Free Jazz Standard Sheet Music Downloads

"Now's the Time" is a landmark bebop blues composed by alto saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1945. Drawing on his Kansas City jazz roots, Parker crafted a deceptively simple riff-based melody that bridges the blues tradition with the harmonic sophistication of bebop.

The piece is a 12-bar blues in F major. Its melody is built around a compact, syncopated six-note cell emphasizing the root, fifth, and ninth, with characteristic bebop phrase endings appearing in bars five and six. While the head is accessible enough to serve as an ideal entry point for learning the blues form, Parker's improvisations over it display extraordinary invention, making this tune a cornerstone of jazz pedagogy and jam session repertoire alike.

The essential recording is Charlie Parker's Reboppers session (November 26, 1945, Savoy Records), featuring Miles Davis on trumpet and Max Roach on drums. This legendary date also produced "Billie's Bounce" and "Ko-Ko," marking a pivotal moment in jazz history.