BOO ... you're BACK ?!?!? ...

Boo, my man. Glad to see you back, I was getting lonesome . I'm a little disappointed seeing you posting this tune in C; you know every jazz musician does it in F . Also, I ALWAYS play the A7b9 (or in my case, D7b9 ); it sounds better. Anyhow, glad you're back from rehab .

chas

Chas, every band I've ever played with does it in "G," Haha!

I just copied Don Mason's posting of the tune in "C" and just added some chords that Ray Charles uses in the first verse only.

I think Ray does it in G too. We learned that tune when his recording of it came out the early 1860's.

Hi Guys, always interested in the chords.
My version is in F, and the Edim, where you mention it in key of C, also fits that key, although mine has Fdim, and I would like your comments on its suitability from your ears.

Thanks

Ray

That sounded great. Thank you for sharing.

1860's??? ... Boo, I would have never thought you were that old ...

Haha

Terry, this is a totally subjective and hopefully, constructive criticism of your arrangement. I would eliminate that horn riff or at least save it for the last chorus at the end of the song to help build a climax (which is how these 'horn stabs' are usually used. using it throughout, chorus, bridge, and verse, nullifies it's effectiveness as a 'big finish' effect, and can actually get almost annoying (to some). Also, I would scale back the volume on the organ and change the (organ) registration between the chorus and bridge.

I'm not fond of that particular style for that tune but that is purely subjective, as I've heard it done as everything from a ballad to a March. I (personally) tend to like the Ray Charles approach although I like Willie's version just about equally (strange I know, but I'm a huge Willie Nelson fan). Just goes to show the versatility of a great tune.

It's really neat, your calling attention to the little known and seldom recorded (or played) verse. I have to admit, I wasn't aware of it. I probably won't add it to my playing of it BUT, musicians should be aware of it (although it might be lost on their audiences). I think this is the kind of information that SHOULD be shared on a music forum - it makes us all a little wiser. Thanks.

chas

To keep in the vein of people not performing a song in its original
unabridged versions the way the composer wrote it, one of the most famous for not doing this is....
"God Bless America" shown original verse here..and there are hundreds more.

Addressing the comment here of the Edim verses the A7b9 when playing this tune in the key of C. It's easy to see that the Edim has the E, G Bb Db notes, right? Well, look at it this way. The E is the 5th note of A7b9, The G is the 7th of A7b9, The Bb is the b9 of the A7b9, the Db is the 3rd of the A7b9. Thus all you need it the A note added to the Edim and you have the A7b9. This is all over the place in the old standard Jazz tunes of which Georgia is an old Jazz Standard.