Jazz Lines Publications
Presents
the jeffrey sultanof master edition

repetition
As recorded by charlie parker, 1950

Arranged by neal heftiedited by jeffrey sultanof

full scorefrom the original manuscript
jlp-8037

Music by Neal Hefti© 1947 (Renewed) WB MUSIC CORP.
This Arrangement © 2010 WB MUSIC CORP.
All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Layout, Design, and Logos © 2010 HERO ENTERPRISES INC. DBA JAZZ LINES PUBLICATIONS AND EJAZZLINES.COM

Jazz Lines Publications
PO Box 1236
Saratoga Springs NY 12866 USAcharlie parker with strings seriesrepetition (1950)
Background:
When Billie Holiday signed a new recording contract with Decca Records in 1944, she told producer Milt Gabler she
wanted to record with strings. Anxious to establish Holiday as a pop singer, Gabler hired six string players for her firstsession, and the first song recorded was Lover Man, one of her biggest hits. Several years later, when Charlie Parker signedwith impresario/manager Norman Granz' label Clef, Parker asked for strings as well.
Granz was obviously keeping costs down, as only five string players
were hired for the first session (1949), but these were the very top
New York session players; some were members of the NBC symphony conducted by Arturo Toscanini. As much as he'd dreamed ofplaying with strings, reportedly Parker walked out of a few sessions
without playing a note (the number has never been authenticated). Helater explained that the sound of the strings and the thought of working with such distinguished musicians scared him; he thought they weregreater artists than he. What finally took place was sheer magic. Theparts for the string players were relatively easy, so they listened andenjoyed Parker's improvisations. The arrangements for the first studiosession were done by Jimmy Carroll and recorded on November 30,1949. On July 5, 1950 there was another studio recording session, thistime with arrangements by Joe Lippman. This second date featured alarger ensemble including oboe, French horn, 4 violins, 2 violas, cello, harp, guitar, piano, bass, and drums. Parker also appearedwith his string group on at least 4 live occassions: Birdland (August, 1950 and March and April, 1951), Apollo Theater (August1950), Carnegie Hall (September, 1950), Rockland Palace Dance Hall (September, 1952). In 1952 Parker recorded an additional 4 arrangements by Lippman featuring a full big band with a string section.
Parker would later say that the studio recordings with his string ensemble were his favorites of his own work, despite jazzcritics' condescending reactions and their claims that he was 'selling out.' As it turns out, he was selling 'in.' The albums soldwell, and brought Parker to a whole new audience. As far as his own playing, many of his solos on this first album were lovely
and inspired. Just Friends is one of Parker's finest records and his solo is remarkable; I can't be the only one who can sing itby heart at a moment's notice. It is a pity that none of the alternate takes seem to have survived.
The story is well known now, but for many years the facts were hazy. Norman Granz commissioned recordings from aselect group of composers, bandleaders and soloists, including Billy Strayhorn, Machito, George Handy, Charlie Parker andNeal Hefti (one side had been in the can for some years: Nat Cole and Lester Young). The project would be called The Jazz
Scene, the first of a series of albums where some of the most influential jazz creators of the time would contribute arecording unavailable anywhere else. As it turned out, Granz could not get everyone he wanted because some artists
already had record deals. The album finally came out in early 1950 as a limited edition 78 RPM album that cost $25.00; it
was later reissued as a regularly-priced long-play release.

The musician’s union was about to strike again in 1948; no union musicians would make recordings from January until theend of October, so record labels were furiously stockpiling recordings by their artists at the end of 1947. Recording studios
were busy twenty-four hours a day. Granz needed some recordings for his album, so he booked the two studios at
Carnegie Hall, the smaller room for Charlie Parker (where he recorded The Bird), the larger room for Neal Hefti and a fullorchestra. Granz brought Parker down to Hefti’s session and asked Neal if he could use Bird. Hefti suggested that Parker
be added to the repeat of the tune he was recording, Repetition. Without seeing the music beforehand, Parker improviseda solo over the ensemble, which amazed the many who were there.

The Music:
This version of Repetition is well known to us via the 1950 live recordingfrom a Carnegie Hall concert. It was a given that when Bird was assemblinga book for a touring edition of Charlie Parker with Strings, Repetition would
be included. For many years it was also a given that Hefti arranged thisversion. However, some historians have questioned this, and examinationof the parts adds to the mystery (the score is missing).The new arrangement
has a two-bar ending that is different harmonically than the orchestral
recording; changes are written in by hand by the players to conform tothe record. Why would Hefti change the ending of his composition? Nealhimself was never asked about this, but he did tell me that the originalscore for Repetition was thrown out in the late 1970s with the rest of hismusic library. He was moving to Massachusetts so that his wife, singer
Frances Wayne, would spend her last years with her family, and since she
had cancer, nothing else mattered.
Bowings have been reproduced here from the hand-written notations on the original parts, one of which even has fingerings.

Notes to the Conductor:
It is instructive that on the 1950 Carnegie Hall recording, the ensemble drags at times. The tempo is somewhat faster thanon the original Hefti track, and the larger the string section, the more chances of the strings playing behind the beat at thefaster tempo. Both tempi have their individual challenges, but at whatever speed, the string figures need to be cleanly played
and must not drag. In my experience, the figure at bar 39 works best played at the tip of the bow; the original parts havespiccato here, but this has been crossed out in the 1st violin.

Jeffrey Sultanof- November 2010

the jeffrey sultanof master edition

JlP-8037

jazz Lines pubLications

repetition(as recorded by Charlie Parker)

Scorebright latin[1]
Alto Sax.

Oboe = 170(Strings)   Music by Neal Hefti
Arranged By Neal Hefti
Edited by Jeffrey Sultanof                

mfViolin A    





mf


   

Violin B

mf




   

Violin C

mf  Viola    Cello
mf


mf


   












[Cn,Dn,Es,Fn,Gn,An,Bf]

Harp      

Guitar

E b>9
 ’A b7(#5)
 ’’
 ’

mf    mf



E b>9
    A b7(#5)
     Bass’A b7(#5)
  
PianoE b>9’D b>9

 ’

ã
1œ
œ


mf

œœœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ 

B >9

 ’E7(#5)
 ’ ’

A >9

 ’

D7(#5)
 ’ ’’


 ’

 ’’


 ’

 ’

B >9


E7(#5) A >9D7(#5)
  





’

D b>9G b7(#5)
  


D b>9


mfDrum Set/Vibes

’G b7(#5)
 ’’

G b7(#5)
  


B >9
‘
2E7(#5)   

A >93D7(#5)   
(4)

‘‘
4

© 1947 (Renewed) WB MUSIC CORP.
This Arrangement © 2010 WB MUSIC CORP.
All Rights Reserved
Used by Permission of ALFRED MUSIC PUBLISHING CO., INC.
Layout, Design, and Logos © 2010 HERO ENTERPRISES INC. DBA JAZZ LINES PUBLICATIONS AND EJAZZLINES.COM’repetition

jazz Lines pubLications

JlP-8037

Score - Page 2[A]A. Sx.

Ob.

    Vln. A    Vln. B  

Vln. C     Vla.

Vc.



        














  

  












Hp.

(Sim. Latin Feel)

Gtr.



G >9
 ’
  (Sim. Latin Feel)’’’’’’’’’’’

C7(#5) 



C7(#5) G >9Pno.

    

G >9
Bass D. S.

’C7(#5)’ã
5œœ    œ œ œ œœ œ œ  



œœ



’

F >9’

’’’’’

’’’’’

F >9


  

F >9
  

‘œ
6







’’’’



B b7(#5)
 B b7(#5)
 (4)‘7’

B b7(#5)’‘8