Which Beatles-song would be best in gypsy-jazz-style?

Arnstein

I guess the topic-subject says it all.

RomKyzar

'When I'm 64' comes to mind immediately.

Jack

Robin N. does a great version of And I Love Her. I've also done Something in the past (some nice descending chord lines that fit the style), and we'll sometimes end Bye Bye Blackbird by launching into Blackbird...


best,
Jack.

Elliot

Funny, I asked for Beatle songs over at the UK forum a year ago.

Straight 4/4:
Instant Karma
Lovely Rita
Honey Pie - (someone else suggested this one)

Boleros
You're Gonna Lose That Girl - 7ths, m7ths
Till There Was You - 7ths, 7+5, 7+9
And I Love Her

But really any shuffle can be converted to swing if you think about it, so you also have just about everything from Thin Lizzy - Dancin' in the Moonlight, etc. (I'm a huge fan of Phil Lynott).

blindjimmy

while my guitar, o bla di. i've also done riveria paradise, hey joe, and house of the rising sun like this.

Stackabones

Since so many songs in the GJ tradition are in AABA song form, I'd look to tunes in the same forms ... I Will, Julia, for example.

Not a Beatles tune, but famously done by the Beatles -- Till There Was You.

I'd think that so many would work ... good tunes with cool chords (and then you can sub out the chords for GJ-style grips).

gatsby

Penny Lane, if you feel inspired!

stubla

I've covered "Girl" in the past--works superbly coz it has a very jewish/gypsy minor key feel.Do it in G minor.
Stu

djangology

I personally think that the only Beatles song that really "swung" was "Honey Pie", but of course, some of their other songs are swingable... "When I'm Sixty Four" doesn't swing... it kinda has a rock beat, but its a similar style and tempo than Honey Pie...

billyshakes

I'll join everyone else that said "Till There Was You." My friend Dave Willis from Whidbey Island Music first pointed me to that one. My wife and I loved it so much that we asked Sims and the gang at Harmonious Wail to perform it at our wedding reception as "our song" that we danced to. Maggie had a really nice vocal on it too.

V-dub

Funny you should mention it, I just recorded a version of "Till There Was You" in the bolero style. Here it is!

We also played this at DFNW last month.

I also just caught Ned Bointon'sgroup Cafe American at the Berkeley Djangofest last weekend and they did Eleanor Rigby and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. (FYI they play every wednesday at Cafe Trieste in San Francisco)