Electric solo medley of two jazz standards -- which ones?

Aaron Saunders · #1 05-01-2005, 08:15 PM

This week is the school's Spring Concert, so there's gonna be a lot of performances -- school jazz band, vocal class, choir, percussion class, concert band, duets, etc., and I'm considering doing a medley of two jazz standards. Now, I'm more than partway through a solo arrangement of Autumn Leaves (I wanted to start easy) but if any of y'all have any ideas of what to do for the second one, then please share!

PS: I'll be doing this on a four string fretless, so that would have an impact on some songs (eg, eliminating some with chords with a lot of tensions, or possibly requiring a small reharmonization.)

Indi86 · #2 05-01-2005, 09:49 PM

Do Ornithology, it's pretty much cake on a 4 string.

Jazzin' · #3 05-01-2005, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indi86

Do Ornithology, it's pretty much cake on a 4 string.

That song is FAST! I had trouble with that song for a while before getting the hang of it in music class.

Aaron Saunders · #4 05-01-2005, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indi86

Do Ornithology, it's pretty much cake on a 4 string.

I should probably also mention the concert is on Thursday

. I'd love to do something like that -- it'd be a hip way to end off a start with Autumn Leaves, that's for damn sure -- but I'm not that good...yet!

Mike Dimin · #5 05-01-2005, 11:50 PM

Play something you can do well. You get no extra points for playing something really difficult and sucking at it. If you are going to do a medley, pick a second tune that is a related key, so you will have a nice flow. On my first CD, Big Droppins' I do Autumn Leaves into The Shadow of Your Smile - it's a nice segway.

Dimin

Mike Dimin · #6 05-01-2005, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govithoy

Now, I'm more than partway through a solo arrangement of Autumn Leaves (I wanted to start easy)

Playing it WELL is NOT easy! Do not take it for granted. I have heard so many cats play my arrangement of Autumn Leaves and very few, if any, get the sense of flow and swing that the tune needs.

Mike

Aaron Saunders · #7 05-02-2005, 05:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Dimin

Playing it WELL is NOT easy! Do not take it for granted. I have heard so many cats play my arrangement of Autumn Leaves and very few, if any, get the sense of flow and swing that the tune needs.

Mike

Sorry for the misunderstanding Mike, by that I meant that I wanted to start with a song with a fairly simple harmonic structure and melody -- there aren't really any "SURPRISE!" chords (non-diatonic melodic minor harmony, for instance) and no crazy modulation. There's no question that I'm going to be putting 100% and more into my playing of this tune and I know that playing it (or anything worth playing) well isn't easy.

PS: I hadn't seen your arrangement of it before about 5 mintues ago, so this was by no means a knock against yours! I've been working on my own, but I did see yours just recently when you linked to it from a post in your own forum, so I'll definitely check it out.