Charile Parker’s Creation: The Case of Red Cross and Moose the Mooche

Abstract

This article intends to study Melodic Line and Chord Progression present in Red Cross and Moose the Mooche, both of which are composed by one of the most prominent Bebop musicians, Charlie Parker. Their contexts are Bebop. Similarly, both have been employed a Contrafact used in George Gershwin’s I’ve Got Rhythm, of which Chord Progression is Rhythm Changes. It has been found the Red Cross’s Melodic Line has employed the concepts of Motif Repetition, Rhythmic Repetition and Symmetrical, while Moose the Mooche Chromatic, Target Notes, Enclosure and Syncopation. In terms of Chord Progression, there are a few of movements in Red Cross’s measure A, while there is a vivid interplay between the ii-V Chord Progression and the Circle of Fifths in Moose the Mooche’s B measure.
Contrafact, Melodic Line and Chord Progression are the important concepts found in Parker’s pieces, which are Red Cross and Moose the Mooche in this case. Those concepts hugely influenced Parker and his role in Bebop musical scene.