Why do we never play (fill in song here)

bopster · April 2014

AmundLauritzen wrote: »

I've never heard anybody play this one:

It's not typical jazz form, and it's kind of modal in the harmony(Django was miles ahead of Miles in that regard).
But it has that peculiar charm to it that is so characteristic of Django.

I guess it's not a crowd pleaser, such tunes, but I really love the less typical jazz tunes that Django composed. They show different sides of his personality, influences from diverse sources.
I think a number like that could really add a nice variety to a setlist.

Thanks for reminding me of this! I'm putting into my workout routine!

Jazzaferri · April 2014

I wonder that more rhythm guys don't learn Mystery Pacific...another Train song.

Perhaps because its soooo hard

Incidentally, whoever is playing sax on the. Ile de Oiseaux track, if I saw the name right....... sure liked Coleman Hawkins playing. Ripping others licks is an age old learning tool.

Matteo · April 2014

Other songs we don't hear too often: Avalon, Bricktop, Clouds(not nuages! The other one), Chicago, I surrender dear, Just One of those things, My Blue Heaven, Ou es tu mon amour, Swing 39(Check out Djangos blazing 1947 version!), When day is done, You rascal you.

Some exotic tunes have been mentioned in this thread, and I can see reasons why they're not being played much, or not at all. The one that surprises me most, however, is Chicago, that Amund L mentioned. In fact I'm sure that I have never heard it in any manouche jazzer's repertoire, either on stage or record. And yet, it's a number that would probably appeal to non-aficionados more than many others and thus help widening the audience and lead to a bigger success for those who choose to include it in their set list.