playing/singing American songbook with Selmer?

sbriger

Hi all,
So the title pretty much sums it up but do you have any recommendations of people singing songs from the Great American Songbook that are playing a Selmer style guitar?
I've seen some French singers that back themselves with this kind of guitar but I was kind of thinking of a John Pizzarelli-type set up with Selmer.
Thanks!

ChrisMartin

I guess the obvious would be the Rosenberg Trio with Johnny singing; a lot of old standards in a crooner Michael Buble style with great backing band. Also check out Hot Club Swing from Melbourne, Australia. Some old swing songs done with a smooth style and a GJ mix. I don't remember seeing the late great Dan Hicks banging on a SelMac, but he was in that style, and did feature Paul Mehling in his band for a while. Of the French (and other Europeans) some did cover the hits of the day, often in English. I have recordings of Henri Salvador singing 'Sunny Side Of The Street' and 'Stompin' At The Savoy' presumably accompanied by his Di Mauro guitar.

crookedpinky

For the past while I've been running a Sunday session which had originally started out as a gypsy jazz session however it's transformed into more of an American Songbook type session. This is mainly thanks to the presence of a phenomenal singer, Christine Bovill. What I'm finding is that gyspy jazz and la pompe doesn't really work for a lot of the material so I'm having to play more mainstream jazz type guitar albeit with gypsy jazz voicings. To that end I don't think it matters what type of guitar - selmer or not - doesn't matter.

Buco

Chris Martin wrote: »

I guess the obvious would be the Rosenberg Trio with Johnny singing

Yes!
Phenomenal album.

Also Cyrille Aimee, featuring Adrien Moignard, covers a lot of the jazz standards not usually found in GJ repertoire.
I especially like "it's a good day" album.

Russell Letson

No reason it shouldn't work--aside from the long-ago sides where the QHCF backed a vocalist (for example, the wonderful Beryl Davis), Connie Evingson has two albums featuring Hot Club players. And at DFNW, it was always a palate-cleanser to hear Hot Club Sandwich.

And not to put myself anywhere near that territory, there was a time when I used my Dunn on all my duo/trio outings--and the repertory ranged from standards to country to folkie-dokie. I don't think I'd have done the same with the kind of raspy, dry petite bouche some players favor, but the Daphne has proved to be remarkably versatile.

I've always been puzzled* by the gypsy-jazz-revival tendency to see this musical tradition as something closer to the guitar-heroics of rock than to the wide and deep river of dance and social music that produced blues, swing, pop, and jazz. (To say nothing of its connection to musette.)

* Actually, I'm not puzzled--it's pretty much the same thing that happened when generations of young men decided that playing loud/fast/difficult guitar was the heart of rock and roll. There's a limit to the appeal of music that is too fast to sing or dance to.

ChrisMartin

Russell Letson wrote: »

No reason it shouldn't work--aside from the long-ago sides where the QHCF backed a vocalist (for example, the wonderful Beryl Davis), Connie Evingson has two albums featuring Hot Club players. And at DFNW, it was always a palate-cleanser to hear Hot Club Sandwich.

And not to put myself anywhere near that territory, there was a time when I used my Dunn on all my duo/trio outings--and the repertory ranged from standards to country to folkie-dokie. I don't think I'd have done the same with the kind of raspy, dry petite bouche some players favor, but the Daphne has proved to be remarkably versatile.

I've always been puzzled* by the gypsy-jazz-revival tendency to see this musical tradition as something closer to the guitar-heroics of rock than to the wide and deep river of dance and social music that produced blues, swing, pop, and jazz. (To say nothing of its connection to musette.)

* Actually, I'm not puzzled--it's pretty much the same thing that happened when generations of young men decided that playing loud/fast/difficult guitar was the heart of rock and roll. There's a limit to the appeal of music that is too fast to sing or dance to.

Absolutely agree. There is a new generation of very impressive guitar stars who while technically brilliant and inspirational to us mere mortals I find they often forget the roots of the HCQF and Django's pre-war recordings which were usually based on the 'Pop' songs and hit dance tunes of the day. The missing ingredient is often just that FUN factor. I find as much inspiration from listening to the same things Django heard - Musette, Trenet, Armstrong, Ellington, Chevalier and traditional Gypsy music - as I get from the young lions.

MarkA

I think that George Cole is an excellent guitarist and vocalist. His recordings feature originals, live he taps into more of the Great American Songbook.

sbriger

Thanks guys. I hadn't heard of George Cole - so I'll check him out. I've been really enjoying listening to those songbook songs of late. They're just such great melodies. And while I'll like them when they are played as instrumentals, the lyrics are just too good to give up.

pickitjohn

@MarkA

Thanks for the heads up on George Cole, found out he tours with David Grisman's Sextet.

Guess you Holo Boys are a Lucky Tribe.

Here is a Picture of George with his Holo Traditional Mode.

Buco

Oh yeah, how did I forget. What you're looking for is Black Market Trust (Jeff Radaich) and their second album.
He's got a great voice and the album is classic American song book, all superbly done:

Fly Me to the Moon

2.Route 66

3.You Make Me Feel so Young

4.Memories Are Made of This

5.Exactly Like You

6.This Boy

7.What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry

8.L-O-V-E

9.Dream a Little Dream of Me

10.My Baby Just Cares for Me

11.Cheek to Cheek

12.Lover, Come Back to Me