Tempo on Lady Bird

[Manticore Guy]

I'm playing Lady Bird at an audition on sunday. For whatever reason, I really remembered hearing a recording of it at about 135 bpm, which is what I've been practicing it at. However, now I heard a different recording at about 215 bpm. What should I play it at on sunday?

[Aaron Cohn]

The tempo at which you'll sound the best playing it.

[Manticore Guy]

Well I figured that lol. but when lady bird is generally called, what is it played at?

[mattfong]

I don't really think it's a huge deal. Just play it where you're the most comfortable. If you can play it at both, great, in case they ask you to do it faster or slower as well. At one of my auditions last week I had to play Autumn Leaves at 3 different tempos that the guy asked me.

[Manticore Guy]

I realized that I saw next to it on the chart it said medium swing, which I interpreted as around 135ish. Am I wrong for thinking that?

[dar512]

Listen to some of the clips on itunes. Evidently it's been done at a wide variety of tempos. Pick the tempo that sounds good to you and go with that.

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by Manticore Guy

I realized that I saw next to it on the chart it said medium swing, which I interpreted as around 135ish. Am I wrong for thinking that?

Not just wrong, but a subhuman only fit to be sold as a pet to wealthy Asians.

Dude, it's not a RULE, it's just a suggestion.

[Mike Arnopol]

When I was in my 20's I used to lie in wait to blow on ultra fast tempos. I guess I thought that not stepping on my Johnson was high art. Jazz guys (especially immature young ones ) take everything too fast. They typically aren't really improvising---just stringing together patterns and scales that work. Actually, most up tempo solos aren't really improvising.
While I was always proud of the fact that I could blow at up tempos, as I get older and hopefully more mature I realize that double bass played fast sounds stupid.Impressive, but stupid.
So, play it at a tempo that you feel really good about. Where you have time for nice note choices. Where you're not rushing. Funny thing is, players tend to rush when the tempos are beginning to become uncomfortably fast. You would think that it would be the opposite. Scofield said that he'd always rush if he was worried about cutting it at a fast tempo. So, rule #1----rushing is BAD.
Some of my favorite jazz is when a tune is played at a much slower tempo than expected.

[Fred W]

There is a reason songs like Cherokee and the Way You Look Tonight are favorite fast tempo tunes. The melody is slow and lends itself to a fast quarter note pulse. I can't abide tunes played faster than their melodies allow. The head can start to sound like cartoon music. Some tunes have a wide latitude for tempo, some break down too fast, while some die if too slow ( Song for My Grandfather as I remember it said after a particularly lame countoff). Where the melody sounds good is where the groove will most easily sit.

[bopeuph]

Originally Posted by Fred W

(Song for My Grandfather as I remember it said after a particularly lame countoff).

Now that's funny.

Nick

[Ale]

Lady bird is on of thoose tunes that really work out great at most tempos. Just like stella and autumn leaves.
Myself like playing it at about medium , not that up tempo as some people play it.