lobematt Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Hey! I've started going to a few jazz jam nights, just watching not playing at the moment. I was just wondering what songs are most likely to come up and are pretty essential to have under your belt? The songs I'm most comfortable with are probably Autumn Leaves, Blue Bossa, Blue Monk (and a few other blues tunes) and Take The 'A' Train. I thought these would have been safe bets but I've not heard any of these tunes called yet! I'm doing as much ear training as I can so that I'll have a better chance at playing tunes I'm not familiar with but it's a pretty slow process. So I was just wondering what songs you guys have played on the most or heard getting called the most when you've been at jam nights? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Learn Rhythm Changes and various altered Blues forms and you'll have a lot of stuff covered. If you are going to jams,make a note of what tunes they are playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matejj53 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 I found many times that there is stuff so If you read chord charts it might help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 [quote name='matejj53' timestamp='1351793904' post='1855543'] I found many times that there is stuff so If you read chord charts it might help you. [/quote] It depends...some guys carry real books,others expect you to know the tunes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobematt Posted November 1, 2012 Author Share Posted November 1, 2012 I haven't even had a whiff of a chord chart at any of the jams I've been too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishICouldWalk Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 iRealb is my saviour. I can't read dots, but with iRealb, I can get through most jam sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Canteloupe Island, Watermelon Man, Moondance, Green Dolphin Street, All The Things You Are, The Shadow Of Your Smile, Yardbird Suite, All Blues, Mr. PC, Blue Train, Work Song, Milestones, Freddie Freeloader, So What, Impressions, Doxy, Oleo/Anthropology (both rhythm changes), All Of Me..... I think I'm going to throw up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobematt Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 Sorry to do that to you Bilbo haha, but thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithless Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 (edited) You can go to JazzStandards.com - I've heard from quite a few guys, that the first 100 tunes in there are all played over and over in jams, so you could start by number 1 and, considering you spend 1 week on a tune, after 100 weeks you'll have all them down. Well it's, at least, this sort of process I'm doing right now. Here's another cool thing, a list taken from series of weekly jam sessions in well-known club (you can see that some tunes are being called more often than others): 10/22 Owl & Thistle Confirmation Green Dolphin Street Minority Stardust Jitterbug Waltz Bittersweet What Is This Thing Called Love Blues Tune Concentrate on You 11/01 Owl & Thistle Night and Day Blue Monk Recordame Oleo Confirmation Teach Me Tonight Alone Together Have You Met Miss Jones 11/15 Owl & Thistle Caravan Invitation Bemsha Swing Gone With The Wind How Insensitive (6/8 feel) 11/22 Owl & Thistle Solar Bye Bye Blackbird Corcovado There Will Never Be Another You Lover Man Yes Or No 11/28 Pirattis Craft Bar Footprints St. Thomas Have You Met Miss Jones (7/4) Feeling Good All The Things You Are Girl From Ipanema Softly As A Morning Sunrise Dindi Bye Bye Blackbird Recordame 11/29 Owl & Thistle There is No Greater Love Nothing Personal (G minor Blues) Ishfahan Green Dolphin Street Inner Urge I Remember You 12/06 Owl And Thistle Nardis What Is This Thing Called Love Nothing Personal Invitation Seven Steps To Heaven Well You Needn't Passion Dance Gingerbread Man Other Tunes (Not sure when these were called but I remember them being played) LadyBird Freedie Freeloader Beatrice Blue Bossa Red Clay I Hear A Rhapsody This I Dig Of You One Note Samba Song For My Father Edited November 4, 2012 by Faithless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KingBollock Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I don't play Jazz and I don't go to jam nights, but I looked at that list and thought that Owl & Whistle tune might well be worth learning... Doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah thomas Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Take concert, Eb and Bb parts with you ready to dish out for a couple of tunes you already know inside out. Ask to sit in and call those couple of tunes. If you stay in for longer, then take a real book or ireal book so you can at least play the root over changes for songs that others call. At least, that seems to work round Cardiff. If you sit in, you call the tunes and after your tunes then let someone else (or the house bassist) take over again. Without exception, I have found house bassists helpful and friendly. With that in mind, it's a good idea to go early on in the evening so you can talk to the bassist and the leader of the house band. Plus, there always seem to be less people getting up to play early on and masses later on. You'll get a more relaxed and helpful response if you go on eariler while they are still canvassing for performers. I hope that's helpful, but no doubt others will have had different experiences ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1352053588' post='1858220'] If you sit in, you call the tunes and after your tunes then let someone else (or the house bassist) take over again. [/quote] While I get that it's a good idea to carry the parts and be able to call the tunes,most of the time the person who will call the tunes will either be the band leader or the horn players (whoever is taking the head usually). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lobematt Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 [quote name='Faithless' timestamp='1351987201' post='1857686'] You can go to JazzStandards.com - I've heard from quite a few guys, that the first 100 tunes in there are all played over and over in jams, so you could start by number 1 and, considering you spend 1 week on a tune, after 100 weeks you'll have all them down. Well it's, at least, this sort of process I'm doing right now. Here's another cool thing, a list taken from series of weekly jam sessions in well-known club (you can see that some tunes are being called more often than others): 10/22 Owl & Thistle Confirmation Green Dolphin Street Minority Stardust Jitterbug Waltz Bittersweet What Is This Thing Called Love Blues Tune Concentrate on You 11/01 Owl & Thistle Night and Day Blue Monk Recordame Oleo Confirmation Teach Me Tonight Alone Together Have You Met Miss Jones 11/15 Owl & Thistle Caravan Invitation Bemsha Swing Gone With The Wind How Insensitive (6/8 feel) 11/22 Owl & Thistle Solar Bye Bye Blackbird Corcovado There Will Never Be Another You Lover Man Yes Or No 11/28 Pirattis Craft Bar Footprints St. Thomas Have You Met Miss Jones (7/4) Feeling Good All The Things You Are Girl From Ipanema Softly As A Morning Sunrise Dindi Bye Bye Blackbird Recordame 11/29 Owl & Thistle There is No Greater Love Nothing Personal (G minor Blues) Ishfahan Green Dolphin Street Inner Urge I Remember You 12/06 Owl And Thistle Nardis What Is This Thing Called Love Nothing Personal Invitation Seven Steps To Heaven Well You Needn't Passion Dance Gingerbread Man Other Tunes (Not sure when these were called but I remember them being played) LadyBird Freedie Freeloader Beatrice Blue Bossa Red Clay I Hear A Rhapsody This I Dig Of You One Note Samba Song For My Father [/quote] Thanks for that mate, very useful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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