Bemsha Swing from a recent gig

[pamosmusic]

This is Bemsha Swing from a recent gig. I play the first Saturday of every month with this group. As you can hear, it gets a little wild sometimes.

[RJVB]

As you can hear, it gets a little wild sometimes.

You mean it's a little hard to tell when the song has really started and even harder where the swing comes in?

Disclaimer - I've never met nor heard deconstructed gypsies

[ragman1]

Well, panasonic, I have to say I liked your playing. Like the man said, you all tiptoed around it till something happened. It was a probably a bit on the slow side too.

Your sax man needs to play with some push. Monk needs brazen, not thoughtful, otherwise it sounds like you're experimenting. Monk does it and it's BANG, here it is!

But your soloing sounded good to me. Good notes. Lots of experience there.

Btw, wild is great. Wild is fine by me :-)

[AllanAllen]

Tough crowd at the old JGO forum. Nice work Peter, reminds me of Ernest Ranglin with that beat.

[pamosmusic]

Well, panasonic, I have to say I liked your playing. Like the man said, you all tiptoed around it till something happened. It was a probably a bit on the slow side too.

Your sax man needs to play with some push. Monk needs brazen, not thoughtful, otherwise it sounds like you're experimenting. Monk does it and it's BANG, here it is!

But your soloing sounded good to me. Good notes. Lots of experience there.

Btw, wild is great. Wild is fine by me :-)

What you’re hearing with the sax is probably a function of the placement of the phone I was recording with. It was on the side with me and the bass. He was over on the other side. He was cranking.

[pamosmusic]

You mean it's a little hard to tell when the song has really started and even harder where the swing comes in?

I guess it might be hard to know where the song comes in if you don’t know the song? Or maybe it wouldn’t be?

[pamosmusic]

Nice development of the tune. Reminiscent of the “bounce” and groove that a talented jam band such as SMMW. Good stuff.

Yeah this is a weird gig. Awesome spot with a super engaged crowd where they have live DJs bring their vinyl collections a few nights a week. So it’s not exactly a straightahead gig but people who come, come to listen.

[ragman1]

What you’re hearing with the sax is probably a function of the placement of the phone I was recording with. It was on the side with me and the bass. He was over on the other side. He was cranking.

That did occur to me but I still felt some hesitancy through the lack of volume. But okay.

[joe2758]

You mean it's a little hard to tell when the song has really started and even harder where the swing comes in?

Disclaimer - I've never met nor heard deconstructed gypsies

that's the part where sax clearly states the melody

[ragman1]

I guess it might be hard to know where the song comes in if you don’t know the song? Or maybe it wouldn’t be?

I looked up some lead sheets. At least one had repeating bars of two adjacent M7's before the head came in so presumably that 'intro' is all part of the tune.

[pamosmusic]

I looked up some lead sheets. At least one had repeating bars of two adjacent M7's before the head came in so presumably that 'intro' is all part of the tune.

what?

[ragman1]

Bemsha Swing Sheet music for Piano (Solo) Easy | Musescore.com

(I don't say it's accurate, only that I'd seen a lead sheet start with two adjacent M7's).

[pamosmusic]

Bemsha Swing Sheet music for Piano (Solo) Easy | Musescore.com

(I don't say it's accurate, only that I'd seen a lead sheet start with two adjacent M7's).

Then what are you talking about?

[ragman1]

You're not thinking, Peter. Go from the top of the page where there's some confusion about what was happening before the head started. I'm saying the lead sheet provided an explanation for me, that's all, that there was some kind of definite intro.

Anyway, you were playing it so you must know better than me or RJVB who initially brought it up.

[pamosmusic]

You're not thinking, Peter. Go from the top of the page where there's some confusion about what was happening before the head started. I'm saying the lead sheet provided an explanation for me, that's all, that there was some kind of definite intro.

Anyway, you were playing it so you must know better than me or RJVB who initially brought it up.

Good lord, man.

So, to make sure I have it straight, I'm not thinking hard enough about your explanation for what I was doing in the recording of myself that I posted?

Yes, you would be correct that I would know better because I was playing it, and no we were not using that random Musescore "Bemsha Swing for Piano (easy)" that you found online.

For those curious, it was the A section turnaround just vamped out front until the sax came in.

[ragman1]

it was the A section turnaround just vamped out front until the sax came in.

Well, there you go :-)

[pamosmusic]

For what it’s worth, if y’all are actually interested in knowing what’s going on in the intro to a song someone posts in the future, you might try something like “hey what’s going on in the intro to that song you posted?”

Instead of being weird about it.

[AllanAllen]

For those curious, it was the A section turnaround just vamped out front until the sax came in.

Once you make the move from bedroom playing to playing with other people, you realize intros are necessary, and they don't need much thought. 8 bars of anything ahead of the head is better than "1, snap, 2, snap, 1, 2, 3, 4" 30 times in a row.

[SandChannel]

"1, snap, 2, snap, 1, 2, 3, 4" .

That's the upper limit of my skill set - everything goes right off the rails after my count-in.

[joe2758]

8 bars of anything ahead of the head is better than "1, snap, 2, snap, 1, 2, 3, 4" 30 times in a row.

Then you never saw me do it.

[AllanAllen]

Then you never saw me do it.

Everybody starts with no intros. I just suggesting people develop into using them, always be developing, slowly improving. I did gigs for 6 months counting everything in. It got boring so I started making up intros, easy stuff. Straight up intro exercises from the Mickey Baker book, vamps, the last 4 bars, something I learned from searching "Jazz guitar intro" on YouTube, the Cannonball intro to Autumn Leaves.

[joe2758]

Oh, that was just a joke sorry

[AllanAllen]

Oh, that was just a joke sorry

No need to apologize, I enjoy bloviating on the little morsel of experience I have.

[pamosmusic]

Speaking of wild rides … here’s Green Dolphin Street from the same gig.

We had this kind of loose intro thing going on and when the sax started in on the melody, the drummer dropped in on this madcap double time thing, and such was the vibe.

[ragman1]

Do we get to hear the whole thing? I'd like to.