Jonathan Booker
Ko [C]o (after Charlie Parker's "Ko Ko")
2019 for two violoncelli
Commissioned by 2CellosKC
Program Notes When Meredith and Susie approached me about composing a piece for 2CellosKC, we talked about creating something that paid homage to Kansas City’s rich history of jazz. Charlie Parker, who was born in Kansas City, Kansas and began his career performing in the city’s numerous jazz clubs, immediately came to mind. The story of “Ko Ko,” one of Parker’s first masterpieces, is as unique and colorful as Kansas City itself. In fact, it was never even meant to exist. When entering the WOR studios in New York on November 26, 1945, Parker and his band made up of Miles Davis, Sadik Hakim, Curly Russell, and Max Roach intended to record “Cherokee,” a tune that was likely introduced to Parker by fellow Kansas City musicians Count Basie and Lester Young. The first problem that arose on that day was that the pianist, Sadik Hakim, lacked a New York City union affiliation and therefore could not perform on the record. Parker’s mentor, Dizzy Gillespie, who was in the studio originally as a spectator, subbed in for Hakim. Fascinatingly, this change in personnel led to a controversy that persists to this day over whether it was Gillespie or Miles Davis who played trumpet on the recording. The second problem came thirty-three seconds into the band’s first take of “Cherokee,” as producer Teddy Reig announced that the studio would not pay royalties for the tune, so it could not be recorded. As a replacement, Parker, using the skills that he had developed in Kansas City, improvised over the chord structure of “Cherokee,” and, thus, “Ko Ko” was born. To create Ko [C]o, my own reflection on Parker’s tune, I extracted segments from his highly virtuosic solo and used them to invent new melodic gestures with varying degrees of identifiability with the original. I then placed them on a twelve-bar blues framework—a hallmark of the Kansas City style. Finally, I ask the cellists on several occasions to make sounds on their instruments using slightly unorthodox means as a way of harkening back to the truly bizarre way in which Charlie Parker brought “Ko Ko” to life. Ko [Co] was commissioned in 2019 by 2CellosKc.
Performance Instructions Gradually change from one sound or technique to another. This is used with changes between sul ponticello and ordinary bow positions. Snap (Bartók) pizzicato Approximate duration: 1 1/2 minutes
for 2CellosKC
Ko [C]o (after Charlie Parker's "Ko Ko")
Jonathan Booker (2019) h = 112
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ˙ w ˙ n˙ sul pont.
Tense, agitated
Violoncello I
> ? C b œœ ç
Œ
π
pizz.
Violoncello II
?
5
Vc I
? C œ̆
Œ
ç
# >œ
Vc II
Vc I
?
Vc II
Vc II
ç
? #œ >œ ç ?
14
Vc I
b >œ
?
sul pont.
w
˙
π
arco
U ∑
p
ord.
U ∑
#˙
f
p
ord.
U ∑
p
ƒ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -̇ sul pont.
w
Ó
π
ord.
˙
U ∑
p
ƒ
sul pont. ord. (subito) Ÿi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ bw w ˙. œ > flœ π ƒ
pizz.
9
Ó
π
Œ
ç
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ sul pont.
pizz.
? œ̆
f
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -̇ ˙ w ˙
Œ
ç
arco
ord.
arco
Œ
Ó
Œ
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ œ ˙ w w ˙. > π ƒ sul pont.
Brisk, but without straining (l'istesso tempo)
∑
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ œ J P
pizz. (strum multistops)
œ œ œ œ
œ
∑ bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
ord. (subito)
∑ œ œ œ œ
œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
Copyright © 2019 Jonathan Booker.
U ∑ U ∑
œ
fl
#œ œ
∑ œ
œ œ œ œ
f
#œ
p
sub.
œ
j œ
œ
F
F
2
?
18
Vc I
˙
˙
w
f
solo, free-floating
Vc II
?
?˙
22
Vc I
Vc II
? ?
26
Vc I
Vc II
?
Vc I
Vc II
P
ord.
?
œ
p
? Ó
œ # œ n œ.
p
Vc II
F
œ
secco
Œ
œ. œ. b œ. œ. # œ.
‰
b œœ œ J
œ œ œ œ
Œ
>œ
& j œ
˙
p
˙
F
b˙
œ
œ #œ œ œ
3
œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ
F
gl iss
j bœ
.
y
∑ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ œ œ œ
œ
œ
f
secco
Œ
Ó
f Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > œ œ bœ œ œ. wJ b ˙˙ #˙
#œ
Í
l.v.
˙
> S
gliss.
Y
sul pont. gliss.
œ
œ
F
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
Ó
ȯ P
Ó ∑
œ œ œ œ
Ó ˙ ˙ ˙
P
(on the string)
? bœ
Ó
l.v.
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ œ. œ
soulful, bluesy
f
∑
nœ œ œ œ œ œ J
ss. gli
gliss.
sul pont.
œ
œ
Ó
b˙
n œ. œ œ #œ ‰ œ . # œ. œ.
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ l.v.
j œ
ord.
œ œ œ œ
Œ
3
˙ ˙ ˙
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
S
ord.
? œœ œ b œ n œ œ œ
b œœ œ
Œ
œ bœ J
poco leggiero
33
Vc I
œ.
j bœ
j œ ‰ bœ Œ œ
bœ ‰ œ œ J
œ
w
F
œ Œ
P
œ œ œ œ
˙
sul pont.
˙
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ
œ œ œ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ
b˙
gliss.
œ
?Œ
30
œ œ œ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ œ J P
˙
f
ƒ œ
b œ . œ. ˙ J ∑
‰
?
38
Vc I
Vc II
?
n œ- œ œ œ bœ œ bœ œ #œ nœ œ œ J œ
œ.
P
œ. ? œ Œ J
Vc II
?
Vc II
‰
œ
P œ.
j Ó œ l.v.
œo œ
? J Œ J J ‰ p delicato
46
Vc I
F
?
. œo
solo, silky smooth
.
Vc I
Vc II
œo 50 ? J Œ
œo œ
J J ‰
? ˙ ?
˙
55
Vc I
Vc II
B
j bœ
œ. œ.
bœ
gliss.
b œ. œ
œ.
# œ. œ.
œ Œ J
œ
˙
j j œ œ ‰ œ- œ
3
œ
sul pont. gli ss.
S œo
Œ Ó
f
3
œ œ bœ
# œ. œ.
œ.
j Ó œ l.v.
P
f
b˙
œ œ
œ #œ œ
j #œ
F
œ- n œ. # œ.
bœ œ œ 3
œ.
3
ord.
∑
# œ!
p
œ œ
p
. œo œ œo J J ‰
gliss.
with some attitude
œ œ ‰ -
#œ œ
3
yŒ Ó Œ
5
arco
.
p
B
. .œ œ. b œ. œ. b œ
Œ
œo J Œ j œ
œ œ b œ. œ. œ. œ. œ.
sprightly
œ. ∑
˙
F
Œ Ó
∑ œ
œ
3
solo ends
Ó
˙
>œ
.
Œ
w
P
‰
‰
secco
. œo œo œ œo J Œ J J ‰
bœ
œ- œ
œ
> gliss. f
.
.
gliss.
f
œ œ œ Œ
. œo œo œ œo J Œ J J ‰
œo J ‰ Œ Ó
. œo
œ œ œ œ
œ.
∑
˙
˙
œ œ œ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ J
œ
œ- œ œ œ ‰ J J œ.
42
Vc I
œ œ œ œ
bœ ‰ œ Œ œ œ J p
œ #œ
. b œ. . œ . b œ . œ ‰ # œ. œ. œ p
j bœ
P
œ. œ.
œ œ . ‰ - bœ
a little weightier
n˙
˙
f
œ!
œ
!
gliss.
#œ
!
bœ œ œ œ œ œ
4
?
58
Vc I
Vc II
B
j #œ j #œ
Vc II
?
œ.
Vc II
P ‰
j #œ
Vc II
Vc I
Vc II
P
? ?
71
j œ.
Œ
-̇
‰
? b ˙-
æ p
# ˙æ
œ œ bœ nœ
p
sul pont.
w
æ
sul pont.
wæ
œ. J Œ
# œ.
n œ.
œ
b œ.
ord.
œ
æ
ord.
#œ
fl f
bœ
œ J
œ.
œ
ƒ
f
œ
˙.
œ.
œ #œ
œ
œ
œ
œ #œ
œ
œ
œ J
œ-
j œ- œ
boisterously
œ.
Œ b œ.
œ
bœ J
bœ œ œ b œ- œ
f ‰
œ.
œ œ bœ n˙
F
Ÿ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . . b œ. ˙ œ #œ œ
j #w
œ
f iŸ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
solo ends
˙
P
œ. J
œ.
boisterously
‰
#œ
bw œ.
œ. œ.
œ
P3
j ‰ b œ b œ-
œ
gliss.
œ b œ-
b œJ
œ bœ œ nœ
Œ
3
j j j œ. Œ b œ œ ‰ œ . -
J J
P
˙
j œ
b œ œ ‰ n œ.
œ bœ œ œ
œ
j œ œ œ ‰ œ b œJ
-
3
œ
3
‰ bœ œ n œ. œ. œ. bœ nœ nœ œ œ œ bœ œ ?
j #œ
œJ
‰
F
f
(on the string)
Vc I
Œ
œ.
?
?
œ #œ œ
œ bœ œ
∑
67
?œ
œ
3
64
Vc I
œ.
œ J
f
? œ. # œ. n œ.
bœ œ œ j ‰ #œ œ œ J 3
œ œ œ bœ ‰ nœ
61
Vc I
œ.
œ. Œ J
n œ. Œ J F
œ.
‰
œ
œ
j œ- œ
f
œ
‰ œ #œ œ bœ
b œ.
œ bœ œ œ œ #œ œ ‰
?
75
Vc I
Vc II
?
j œ
b œ.
P
Vc II
œ.
# œ.
œ #œ
?
# œ- . # œ J
œ #œ
arco
# ˙-
P
n œ.
œ.
# œ.
# œ- . # œ J
P
ƒ
(on the string)
? #˙
79
Vc I
F
# œ # œ œ n œ # >œ # œ.
ƒ
œ
œ
#œ #œ
‰ # œj œ
œ
#œ #œ
‰
j #œ
# >w
sul pont.
Œ Œ
˙
sƒ
pizz.
#œ
Œ
Ó
fl ç ŸÈ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ≥> ≥-̇ . œ w≤ œ
œ # œ- œ- œord.
π ∑
Œ
> œ ƒ p ƒ fl Ÿi ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ≥> ≥-̇ œ w≤ . Œ œ > œ ƒ p ƒ fl
Ó Ó
5