22. Charlie Parker: Au Privave

Artist: Charlie Parker
Title: Au Privave
Album: Bird's Best Bop on Verve
Year Released: 1995
Record Label: Verve
Catalog #: 527452








Although "Au Privave" may not sound like a twelve bar blues at first, upon closer inspection, we can see how this song has been changed from a twelve bar blues into a more complicated jazz song. Charlie Parker has taken the twelve bar blues and incorporated "bebop" changes which include chord changes within the key of different chords and temporarily modulating to these keys (for example, for the section with a I chord in a twelve bar blues, Parker uses chords that are in the major mode of that chord, for the IV section he uses chords that are in the major mode of the IV chord, etc.). The most common chord change for a modulation includes a ii-V-I progression. A copy of the chord changes can be found here.

The key of the blues progression is F. The first three measures are spent in F major and incorporates a ii-V-I progression (Gmin7 to Cdom7 to F major). The fourth measure is spend using a ii-V progression in the key of Bb. The next two measures are spent in Bb major (with a ii-V progression of Ab major at the end to facilitate returning the F major). The seventh measure is in the key of F. The eighth measure is a ii-V of G major, but it deceptively resolves to Gmin7 in measure nine. Measure ten is the V chord of the twelve bar blues (Cdom7). The eleventh measure is in F major, and the twelfth measure is a ii-V of F.