Good guitar and vocal duo jazz standards, with option of solo guitar version?

[SammieWammie]

Me (jazz guitarist in training) and an amazing singer are looking to get together a little jazz duo, hopefully get a few gigs and such. We've had a few informal little jams and busked a bit but I at least am trying to start up some sort of serious duo, Tuck and Patti style, and I need to know some good vocal jazz standards. Also doing my solo thing I will no doubt want to work out a solo guitar version on top. Ones we already have are Summertime of course, I'm working on fitting the melody of Fever on top of what I play backup for her, working on Dream A Little Dream and What A Wonderful World and I'm going to get her to learn Honeysuckle Rose as I already know it, but that's not very many. We're both young and she is more pop oriented so preferably modern sounding although that's a bit vague, a lot of 'modern' sounding jazz I listen is from at least 50+ years ago. Also most jazz songs I learn arrange or even improvise solo guitar when I'm playing alone so I know some not very guitar friendly chord melodies like Afternoon In Paris, too many big jumps to play all that comfortably with chords and I (recently) play everything I've learned in the last 7 months I've learned jazz with more than one part in my guitar e.g the bass and a similar version of the piano of Cantaloupe Island, still working on putting the head on top and chord melodies of most songs I've played in combos.

Anyway I always get far to carried away at the mention of my playing, even when I mention it to myself. Good songs anybody?

Also even pop songs, ones that I would be able to reharmonize to be more jazzy backup guitar, one we have done like that is Sunday Morning, just a 2 5 1 through the whole song so easy to mess about improvising in.

Oh and the singer's a girl if that matters too much, I can change the key of a song to suit anyway.

Cheers people

[brad4d8]

A couple suggestions:
Julie is her Name and Julie is her Name II. Julie London accompanied by Barney Kessel or Howard Roberts (with a bass player). There's also at least one album with Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald.
Brad

[SammieWammie]

Oh hell yes, youtubing Joe Pass and Ella, perfect stuff . But really just any jazz vocal songs that could work are appreciated.

[ronjazz]

Check out the complete Tuck and Patti songlist, also Cassandra Wilson and Diane Reeves. All of these acts utilize "pop" songs that most of the Jazz Police types would disapprove of. Songs by Carole King have nice changes, Beatles tunes have nice changes, Jobim, of course. Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald released at least 3, maybe 4 CDs that are sublime. Be careful of doing too many ballads.

[vittigo]

Hi, i'm gigging with such duo. The perfect repertoire for this setting are Bossa Novas (i.e. Antonio Carlos Jobim songs). By very nature of it this guitar + vocal music.

Sounds beautiful even when You play it with simple arrangement.

[TruthHertz]

A lot of jazzers are looking to Joni Mitchell tunes in jazz versions (Ben Monder did Sunny Sunday, Herbie Hancock-Norwegian Wood, tons of others), Norah Jones Don't Know Why. Beatles tunes Here There Everywhere is great.
Listen to all the stuff done by Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald.
Steven Sondheim (Send in the Clowns)
Jimmy Webb ( The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)
Billie Holiday tunes (Good Morning Heartache)

Check out the thread on this forum
http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/every...eneration.html
and listen to how they chose and interpret their material.
David

[fep]

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

A lot of jazzers are looking to Joni Mitchell tunes in jazz versions (Ben Monder did Sunny Sunday, Herbie Hancock-Norwegian Wood, tons of others), Norah Jones Don't Know Why. Beatles tunes Here There Everywhere is great.
Listen to all the stuff done by Joe Pass and Ella Fitzgerald.
Steven Sondheim (Send in the Clowns)
Jimmy Webb ( The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)
Billie Holiday tunes (Good Morning Heartache)

Check out the thread on this forum
http://www.jazzguitar.be/forum/every...eneration.html
and listen to how they chose and interpret their material.
David

+1 to these... Tunes your audience know and will enjoy more.

A couple others that work well with guitar and vocals.

Fly me to the moon (Sinatra should be a good source for picking tunes)
Dream a Little Dream of Me

YouTube Video

[SteveCarter]

Originally Posted by SammieWammie

Me (jazz guitarist in training) and an amazing singer are looking to get together a little jazz duo, hopefully get a few gigs and such. We've had a few informal little jams and busked a bit but I at least am trying to start up some sort of serious duo, Tuck and Patti style, and I need to know some good vocal jazz standards. Also doing my solo thing I will no doubt want to work out a solo guitar version on top. Ones we already have are Summertime of course, I'm working on fitting the melody of Fever on top of what I play backup for her, working on Dream A Little Dream and What A Wonderful World and I'm going to get her to learn Honeysuckle Rose as I already know it, but that's not very many. We're both young and she is more pop oriented so preferably modern sounding although that's a bit vague, a lot of 'modern' sounding jazz I listen is from at least 50+ years ago. Also most jazz songs I learn arrange or even improvise solo guitar when I'm playing alone so I know some not very guitar friendly chord melodies like Afternoon In Paris, too many big jumps to play all that comfortably with chords and I (recently) play everything I've learned in the last 7 months I've learned jazz with more than one part in my guitar e.g the bass and a similar version of the piano of Cantaloupe Island, still working on putting the head on top and chord melodies of most songs I've played in combos.

Anyway I always get far to carried away at the mention of my playing, even when I mention it to myself. Good songs anybody?

Also even pop songs, ones that I would be able to reharmonize to be more jazzy backup guitar, one we have done like that is Sunday Morning, just a 2 5 1 through the whole song so easy to mess about improvising in.

Oh and the singer's a girl if that matters too much, I can change the key of a song to suit anyway.

Cheers people

I would suggest "Dindi" by Antonio Carlos Jobim.

I recorded it with a female vocalist:
http://localhost/frogstory/live_at_the_library_cd.html

and as a solo piece:
http://localhost/frogstory/act_one.html

You might get some ideas from listening to my various duo and solo albums:
http://localhost/frogstory/cds_and_sounds.html

Hope this helps.

Steve

[guitarguy1964]

I just found this and thought it was cool and appropriate.

‪Ted Greene and Cathy Segal-Garcia perform Up on the Roof & Under the Boardwalk‬‏ - YouTube