines.
    Try this
    Sing the theme on a syllable like "doo" for one chorus with the record. Then speak any short line of your own words over the 12 bars to feel how a lyric fits the form.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a long modern trio reading Now playing

    Keith Jarrett Trio 1986

    “Billie's Bounce (Live)”, Still Live

    Listen for
    Compare this trio with Bud Powell's in step 3. Listen for how long the group stays on the 12-bar pattern and how the piano, bass and drums share the solo space.
    Try this
    Play the chords in your left hand or on guitar, one per bar, for two full choruses with the record. Tap the first beat of bar 1 each time the form comes back.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

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