Bebop featured fast tempos, dissonant melodies, altered chords, and virtuosic solos.
In the 1940s, jazz underwent a revolution with the emergence of bebop, a style that departed from swing, seeking greater musical complexity and freedom. Bebop featured fast tempos, dissonant melodies, altered chords, and virtuosic solos. Bebop was a more intellectual and less commercial style than swing, reflecting African-American musicians’ social and political discontent. Influential musicians of this period included Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Bud Powell.