Which songs go over best with your audiences?

[rpjazzguitar]

Speaking generally, familiar songs are better than unfamiliar. Songs that make you want to tap your foot go over better than ones that don't. A really good singer goes over better than instrumental music, except when the instrumental music is exceptional in quality.

My gigs are mostly Brazilian music. What goes over best? You guessed it, Girl From Ipanema. One Note Samba also usually works well. We have great arrangements of both, but we often just play the Real Book version because people respond to it.

Ballads can be trouble. Our singer is good enough to put them over. Embraceable You and Lover Man are probably the best received.

We do a few songs with some comedy. By "some" comedy I mean a very little bit. Those things go over well. But, songs with funny lyrics don't seem to work well. Everything Happens To Me, goes over for maybe 8 bars. Banter within the band is better.

I think that familiar standards and grooving soul jazz would fare better. Take Five, Song For My Father, Caravan maybe, Mr. Magic. But, I'm speculating about most of those.

[AllanAllen]

Take Five is the most requested song by far, distantly followed by Autumn Leaves. People like Caravan because it’s such a stylistic change from all the other standards. Recorda Me seems to get a better response than Blue Bossa. Song for my Father is good too.

We added Sally’s Song from Nightmare Before Christmas and the few people who recognized it loved it. To be fair, I wrote the chart and it was riddled with errors the first few times.

You just need to keep trying new tunes, but also play what you want and drop what gets a poor response. Conflicting advice, but that’s the game. I like to get requests from the band, I can feel zeroed in on one style and they’ll get me out of it.

[Blue J]

Hello. A couple of tunes that come to mind quick are Miles Davis’ modal piece “So What” and Kenny Burrell’s jazz blues “Chitlin’s Con Carne”. The former a cool hip tune that gets heads bobbing and feet tapping. The latter a good soulful jazz blues.

+1 on @AllanAllen’s suggestion on having a tune or two of different jazz genres to bring a little variety to the set list. To accompany a tune like the mentioned “Caravan” you could do W.C. Handy’s “St.Louis Blues”. A great blues song that can double as an instrumental showcase or vocal performance.

[AllanAllen]

Oh yeah, anything off Kind Of Blue is a good idea.

[pamosmusic]

Blues at a medium up tempo. Kind of brisk bossa or samba kind of thing. The calypso vibe a la St Thomas.

Honestly anything it really looks like we’re enjoying.

We played Rhythm a Ning the other night and the drummer did this Big Four groove with his fingers on the drum heads and people ate it up because it was different and cool and I butchered the first A because I was surprised and laughing. People like it when they’re watching musicians have fun.

[Fusionshred]

Agreed. The recognizable songs keep audience attention. Mr. Magic is a good one. Girl from Ipanema… Take Five… Feels So Good… Pick Up the Pieces or anything with a groove!

But we got the biggest reaction when we just had some fun and as soon as I played the first chord to Little Wing I got a huge “YEAAAAAAHHH!” from the audience. Frustrating and rewarding at the same time.

Just goes to show ya. “jazzy” renditions of pop or rock songs is where it’s at. (Perhaps somewhat unfortunate but the creativity and challenge comes from arranging these songs to fit in a “jazz” context).

[AllanAllen]

Just goes to show ya. “jazzy” renditions of pop or rock songs is where it’s at. (Perhaps somewhat unfortunate but the creativity and challenge comes from arranging these songs to fit in a “jazz” context).

This is the whole gig, but somewhere along the way jazz musicians decided they were above it.

[spencer096]

i do solo version of aimee and deacon blues, both go over great.

[Sam Sherry]

Aside from standards at sessions -- which does what it needs to do -- I try to focus on melodic modern jazz. The last two setlists with the quartet I play in have included songs from John Abercrombie, Kenny Barron, John Scofield, Don Grolnick, Kenny Garrett, Chick Corea and the late local legend Steve Grover, along with songs written by myself and by our saxophonist Frank Maucieri.

Audiences will gladly glide away from their typical routes IF you establish trust that you will guide them to a safe landing. We play plenty of concerts of 70s-80s-90s-00s and 'originals' to audiences who don't hear that music all year. If we give them something to hang onto, they are ready and willing to hang.

[ragman1]

Which songs go over best with your audiences?


Ones they know, obviously. Or, in the case of instrumentals, in the styles they know. Which means you have to tailor your output according to the audience. Which means you have to know your audience. But do you?

[John A.]

I generally play for audiences that are there explicitly for the music, either some sort of small jazz group or my 4-piece blues band. I don’t often face the problem of having to convince people not to dislike the genre I’m playing, which seems to be a theme around here. It’s more a matter of holding the attention of people who are already interested.

That said, I think it’s generally good to mix the familiar and unfamiliar/surprising and to have some originals. It’s also good to vary tempos and feels. So I construct set lists around that idea. For jazz, it’ll be something like

Somewhat bluesy vocal standard (e.g., Gee Baby, Ain’t I Good to You)
Up-tempo standard
Blues (instrumental)
Ballad with chord-melody intro
Bossa/latin
Blues (vocal)
Original
Jazz waltz
Vocal ballad (for me, something bluesy, like Georgia, or God Bless the Child, or another blues)

For every one of those slots, I’ve got several candidates, to choose from (or call on the fly). I try to have at least a couple of the tunes have an arranged feel in the head (e.g. counter-melodies, unisons, pedal-points on the V under an A section, etc.)

In guitar duets, we night each do a chord-melody intro per set. I’ll also make sure to throw in some patter, talk about the songs, introduce the players, thank the house, etc.

I know it’s working if people ask me about the tunes or comment on some aspect of the performance during breaks. If I sense indifference or glassy-eyed stares, I switch something up.

[lorenkii]

Songs with words about food

[jameslovestal]

Songs with words about food

That only works when one is playing at a place that has good food.

If not, then words about food only makes one hungry and they will have to leave to some grub.

[AllanAllen]

From Thursday, we got a good response from Take Five, Chameleon, Watermelon Man and Caravan.

[John A.]

Songs with words about food

Buildings and food …

[ragman1]

From Thursday, we got a good response from Take Five, Chameleon, Watermelon Man and Caravan.

All those have toe-tapping rhythms. Definitely tells you something.

[rpjazzguitar]

The last three months I've gone to see a monthly gig by some friends at a dinner house. Piano, bass, tenor and the occasional vocal.

The music is almost all originals -- which tend to sound like classic bluesy jazz or soul jazz, for want of a better term.

They're strong rhythmic players so I don't miss the drums at all. The stuff grooves. People are eating and conversing, but you see tapping feet.

The point is that they're doing the job very well without relying on familiar tunes, although the tunes seem somewhat familiar. It works because the groove is very strong and the tenor player is melodic in a classic jazz kind of way.

[jameslovestal]

The last three months I've gone to see a monthly gig by some friends at a dinner house. Piano, bass, tenor and the occasional vocal.

The music is almost all originals -- which tend to sound like classic bluesy jazz or soul jazz, for want of a better term.

They're strong rhythmic players so I don't miss the drums at all. The stuff grooves. People are eating and conversing, but you see tapping feet.

The point is that they're doing the job very well without relying on familiar tunes, although the tunes seem somewhat familiar. It works because the groove is very strong and the tenor player is melodic in a classic jazz kind of way.

Does this dinner house have any seats for those not wanting dinner? I ask, because if NO, then I would say "it works" because the primary reason people go to this venue is not for the music.

[rpjazzguitar]

Does this dinner house have any seats for those not wanting dinner? I ask, because if NO, then I would say "it works" because the primary reason people go to this venue is not for the music.

It's all tables. Sounds great, plenty of toe tapping or other movement, good applause and repeated gigs. Good sound - clear but you can have a conversation. Small QSC. It's also true that the food is very good and not cheap.

[jameslovestal]

It's all tables. Sounds great, plenty of toe tapping or other movement, good applause and repeated gigs. Good sound - clear but you can have a conversation. Small QSC. It's also true that the food is very good and not cheap.

I see that my question about "seats" was misunderstood. I meant that the place is all tables where one must order dinner, with no cover. The key is "must order dinner". I.e. one can't just get a table and order drinks to see the entertainment. Or there is a cover if one doesn't order dinner.

[rpjazzguitar]

I see that my question about "seats" was misunderstood. I meant that the place is all tables where one must order dinner, with no cover. The key is "must order dinner". I.e. one can't just get a table and order drinks to see the entertainment. Or there is a cover if one doesn't order dinner.

,

No, I didn't misunderstand the question.

I haven't seen anybody try to order just drinks. My guess is that the venue would allow it, but I haven't tested it.

There's no cover.

I know there would be fewer people there if there was no music -- because I wouldn't be there with friends.

The band isn't working cheap, so somebody at the venue must think it's worth the cost. Some restaurant owners think of it as improving ambience and they're satisfied if they see the band greet enough customers, as friends, to offset the cost.

[jameslovestal]

,

No, I didn't misunderstand the question.

I haven't seen anybody try to order just drinks. My guess is that the venue would allow it, but I haven't tested it.

There's no cover.

I know there would be fewer people there if there was no music -- because I wouldn't be there with friends.

The band isn't working cheap, so somebody at the venue must think it's worth the cost. Some restaurant owners think of it as improving ambience and they're satisfied if they see the band greet enough customers, as friends, to offset the cost.

My question was related to this band playing original music. I don't think a band, especially one playing mostly instrumental original jazz type music, can bring in enough of an audience for a venue, that doesn't have a cover-charge and doesn't sell dinner (or have a minimum per table), for the venue to make a profit. I know of no such places here in Orange County CA. USA that can do so (and we have 3.1 million people here).

I'm sure the band and their music is fine, and it sounds like the type of live music I would enjoy. Thus, I'm being cynical about general public not about this band.

PS: maybe because the OC is so large what I lay down is the case. I.e. maybe in a much smaller area with a lot less things to do, such music can bring in an audience.

[rpjazzguitar]

My impression is that the overall ambience and food quality brings people in. That's why I go. My guess is that management feels that the music is part of that. If not, why would they pay?

My point was that the band was good enough that they didn't need to play familiar songs. I also was careful to note that their originals sounded familiar, mostly bluesy or soulful, and not "outside". Dinner jazz.

[pauln]

My impression is that the overall ambience and food quality brings people in. That's why I go. My guess is that management feels that the music is part of that. If not, why would they pay?

My point was that the band was good enough that they didn't need to play familiar songs. I also was careful to note that their originals sounded familiar, mostly bluesy or soulful, and not "outside". Dinner jazz.

Yes,
audience focus, in other words
strive at making sure the songs
going over best with audiences
are those ones they most enjoy
when performed by your band.

[jameslovestal]

My impression is that the overall ambience and food quality brings people in. That's why I go. My guess is that management feels that the music is part of that. If not, why would they pay?

My point was that the band was good enough that they didn't need to play familiar songs. I also was careful to note that their originals sounded familiar, mostly bluesy or soulful, and not "outside". Dinner jazz.

Most jazz vibe bands play standards and other familiar songs. Of course you're not saying those bands are not "good enough". In addition, one has no idea if this band played mostly standards and familiar songs, what impact that would have; E.g. LESS people would come to the place. I highly doubt it, since the music, period, is NOT the focus.

Anyhow, I wish I had a place like that in the O.C.