Anthropology is a bebop jazz composition credited to Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, though Parker later suggested Gillespie was not a co-writer. It is a contrafact based on the harmony of I Got Rhythm. The first recording, then known as Thriving from a Riff, was made on November 26, 1945, by a Parker led group featuring Miles Davis, Sadik Hakim, Curley Russell, Milt Jackson, and Max Roach. The tune is a fast, intricate example of bebop with a looping AABA form that challenges players with quick rhythms and complex chords. A famous live version was performed at Birdland in New York City on March 31, 1951, with Parker and Gillespie sharing the stage. The piece has appeared on Charlie Parker's Savoy and Dial sessions and has been released on various Parker and Dizzy recordings, helping it endure as a bebop standard.
