Vocal Versions of Nuages/The Bluest Kind of Blues & GJ V

Stackabones

I've already done a search and seen an earlier thread ... and I've read this ...
http://www.djangobooks.com/archives/200 ... blues.html

Can any one point me to some other versions?

BTW, I just ordered Mike Ferro's disc. Seemed pretty cool.

Also ... any GJ ensembles that feature vocalists? It seems like most of what I've seen out there is primarily instrumental ... but there's gotta be some vocals happening. In my neck of the woods, it's the Texas Gypsies!

Jack

My band uses a lot of vocals (at least for this style). It's funny, initially I was kind of against the idea, but it's really opened up a whole new audience to us, and the response has been great. Many of the tunes can be done instrumentally anyway-we just decide on the spot whether or not to add the vocals, as our lead player is also the vocalist.

Some of the tunes we've used vocals on include What is this Thing..., Black Orpheus (with the lyric from the film), Someone to Watch Over Me, In a Sentimental Mood, Anything but Love, Autumn Leaves, The Man I Love, All of Me, Confessin', etc. For an interesting if not always successful take on using vocals, check out some Orkest Polytour:



best,
Jack.

Joli Gadjo

Yeah !
It's really awesome guys. I like this idea of singing the tunes a lot !
Menilmontant, La mer, J'attendrai and C'est si bon should also sound great along with the lead on guitar.
Thanks for sharing this !

Jack, do you also sing some of this in French, or is there an english version for most of this ?

Jack

I know some tunes (e.g. Autumn Leaves, La Mer) have English adaptations; for the most part the tunes we use vocals on tend to be American jazz tunes anyway. My girlfriend is fluent in French and a singer, though, so occasionally I corral her to sing Si Tu Savais and the like...

best,
Jack.

Stackabones

Still looking for others! Thanks for the replies so far!!!

Fopa

Helena Jessie sings a good version on this cd. I just heard it the first time this morning driving to work.

https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/it ... stars.html

HCPhilly

I agree. Vocals can go a long way towards keeping it interesting for
the audience and frankly the performers. I just got back from checking
out video from our gig at the Worgld Cafe in Philly. We had Mark sing a few tunes,
"Russina Lullaby," I'm confessin' and "Shiek." We do a unison backgrond vocal on shiek, "put your turban on," and we had the whole
place singing along with us! Phyllis Chapell killed with "Nuages,"
[The Bluest kind of Blue lyrics], and "J'attendrai" in French, [of course].
I'll post clips when I get a chance. I really find vocals make it a hell of a lot more interesting generally speaking.

A.K. Kibben

Ditto to Barry...

Here are some of the compositions our singer Marianne Dissard sings with us (in French),

Bei dir war immer so schon
C'est si bon
Duex cigarettes dans l'ombre
I love Paris
I'm in the mood for love
J'attendrai
La foule
La vie en rose
Les fueilles mortes
Mon dieu
Nuages
Ou es-tu, mon amour?
Padam padam
Quand refleuriront les lilas blancs?
Que reste-t-il de nos amours?
Suel ce soir
Tout le jour, toute la nuit
Undecided
Vous qui passez...

Many contain the verse which is too often dropped w/o a vocalist.

Gotta love Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet!

Lest we forget the Italian vocal repertoire that work as well as French in Gypsy Jazz!

A.K.

HCPhilly

"Many contain the verse which is too often dropped w/o a vocalist.

Gotta love Edith Piaf and Charles Trenet! "

Yes to both! I always try to get a printed and recorded version of a song that includes the verse. Sinatra used to sing all night after his gigs in Vegas, [sound familiar?], so he used to go and wake up a local jazz pianist at say 1:00am and pay him very well for accompaniment.
Frank would call a tune like "I get a kick out of you," and say to the
piano player, "'give me the verse," and the guy didn't know any of them,
Frank was incredulous, ' waddaya mean, you don't know the f^&%ing verse! [you can imagine]!
Needless to say, he learned them all pretty quick, [hey you don't want to tick of the Chairman of the board]! As a matter a fact, Frank once recorded only the verse to Stardust, and it's amazing. What cajones! Who else could pull that off?

Cheers,
Barry

A.K. Kibben

I took a few upright bass lessons a while back and my instructor told me to listen to ALL of Frank's bass players from 1950 thru 1960...
MY G_D! What I had been missing all those years!

BTW,

For some fantastic clips of Edith Paif as well as Charles Trenet, search them on Youtube!
On of my favorites is Charles singing La Romance de Paris... and La Mer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYcY0tKk ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNeFn1I ... re=related
*note the guitarist right hand at 1:48*
Edith... La Foule
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbsl5_20 ... re=related
La vie en rose...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Oi8WnV ... re=related
Padam, Padam...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4Fj8tKu ... re=related

Enjoy and carry on!

A.K.

gitpicker

The Manhatten Transfer recording of Nuages is nice. I especially like how they sing words to Django's solo as well. Also Pazzo from HCSF sings Nuages on the CD Postcards from Gypsyland.

AK: Ditto on Frank's bass players! I remember nights when I'd be travelling here in China sleeping on an overnight train listening to Frank on my ipod and just zoning out on the basslines. Great stuff!