Classic Jazz Guitar Tune

[Vice1]

I would like to audition for the Jazz Band at my school. For this I need to learn a classic Jazz Guitar Tune. Can anyone recomend a tune that would be easy to find sheet music and a recording of. I also need to be able to master it in a summer. Thanks for any ideas!

[adam]

one of my favorite standards is Lush Life -- Shouldn't be hard to find and it is very well known. John Coltrane's version with Johnny Hartman is my fav. version. Others include:

The man that got away
bewitched
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat - a Mingus tune (when I auditioned for my jazz band in HS -10 years ago- I did this tune). Jeff Beck does a guitar version of it.
i really like lots of nina simone (kinda oddball)
ANYTHING from Porgy & Bess (Summertime is the most popular, but not my favorite) Listen to the Miles Davis/Gil Evens arrangement
Georgia on my mind

[Blue Bear Sound]

Lee Ritenour's "24th Street Blues" - you'd blow 'em away if you nail it!

Bruce

[Roel]

Anything from Kenny Burrell's 'Midnight Blue'. (If I remember the name correctly.)

Chitlins con carne, the 1st track, is a dead easy blues, There's also a great SRV version of it.

[Tom Hicks]

Lush Life is in A flat,for goodness sakes!Vice1,are you looking for a solo arrangement or will you audition the tune with the band?Two suggestions that will work in either situation as well as easy to learn would be "Things Ain't What They Usta Be" by Mercer Ellington and "All Blues" by Miles Davis.Both are in G and either one can be learned in a couple of days.

Tom

[adam]

tom - the version I have is in D flat -- not the most guitar friendly key either, but I didn't find it to be that hard, and it is a regular part of my set. I like it b/c it is moody and pretty lyrical. in high school I probably would have hated it though!

[Roel]

All Blues is a good one too... Coltrane's Impressions might be nice, or Miles' So What, which is based on the same chordprogression. Hancock's Watermelon man is fairly easy too. I think for a guitarplayer, a bluesprogression would definately be the easy way to go. Unless you're classicaly trained...

[adam]

yeah, I agree with Roel, So What would be a great tune. Is is a pretty simple structure and lots of room to improvise, or if you wish there are some beautiful solos in it that wouldn't be too hard top cop (though making them sound good is a whole nother story!).

[twist]

Hey Adam,
You've used one of my favorite words -- whole nother. How did that one get into the English language?


Vice,

One of my all time favorites would be "Fly Me to the Moon". I love that melody. Also "'Till There Was You". Remember when the Beatles did that one? It's another timeless melody IMHO.

Twist

[adam]

isn't that funny -- it is one of those things you (I) say all the time and then when it comes to writing it, it's like "huh?" I guess it isn't proper English. i thought to myself "how would you spell that?"

[twist]

Adam,

Here's another one. Listen for people saying, "Let's go over to you guyses house". (Your guyses house?)

Twist

[Roel]

BTW, if you wanna play in a big band... What's your level of guitar playing? Do you know about the how and why of the chords, voice leading, harmonic extension of chords, chord substitution? These things and alot of theorie can come in very handy in a big band, or on your way to get in the big band... (You don't need all of it, but basic understanding is the least.)

I can get you the names of some VERY good books if you like. Just tell me at what level you are. I used to play in a bigband at the music-school (what do you call it in English? School with subsidies, where kids can learn music after school). They needed a guitarplayer, I hardly knew the notes on my guitar, but my technical level was good enough, and I had a classical piano training to back me up... And since they couldn't find a better guitarplayer...

[AlChuck]

Hmmm... I don't think "So What" or "Impressions" are going to work in this context (a big band). I'd suggest you do a little research. Find out what the band has played in the past as part of their repertoire. I'll guess that you'll find some Basie, Ellington, and Horace Silver numbers. Learn a couple of those inside out, and concentrate on the standard role of the guitar in the big band -- usually pumping those chords ala Freddie Green, with the occasional ballad intro and, if you're really lucky, a chance to take a solo for a chorus on something.

[Tom Hicks]

mea culpa
pickup note is A flat and tonic is D flat.God bless Bill Strayhorn.
My college jazz band director was the late Bob Goebert,high note trumpet man for the Harry James Big Band.I was a rocker and he dragged me back into the 40s.
As far as the guitar's function in the band,that varies with the era.30s swing (Satin Doll,Stompin at the Savoy)requires the guitar to strum every beat on the beat,a holdover from the days when the banjo was the piano's comp buddy instead of the guitar.
Postwar swing (Chattanooga Cho Cho,In The Mood) has the guitar "punching" the chords.
Bop is where the guitar was finally allowed to be a melody voice (Charlie Christian,Wes Montgomery)
Latin,East Coast Cool,Fusion, it goes on and on style after style to that abomination known as "smooth jazz".
Watermellon Man is a great choice,or other tunes like On Green Dolphin Street,Equinox,My Favorite Things,My Funny Valentine....
Sorry,its easy to get carried away.

Tom

[adam]

Yeah, the truth is, there is some AMAZING music spanning all the eras Tom mentions. Its all good. My experience with HS jazz bands is that they focus on the blues-based, big band type stuff (Can anyone say Choppin' at the Woodside?). This is largely because at its core much of the music can be boiled down to a I IV V progression (classic blues), or ii V I. Depending on the players in the band, you may move on to some more advanced stuff, though usually you will stay away from fusion or electric jazz (which is a good thing in my opinion). The rhythmic aspects of guitar in the earlier styles are somewhat different than today's "norm" but really will help your rythmn chops significantly and help you develop a feel for the music. It really is a skills that lots of folks these day seem to overlook.

[Vice1]

Thanks for all the Advice! I'll get working on it. I have a Rock background but I also have classical piano training. I'm looking for a piece that will stand on it's own without a band. Like something with a cool progresion and maybe a couple fancy licks thrown in. Thanks

[a_goodlett]

hey i dont know how good you are but if your gonna do a blues progession type song i would throw in some improvised licks here and there. but i dont know if you're at that level yet. if your not you will most likely learn basic improv in the band (if you make it of course). i'm in my HS's jazz band right now, and its not exactly typical jazz band though. we do lots of funk and a couple of jazz standards and a whole lotta blues(which is cool cause i get to show off a lot!). Jazz band will definately help your rhythem playing a whole lot. a drum machine helps alot, especially if you have one of those awesome ones that can have bass on it too. hope your audition kicks ass.


later

[Aaron Cheney]

Here's That Rainy Day
or
Caravan?

I've seen them both arranged for solo guitar.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com