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March Song Of The Month--HCQ Strut
This month's tune is one of my favorite recent "re-discoveries". One of my favorite things about this music (and the vast Django catalog) is how I can like and respect a song for many years and play it on many gigs, only to one day have it catch my attention and grab me in a new & special way that I didn't experience before. That usually leads me to elevate the song in my mind & dive into to hearing it, understanding it & playing it with new inspiration. And then it happens with another song, it's one of the main reasons I love this music:
HCQ Strut (initials for Hot Club Quintet, of course) was only recorded once, on 8/25/39 in the Decca Studios in London. It was Django & Steph's classic quintet, with that superb rhythm section featuring Joseph on rhythm guitar. Interestingly, Django & Steph didn't know that this would be the last time they would record together before the war would separate them for 6 long years. The tune starts with a super-cool intro with just Django & Steph. What makes this song unique to me is the extra 2 bars at the end of the form. I can't think of another tune in the catalog that has that, but if anyone knows of one, feel free to chime in. The outro is pretty cool too. Here's a link to the recording of it, including some fun pics. I'll post the chart that my band uses later:
Comments
Love this tune, also one of my favorite Django solos of all time. Steph's intro to his solo that hints at the Djangology head is really cool too. And yeah, that little "tag" really makes it a unique tune as well.
I love that intro. Viper's Dream drops a measure on the other hand. I've noticed old school Argentine tango's can have section with "extra" measures.
... the extra 2 bars at the end of the form. I can't think of another tune in the catalog that has that, but if anyone knows of one, feel free to chime in
There's I Got Rhythm. Not to be confused with rhythm changes .. ;)
Jeepers Creepers is another one.
One of my favourite Django solos!!
I think hcq strut is probably just a reworking of Jeepers creepers.
There's some cool links here:
@Phil - how did you get to the DIJ archives? Seems like there must be ton of materials available over the years. Thanks
@lux - it came up after searching for something like HCQ Strut guitar solo.
Good discussions this month, thanks to all who have joined in thus far. I'll happily keep the song of the month going as long as folks continue to show interest in it. As promised, here's a link to the chart my band uses. Note those extra 2 bars jammed in on the last line: