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Bebop orbop is a style ofjazz developed in the early to mid-1940s in the United States. It is characterized by a fast tempo, complexchord progressions—with rapid chord changes,changes of key, and substitute chords—along with virtuosicimprovisation based on a combination ofharmonic structure, scales, and occasional references to themelody.
Bebop developed as the younger generation of jazz musicians expanded the creative possibilities of jazz beyond the popular, dance-orientedswing music-style to a new "musician's music" that was not as danceable and demanded close listening. As bebop was not intended for dancing, it enabled the musicians to play at faster tempos. Bebop musicians explored advanced harmonies, complexsyncopation,altered chords,extended chords, chord substitutions, asymmetrical phrasing, and intricate melodies. Bebop groups usedrhythm sections in a way that expanded their role. Whereas the key ensemble of the swing music era was thebig band of 16–18 musicians playing in an ensemble-based style, the classic bebop group was a small combo that consisted ofsaxophone (alto or tenor),trumpet,piano,guitar,double bass, anddrums playing music in which the ensemble played a supportive role for soloists. Rather than play heavily arranged music, bebop musicians typically played the melody of a composition (called the "head") with the accompaniment of the rhythm section, followed by a section in which each of the performers improvised a solo, then returned to the melody at the end of the composition.
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