“Now’s the Time” is a blues by Charlie Parker, recorded in 1945 at the same session as “Billie’s Bounce.” Its simple, riff-based melody became one of the most famous bebop blues heads, and it later inspired the R&B hit “The Hucklebuck.”
The form is a 12-bar blues in F, with jazz blues changes including a ii-V into the IV chord and a turnaround at the end. The head is a short, bluesy riff that’s easy to learn.
For improvisation, combine the F blues scale with bebop lines that outline the changes. Target chord tones on strong beats and use enclosures. Parker’s solo on the original is a perfect example of blending blues feeling with bebop sophistication.
Practice the head until it’s memorized, then improvise with a blues play-along. Transcribe a chorus of Parker’s solo.
Section by section: in bars one to four, use the F blues scale and add the A natural (third of F7) for contrast. In bars five and six, move to Bb7 and land on D or Ab. In bars nine and ten, outline the ii-V with guide tones, and in bars eleven and twelve use a turnaround lick to lead back to the top. Parker blended bluesy cries with bebop runs, so practice mixing both.
Practice tip: transcribe Parker’s first chorus and learn it on your instrument. Even a single chorus of Parker’s blues playing contains enough vocabulary to fuel months of practice.
Memorizing the Now’s the Time Lead Sheet PDF: learn the form in sections, not all at once. Play the first eight bars until you can do them with your eyes closed, then add the next section. Within a week or two you won’t need the page at all, which is the real goal of any lead sheet.
Is it hard to play? It’s beginner to intermediate. Recordings to study: Parker’s 1945 recording. Learn more about the composer on Charlie Parker’s Wikipedia page, and find more bebop blues lead sheets on Minedit.