This month's tune is often called among the "family" of gypsy jazz players in my area, and I always enjoy playing it. My trio plays it in C. It was written by Jimmy McHugh (music) & Dorothy Fields (lyrics) & published in 1930. That's the same writing team that brought us On The Sunny Side Of The Street & I Cant Give You Anything But Love. Pretty remarkable output. It's been recorded over 250 times, and some of the more notable recordings include those by Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, and my favorite vocal version from Nat King Cole. My favorite version from Django was recorded by the Quintette in Paris in April, 1937. It's swinging & hard-driving with that infectious melody. Here's a link to it--
I'll post the chart we use later.
Comments
Just learned this melody a couple of days ago for Django in June and been practicing it.
Nice Buco, you sound better every time I hear you.
Thanks Mike. Gotta keep it moving, you know.
That was awesome @Buco , nice work!
Here's the chart we use. I've heard some occasional static about the C#07 in lines 2, 4 & 8, but that's the way we play it.
Hey thanks @mac63000 it's all that stuff about the old dog and new tricks, you've heard that one.
I've seen C#o before, I think it comes from fakebook, and it's a nice movement. It's just that to me leaving it out then has a bigger harmonic impact when you briefly got to D- then back to G7.
This is a fun tune, I love playing the shout chorus.
On that f*kbook chart the C#dim7 has an A# which is clashing with the A natural in melody note- avoid.
If I were writing the book I'd put G7 for all of bars 5 and 6, those passing chords needn't be mentioned in the chart. It's just showing one of many possible ways to navigate through that part (and the chromatic movement that QHCF is doing there sounds more like a G7/F#7/G7 thing to me)
My favorite version of this tune below, Elana tears it up!
Staying on G7 is perfectly fine and follows the melody the best. Even that half a bar of D- doesn't really get along with the melody that great but I like the flavor it brings. Likewise in the B section I'm not in love with D- to F- movement. I'd rather repeat F to F-.
That F to F- move is one that always seems to hit just right