Key for Avalon

Charles Meadows

I've usually seen it in F. But the Rosenbergs do G on North Sea Jazz. Is F the consensus?

Bob Holo

I believe Django's 1935 recording was in F and I suppose a person might call that the seminal GJ recording. I think Jolson recorded it in F also. Though I suspect the key depends on the orchestration. Playing in either F or G won't make you very popular with horn players ;-)

It's not a bad idea to learn both when a song is played in both. I'm not sure why songs seem to have regional key variations, but oddly, Seattle & Portland seem to use different keys for several songs. I don't jam as much as I used to, but clearly remember going up North to jam with the gents and halfway through the A section of some songs - wondering what the h* was going on... and then noticing that I was in a different key.

Jazzaferri

As it was originally a vocal, lots of different versions to suit vocal range

FWIW, as a horn player ....... F concert is G on Bb instruments, a great key for both tpt and sax. And D for Eb instruments another great key for sax.

Today any horn player worthy of the name is equally comfortable in C and C#

My most common keys in blues are the guitar keys of E (F# on tenor) and A ( B on tenor)

spatzo

Original Key of Avalon in 1920 was F and the structure is AABC but I think it is always interesting and profitable to learn tunes by grades instead of memorizing only chords.

I mean when you remember that Avalon is mainly V to I for the first 16 bars

[V ][./.][./.][./.][ I ][./.][./.][./.]
[V][./.][./.][./.][ I ][./.][./.][./.]

you only have to learn the following 16 bars (parts B and C) as being:

[VI7][./.][./. ][./.][IIm][./.][IVm6][./.]
[ I ][./.][VI7][./.][II ][V ][ I ][./.]

And when you know that you can play it in any key both on chords or solo...

You just have to remember : 5 1 5 1 6 2 4 1 6 2 5 1

Or better:
5 1
5 1
6 2 4
1 6 2 5 1

Jazzaferri

We do it in C to suit our vocalist. Lays out really nicely from B to D Using the chords we have come up with...

Lango-Django

Over the years, I've found F and G to be pretty much interchangeable for a lot of standard tunes e.g. Sweet Sue, I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Lady Be Good, St. Louis Blues, L-O-V-E, and probably a few more I can't think of right now.

BluesBop Harry

stuart wrote: »

I would avoid G though - the last thing Gypsy Jazz needs is another tune in G!

That's why it's called "G" ypsy Jazz man!

Al Watsky

If Avalon is being played in the lobby of a NYC hotel its in F.
Its a thing.
If your out side of the city ?
Who knows ?
We were required to extrude that one in F.