Charlie Parker, music · First recorded in New York, 1951
Blues for Alice
Blues for Alice is a 12-bar blues in F that Charlie Parker recorded in 1951. Its chords chain ii–V pairs from the second bar, which gives players a lot to navigate. Roland Kirk, Al Haig, Mark Whitfield and Anthony Braxton have all recorded it.
▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.
- 1 Learn the song Charlie Parker Quintet✓
- 2 Hear the changes without horns Al Haig Trio✓
- 3 Hear a reed player's quartet Roland Kirk Quartet✓
- 4 Hear a two-horn quintet Louis Smith Quintet✓
- 5 Hear a guitar-led quartet Mark Whitfield✓
- 6 Hear it with only sax and bass Archie Shepp & Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen✓
- 7 Follow the form through a long live version Anthony Braxton Quartet✓
How the tune works
Each chorus is 12 bars in F. Bar 1 is a major seventh chord on F. A basic blues moves straight from F7 to B♭7, and here bars 2 to 4 take a longer road to B♭7, a chain of ii–V pairs: Em7♭5 and A7, Dm7 and G7, Cm7 and F7. Bar 5 arrives on B♭7. Bar 6 moves to B♭m7 and E♭7. Bars 7 and 8 step down by half steps, with Am7 and D7 followed by A♭m7 and D♭7, and that lands on Gm7 in bar 9. Bars 9 and 10 are Gm7 and C7, a plain ii–V in F. Bars 11 and 12 turn around with Fmaj7 and Dm7, then Gm7 and C7, and the next chorus starts on F again.
The changes under Charlie Parker's alto solo on his 1951 record, transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database. Some charts write A7 in bar 2 and D7 in bar 11.
Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.
Source: Weimar Jazz Database: Charlie Parker, Blues for Alice
Listen in this order
Play all 7 on YouTube ↗The path starts with Parker's 1951 record, then moves through a piano trio, a reed player's quartet, a two-horn quintet, a guitar quartet, a sax and bass duo and a 13-minute live quartet. Each step gives you one thing to hear and one thing to try.
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Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing
Charlie Parker Quintet 1951
The Magnificent Charlie Parker
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- Listen for
- Parker's alto solo starts at 0:18 and runs three 12-bar choruses. Follow the chart and listen for the chords changing every bar or two as he plays.
- Try this
- Play the root of each chord from the chart along with the record, one note per bar, or two notes in the bars that show two chords. If that is easy, play the root and the third of each chord.
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Step 2 · Hear the changes without horns Now playing
Al Haig Trio 1977
Reminiscence
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- Listen for
- With only piano, bass and drums, the chords are in the open. Follow the chart bar by bar and notice how often the harmony changes.
- Try this
- Play the chart on piano or guitar along with the record, using two-note shapes (the root plus the third or seventh), one chord per bar and two in the split bars.
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Step 3 · Hear a reed player's quartet Now playing
Roland Kirk Quartet 1961
We Free Kings
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- Listen for
- This is the shorter master take, about four minutes. Compare how a quartet led by one reed player covers the 12 bars with Parker's quintet in step 1.
- Try this
- Learn the first four bars of the chart: Fmaj7, Em7♭5 A7♭9, Dm7 G7, Cm7 F7. Play them as a loop until the changes come on time, then play along with the opening of the record.
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Step 4 · Hear a two-horn quintet Now playing
Louis Smith Quintet 1993
Silvering
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- Listen for
- At just over seven minutes, the 12-bar form repeats many times. Count the choruses with the chart and note when the trumpet and the tenor saxophone each take a turn.
- Try this
- Play the roots of the chart through one full chorus along with the record. Then try a second chorus with the root and the third of each chord.
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Step 5 · Hear a guitar-led quartet Now playing
Mark Whitfield 1994
True Blue
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- Listen for
- At about four minutes the track fits only a few choruses. Follow the chart and listen for the guitar and the piano, the two instruments in the group that can play chords.
- Try this
- Play the chart's chords in any voicing you know, one per bar and two in the split bars, along with the record. If four-note chords are too much, use the root and the third.
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Step 6 · Hear it with only sax and bass Now playing
Archie Shepp & Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen 1980
Looking at Bird
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- Listen for
- With only a saxophone and a bass, no instrument is set up to play full chords. Follow the chart and listen for how the bass line points to each chord.
- Try this
- Play only the roots of the chart, one per chord, on any instrument, so the bass part carries the form. For a bigger step, add a walking line of four notes per bar that connects the roots.
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Step 7 · Follow the form through a long live version Now playing
Anthony Braxton Quartet 2003
20 Standards
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- Listen for
- Over 13 minutes the quartet has plenty of room to stretch the form. Try to keep your place in the 12-bar chorus with the chart, and notice where that gets harder.
- Try this
- Count the 12 bars out loud with the record, saying the chord names from the chart. Losing your place is part of this step; start the count again whenever you find your place.
More great versions
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Roland Kirk Quartet 1961
“Blues for Alice (alternate take)”, Mercury 40th Anniversary V.S.O.P. Album
The alternate take from the same August 1961 session.
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Supersax 1979
Dynamite!!
A saxophone-section ensemble with trumpet, trombone and rhythm section, from the 1979 Supersax album Dynamite!!
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Red Rodney 1988
“Blues for Alice (live)”, One for Bird
Recorded live in 1988 by Red Rodney, the trumpeter on Parker's 1951 record, with an alto saxophone, piano, bass and drums.
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Henning Sieverts Symmetry 2009
Blackbird
A 2009 album track by a bassist's group of trombone, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums.
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Massimo Colombo 2022
Electric Parker
A 2022 trio recording of Parker pieces with Fender Rhodes, bass and drums.