Be-bop Bebopped
As such things usually do, it began on Manhattan's 52nd Street. A bandleader named John ("Dizzy") Gillespie, "looking for a way to emphasize the more beautiful notes in swing," explained: "When you hum it, you just naturally say 'bebop, be-de-bop.' " What be-bop amounts to: hot jazz overheated, with overdone lyrics full of bawdiness, references to narcotics, and doubletalk.
Today the bigwig of be-bop is a scat named Harry ("The Hipster") Gibson, who in moments of supreme pianistic ecstasy throws his feet on the keyboard. No. 2 man is Bulee ("Slim") Gaillard,...
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