Confirmation (composition)

Confirmation is a bebop standard composed by saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1945. It is known as a challenging number due to its long, complex head and rapid chord changes, which feature an extended cycle of fifths (see Bird changes). Jazz educator Dariusz Terefenko has pointed out the speed and intricacy of "Confirmation's" "harmonic rhythm" (the rate and manner in which chords change underneath the melody), which he notes is typical of the bebop era.[1]

The first recording of "Confirmation" was made by Dizzy Gillespie at a small group session for Dial Records by producer Ross Russell in February 1946 at which Parker was not present. Parker did not record a studio version of "Confirmation" until July 1953. However, Parker did play the piece frequently during live performances, and at least five live recordings of Parker performing "Confirmation" are known to exist. The earliest of these is a 1947 performance with Gillespie at Carnegie Hall.[2][3]

The musicologist Henry Martin extensively analyses the piece in his 2020 book Charlie Parker, Composer. Martin wrote that the piece "may be Parker's finest display of compositional skill" and describes it as "combining wit, intricacy, and an originality of construction that Parker was unable to equal again".[2] Gary Giddins describes it as an irresistibly bright and songful piece.[4]

Martin Williams, writing in Down Beat Magazine in 1965, described "Confirmation" as a "continuous and linear invention"—in contrast to the construction of typical pop or jazz compositions, it skips along beautifully with no repeats. The last eight bars however form a type of repeat to finish the melodic line. Williams praised its ingenious and delightful melody.[5] Brian Priestley in his biography of Parker, Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker, writes that the first eight, the middle eight and the last eight bars are extremely closely related and finds that "it is instructive how one small difference necessitates another small difference which necessitates yet another small difference" in order to "maintain a perfect balance".[6]

Ted Gioia included "Confirmation" in his 2012 analysis of jazz standards, The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. Gioia wrote that he marvels at "a piece that can sound so highly structured and spontaneous at the same time". Gioia wrote that "Confirmation" and Parker's "Donna Lee" could "almost serve a primer in modern jazz phrase construction".[7]

The jazz singer Sheila Jordan sang a vocal version of "Confirmation", with lyrics by Skeeter Spight and Leroy Mitchell.[6] Thelonious Monk would give his prospective piano students "Confirmation" and tell them to learn it in different keys.[8]

Relation to song 'Twilight Time'

"Confirmation" is a partial contrafact of the 1944 song "Twilight Time" by Al Nevins and Buck Ram. Both pieces use an "AABA" thirty-two bar form, and the "A" sections of "Confirmation" closely match the harmonic progression of "Twilight Time." For the "B" section, Parker wrote his own chord changes that depart significantly from those of the "B" section of "Twilight Time."[2]

Partial list of recordings

See also

References
  1. Dariusz Terefenko (26 March 2014). Jazz Theory: From Basic to Advanced Study. Routledge. pp. 229–. ISBN 978-1-135-04301-8.
  2. Henry Martin (2020). Charlie Parker, Composer. Oxford University Press. p. 94. ISBN 978-0-19-092338-9.
  3. The Dial Recordings of Charlie Parker: A Discography. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1998. p. 185. ISBN 978-0-313-29168-5.
  4. Gary Giddins (1 September 2013). Celebrating Bird: The Triumph of Charlie Parker. University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 978-1-4529-4079-3.
  5. Lawrence O. Koch (1988). Yardbird Suite: A Compendium of the Music and Life of Charlie Parker. Popular Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-87972-260-9.
  6. Brian Priestley (2006). Chasin' the Bird: The Life and Legacy of Charlie Parker. Oxford University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-19-532709-0.
  7. Ted Gioia (27 September 2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. OUP USA. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-19-993739-4.
  8. Robin Kelley (8 December 2009). Thelonious Monk: The Life and Times of an American Original. Simon and Schuster. p. 386. ISBN 978-1-4391-9049-4.
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