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I like piano a lot. I think it's harder to cover the space on guitar. I regularly go out to hear a trio which usually has piano, which I prefer to when they have guitar instead. My own bands are probably better, from the point of view of the audience, with piano.
That said, I really like being the only chord instrument. It changes the whole night. Instead of spending my time figuring out how not to conflict with the piano, I get to listen to the other instruments and I can play the harmony my own way. And, once I adjust to not missing the piano, I feel like the sound of the band is full enough.
One final point. There are some guitarists who are so skilled at comping that I prefer them to piano, but that's a lofty level to achieve and I'm not there.
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10-06-2025 01:42 PM
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Piano trios are amazing. The set after ours was a piano trio, with the same bassist and drummer that played in my trio. I knew her from local jam sessions, but she hadn't been around in a while. It was nice to see her play, and she's one of those pianists that makes full use of the harmonic and sonic spectrum of the instrument. It's a wonder to behold.
At the same time, when we played together at jams, with all due respect, it was as if it was just a piano trio, and I mostly laid out. No problem, jams are social gatherings and not just to await one's turn to play. Still, I can't help wondering that perhaps it would've been interesting for both of us to hold back and seek mutual piano and guitar interplay.
When I spoke to the pianist after the set, she said it was her first time playing the street jazz gig in over a decade, having tended to family matters and playing at home. For sure she could still play better than many I know, but maybe there's an on stage communal dynamic that's situation specific, which needs to be nurtured as much as individual skill.
Having said that, there have been occasions when I've had the privilege to be in a jam session with a truly accomplished full spectrum pianist, and when they've headed off into trio flights of fancy, it was incredible to go along for the ride, and to get into that magical transcendent musicking moment, even if I was just a flailing caboose on a speeding train.
Maybe that's why I like jam sessions more than formal gigs. They are opportunities for amateur and casual players like me to try new things, to stretch out, to play with others on both ends of the skill spectrum, to pay attention to group dynamics, and perhaps most importantly to gain practical experience in knowing when to play, and when not to play.
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Debut performance with a new 9-piece band last Friday night. Our set was:
"Super Mario Brothers Theme Song" (from the video game)
"Spinning Wheel" (BS&T)
"Tennessee Whiskey" (Chris Stapleton)
"Hella Good" (No Doubt)
"First Real Love" (from the Broadway musical Just In Time)
"Moondance" (the Michael Buble big band version of the Van Morrison chestnut)
"Spiderwebs" (No Doubt)
"I Don't Care Much" (from the Broadway musical Cabaret)
"You Know I'm No Good/Rehab" (Amy Winehouse)
Obviously not exactly a "jazz" band...
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Now that’s one interesting set list! When I was a kid in the late 1960s my favorite song was Spinning Wheel, probably from hearing it on Sesame Street, of all places, and a very early gateway to jazzy musics. It must be a blast to cover that one in a band with horns. Play in good health!
Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
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For tonight …
1 - Beatrice (F)
2 - Girl From Ipanema, The (F)
3 - Lawns (D)
4 - Back-woods Song (D)
5 - Stoner Hill (C)
6 - St. Thomas (C)
7 - Equinox (D-)
8 - Be Encouraged (C)
9 - Afro Blue (F-)
10 - On Green Dolphin Street (Eb)
11 - Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise (C-)
12 - All Blues (G)
13 - Bemsha Swing (C)
14 - Well You Needn't (F)
15 - Cantaloupe Island (F-)
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from last Saturday's gig:
Set 1
"Groovin'" - The Rascals
"Wave" - Antonio Carlos Jobim
"Watermelon Man" - Herbie Hancock
"The Ukraine National Anthem" - Mykhailo Verbytsky
"It's Too Late" - Carole King
"Blue Monk" - Monk
"Smiles And Smiles To Go" - Larry Carlton
"Mimosa" - George Benson
"Blue Tango" - Leroy Anderson
"Ashokan Farewell" - Jay Ungar
"Flor d'Luna (Moonflower)" - Tom Coster
Set 2
"Chitlins Con Carne" - Kenny Burrell
"So Far Away" - Carole King (but The Crusaders' arrangement)
"What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
"Angel Del Mar" - Bob Bauer
"Simone" - Frank Foster
"Hot Cha" - Junior Walker
"Footprints" - Wayne Shorter
"Battle Hymn Of The Republic" - Julia Ward Howe
"Way Back Home" - Wilton Felder
Set 3
"Take Five" - Paul Desmond
"Back At The Chicken Shack" - Jimmy Smith
"Wichita Lineman" - Jimmy Webb
"Sleepwalk" - S, J, & A. Farina
"Put It Where You Want It" - Joe Sample
"Feel Like Makin' Love" - Eugene McDaniels
"St. Thomas" - Sonny Rollins
"Eleanor Rigby" - Lennon & McCartney
"Road Song" - Wes Montgomery
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That's very eclectic, I love it.
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Yep, only reason I agreed to play with these guys. If I never do another gig that's nothing but "standards" it'll be too soon. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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For Jeff, this is what we’re doing most gigs, plans to add Cherokee, Mr Kenyatta, Eleanor Rigby and Gibraltar. I just have to shed them a bit more.
Aly Anne’s 06.26.2026
1 - Killer Joe (RB 2) (C)
2 - Take The A Train (RB 1) (C)
3 - Footprints (RB 1) (C-)
4 - All The Things You Are (RB 1) (Ab)
5 - Song For My Father (RB 1) (F-)
6 - Now's the Time (RB 2) (F)
7 - In a Sentimental Mood (RB 1) (D-)
8 - Caravan (RB 2) (F-)
9 - Recordame (RB 1) (A-)
10 - Doxy Aebersold Changes (RB 02) (Bb)
11 - Moonglow (RB 2) (G)
12 - Blue Bossa (RB 1) (C-)
13 - All Of Me (RB 01) (C)
14 - In A Mellow Tone (In A Mellotone) (RB 1) (Ab)
15 - The Girl From Ipanema (RB 1) (F)
16 - On Green Dolphin Street (RB 4) (C)
17 - Blue Moon (RB 2 old) (Eb)
18 - Freddie Freeloader (RB 01) (Bb)
19 - Summertime (RB 4) (Old RB 2) (A-)
20 - Mercy Mercy Mercy (RB 2) (Bb)
21 - Four (RB 1) (Eb)
22 - Well You Needn't (RB 1) (F)
23 - Perdido (RB 2) (Bb)
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I'm playing with the 9-piece showband this coming Saturday night, so the set list skews more towards pop and rock (and, oddly, musical theater) with very little jazz, but it's a fun gig nonetheless:
Set 1
Dance To The Music - Sly & The Family Stone
The Walk - Mayer Hawthorne
Baby It's You - Smith
Diggin' On James Brown - Tower Of Power
You Know I'm No Good - Amy Winehouse
A Sentimental Person - from the Broadway musical Maybe Happy Ending
All Falls Down - Lizzy McAlpine
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - Chicago
Little Talks - Of Monsters And Men
Soul Intro/The Chicken - Jaco Pastorius (cover of the PeeWee Ellis tune)
Wheels - Cake
Spinning Wheel - Blood Sweat & Tears
Set 2
Rehab - Amy Winehouse
Spanish Moon - Little Feat
September - Earth Wind & Fire
Pick Up The Pieces - Average White Band
Honey White - Morphine
Royals - Redtenbacher's Funkestra (cover of the Lorde tune)
Just The Way You Are - Billy Joel
Runaway Baby - Bruno Mars
Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
Got My Mind Set On You - George Harrison
Long Train Runnin' - The Doobie Brothers
Would I Lie To You? - The Eurythmics
Set 3
Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner
Moondance - Michael Bublé (cover of the Van Morrison tune)
Hella Good - No Doubt
Saturday In The Park - Chicago
First Real Love - from the Broadway musical Just In Time
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Only So Much Oil In The Ground - Tower Of Power
Sledgehammer - Peter Gabriel
Tennessee Whiskey - Chris Stapleton
Love Shack - The B-52s
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Bob Dylan was right!! Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
Dylan told John Fogerty to get over the Fantasy/CCR dispute and play his CCR compositions live or people would think the Turners wrote Proud Mary.
That looks like a really fun gig.
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Yeah, in fairness I should have credited that number as "Ike & Tina Turner (cover of the CCR tune)" but since we do the whole "nice and rough" arrangement -- which admittedly is pretty weird coming out of the mouth of our 16-year-old singer -- it barely feels like CCR anymore. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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Solo gig in Atlanta a few weeks ago (first solo gig I've done)
Set 1
Friday, September 4, 2026 11:37 PM1:
Pacific Nights - Lee Ritenour - 120 -
2: Midwestern Night's Dream - Pat Metheny - 120 -
3: Woodstock. - Joni Mitchell - 120 -
4: Castle Hill - JMe! - 120 -
5: Bird Song - Grateful Dead - 120 -
6: Blue In Green - Miles Davis - 120 -
7: Tin Tin Deo - Kenny Burrell - 120 -
8: So May It Secretly Begin - Pat Metheny - 120 -
9: Samba Pas Ti - Santana - 120
Set 2
1: Blue Dove - Jim Hall - 120 -
2: This Is Not America - Pat Metheny - 120 -
3: Etude - Lee Ritenour - 120 -
4: Mood For A Day - Steve Howe - 120 -
5: Travels (R1, C1) - Pat Metheny - 120 -
6: Song For My Father - Horace Silver - 120 -
7: Nefertiti - Wayne Shorter - 120 -
8: Farmer's Trust (R1, C1) - Pat Metheny - 120 -
9: Strawberry Fields Forever (C2, D2/C2 Solos) - Beatles - 120 -
Set 3
1: I Wish That I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free - Nina Simone - 120 -
2: Carey - Joni Mitchell - 120 -
3: James (D1, C2) - Pat Metheny - 120 -
4: A Remark You Made - Weather Report - 120 -
5: Unity Village - Pat Metheny - 120 -
6: White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane - 120 -
7: Body Talk (R1) - George Benson - 120 -
8: Brain Damage/Eclipse - Pink Floyd - 120 - Ab
9: And We Bid You Goodnight - Grateful Dead - 120 -
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You're a time traveller!? Hope the gig goes well! Originally Posted by StormyMonday
You should add "If 6 was 9" by Jimi Hendrix...
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Haha just saw that. I downloaded the setlist from the tool I put on my tablet, not really sure where the date came from, but it's my birthday which is even weirder! On Sept 5th I'll add "Deja Vu" to the setlist I guess Originally Posted by Dave70
You're a time traveller!? Hope the gig goes well!
You should add "If 6 was 9" by Jimi Hendrix...
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Solo guitar (i.e., all instrumentals) or are you singing too? I would love to hear your arrangment of "This Is Not America" ! Originally Posted by StormyMonday
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StormyMonday, if you’re posting takes. I’d like to hear I wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.
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Solo, it was a challenge! I'll try to put a vid of it. Usually I use Blue Dove as an intro, makes a statement on ideas from OUS I suppose. I take a lot of liberties with it but when I played it on a No Kings Day gig it went over pretty well Originally Posted by Bob_Ross
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Will try to put on together, mine is a bastardized version of Martin Taylor's Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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I'm "upta camp" as we say in Maine and all I have is a brandless old student guitar but here's an abbreviated version. Usually a lot more to it but not on this guitar lol! I Wish I Could Know.. - YouTube Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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Dang, that reminds me. I'm going camping next week and I never got a guitar to take with me.
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Sounds like a great excuse to buy an affordable acoustic. Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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Dual Diagnosis
Rampart
Humiliation Patrol
Alone
Let's Play, Dump Trucks and Scooters
Heart of the Reactor
All soon to be hits on the seniors techno circuit.
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Or an expensive carbon fiber Originally Posted by DawgBone
Full Carbon Travel Guitar
– KLOS Guitars
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Love that tune, working up for the future Originally Posted by AllanAllen
but I am thinking of it as being in F major.
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