"At Last" ... also, a nice tune by Eddie Heywood "Soft Summer Breeze" which I've used quite a bit lately in my 'summer songs' theme for NH and other senior venues ...
Talk about harmony:


The original:

124,

When you do High School Band, College or what ever. Nothing, I mean nothing, is written for horns in E, A, not much D, no body not even strumming guitar players delight playing anything in B, or F#. LOL!

Those keys call for all of the accidental notes on saxes, oboes, clarinet etc. which are all of the extra side keys on these instrument. I played my share in E, and A with guitar bands. But all of the groups with a pianist played in the key of C, F, G, Bb, Db, Eb Ab keys etc.

I haven't heard a blues chart yet in over 50 years around music, played in A or E, by Getz, Dexter Rollins nor Coltrane ever.

Let's just say that those keys are not natural nor conducive to improvisation on wind blowing instruments. Of course just doing Dada Dada Da can be played buy any decent horn player in any key. It would be comparable to a guitar player just strumming 2 or 3 chords in E, A or any key. No problem at all!

That's why rythmn guitar players can play in any key, maybe? At least the good ones. They have no right complaing about a horn player's gripping about not wanting to solo in the key of A or E.

Rhythm guys can't even play twinkle little star in any key, let alone improvising in different keys all over the place. Ha Ha.

Not being able to improvise even a little bit is beyond my comprehension. To me it would be like getting in the water for 50 years and not being able to swim.

I adamantly say dogmatically beyond a shadow of a doubt that the overwhelming problem lies in LAZINESS, or perhaps an extreme shallow closed mind.

Anybody have the secret answer? Share it with us would you?

I am speaking my mind in general. I'm not speaking of anyone personally. I don't know what anyone here can do with a few exceptions, and those exceptions know that I'm not picking on them. So, don't anyone get their feathers rumpled, OK?

Hey Boo,

Check the sax out in this group - one of my favorite oldies.



Gary

Since this is a MUSIC forum, I'll refrain from making any social comment. Suffice it to say, I can appreciate the music of that era a lot more when it's not accompanied by the visual images. Of course we all view this through a different set of 'cultural' filters, so for some the memories conjured up are very pleasant, for others, not so much.

Truth is, my parents (both educators) fed me a steady diet of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billy Holliday (my mother's favorite), and the like, and they, like me, hated 'do-wop'. The one exception that I remember was the Ink Spots (remember the guy that used to talk a verse of the song in a very deep bass voice - that was cool). At this stage of my life, I can now appreciate some of the great harmonies and creativity some of these groups used in creating some of these classics. So I guess I've sort of come to terms with it. Before you jump all over me, remember, this is supposed to be a diverse forum (with room for diverse opinions).

chas

I sing "The Way You Look Tonight" in the key of 'C' and for the last chorus I modulate to Db ... the Alto Sax player drops out of the song at that point ...



HEY !!! ... I resemble that remark!!! ... I've been going into the water for OVER 50 years and still can't swim ... that's NOT going to stop me from going into the water ... at least in the shallow end ...
Actually, I CAN swim ... I just can't float ... I can 'motivate' well UNDER water, but I can't get my head above it to breath ... We had a swimming pool in our backyard for years, and as much as I tried, I could NEVER get myself to float ...

Hey Chas,

You've got a problem man. What are you doing on this forum. You need to leave, get out of here, hit the road if you're only gonna talk about the good stuff, OK?

Hey Gary,

I hadn't a clue that Mohammed Ali was the lead singer of the "The Five Satins."

Thanks for sharing that with me friend!!!!!!!!!!

Well Tony,

You just told me that your sax man probably cannot play the greatest ballad ever written as far as I am concerned for any sax, "Body And Soul." Oh and "Darn That Dream" too!! But "Darn That Dream" is in G and the bridge changes key to Eb. If you can play the melody to this tune you should be able to learn any melody to any tune. No kidding.

Body and Soul along with I Cover The Waterfront are the two most prominent tunes that I can think of that is originally written in the key of Db.

Boy was I proud when I went to play with an older group of msicians in the French Quarters in New Orleans in about 1960 or there about and they asked, hey Boo can you do Body and Soul?, and I said yes. They thought that I was to young to play that tune. I told them "The Bird" could probably play that tune when he was 3 or 4 years old.

Oh there are others "Round Midnight" etc. I try to play all of the hardest ballads on my Tenor. I enjoy the struggle and challenge of learning these tunes. I just have trouble improvising on the stuff you can't even tap you foot on for more than one bar.

Tell your sax man even if he plays "Body and Soul in another key to play it every day for a few choruses for a month in Db and he will even surprise himself at how much better he will be able to improvise in Db.

Boo, I hadn't realized you had such a long and strong connection with the New Orleans music scene. Both Russ and I contribute to and are involved in Musician's Village, a housing project for old, poor, and indigent musicians from the NO area and which is administered by Habitat for Humanity. I've been threatening to visit the area and meet some of the old timers but haven't yet made time for it. I wish I had your knowledge of the area and it's (musical) history. I'm sure you've got some great stories to tell, especially about some of the no-name local legends that helped to shape this great American art form we call Jazz. As Winton Marsallis says, 'keep the music alive'.

chas

Chas,
Go back and read my earlier post addressed to you.

Whenever you want to go to New Orleans, call me. I have a great Standard Jazz Tenor Sax friend who returned to New Orleans after a pretty long stay in California who worked some with "David Fathead Newman," Doctor John( Mac Rebenack) among others.

Jerry Jumonville will gladly show you around. I also have family there. My brother knows all the spots too, but leave the jazz alone when eating red beans and rice and sucking crawfish heads when you are with him, OK? He's into what they are now calling "Swamp POP." It's just all of the old New Orleans pop tunes of the 50's.

Try to mention a decent CW tune every now and again OK, Chas? I like every body here. Try not to start so much crap with these guys. Man, the only ones that I don't care very much about are Uncle Dave and Donny! They sing better than me!!!!