June 2020 - The Nearness of You

**M-ster** · 05-31-2020, 11:44 AM

Our standard for Jun 2020 will be The Nearness of You (Hoagy Carmichael & Ned Washington, 1937).

Background:
Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (The Nearness of You)

**ragman1** · 06-01-2020, 09:39 AM

Well, I guess that's that

**pmgetty** · 06-09-2020, 06:51 PM

See attached.

**ragman1** · 06-09-2020, 08:41 PM

That's a backing track! It's very nice but aren't you going to play something over it? Go on, give it a go!

**KirkP** · 06-10-2020, 02:08 PM

I did this very rough take on solo guitar while finishing my morning coffee.

For most of this take I’m focused more on chord voicing than accurately playing the melody. So melody is what I should focus on next. Plus fingering mechanics, intonation, more interesting melodic lines to connect chords, dynamics... It never ends.

**Jonathan0996** · 06-10-2020, 07:52 PM

Here's a version I did a while back...

jonathangiblin_thenearnessofyou.mp3

**KirkP** · 06-10-2020, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by Jonathan0996

Here's a version I did a while back...

jonathangiblin_thenearnessofyou.mp3

That’s great! Makes me think of Grant Green. Good band too.

**pmgetty** · 06-11-2020, 03:31 PM

In my quest to see what others have done with this great tune, I came across the following stunning versions:

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong:

Cyrille Aimee and Friends:

(piano intro is amazing)

I am working on a more upbeat version at 115 bpm for guitar which I hope to post shortly - but these two slow vocal versions are magical.

**ragman1** · 06-12-2020, 01:16 AM

pmgetty -

To be honest, I didn't try your backing track, which was my initial thought, because Nearness isn't really a jaunty tune. It is a slow number and I'm not sure it can take too much speed. Ella and Louie's version has rhythm but it's very gentle.

I'm also unsure of the gypsy jazz treatment. There are versions that do that but I always feel they've missed the essence of the song. Maybe if they slow it right down. Django didn't do it, to my knowledge, but Stephane Grappelli did:

**pmgetty** · 06-12-2020, 11:19 AM

Ragman,

Thanks for sharing this incredible version! Wow!

While I have been playing for 40 years+ I only first came upon this song just a couple of weeks ago as performed by Martin Taylor and Tommy Emmanuel. My jam buddies typically like to play tunes that swing a bit - so my first knee jerk was to dial it in at 115 bpm. However the more I listen to other interpretations of it, I am inclined to agree with you that a slower version brings out the real flavor of this song.

Interesting how tunes seem to find a natural tempo over time. I understand that Hoagy's most popular song, Stardust, was originally performed as a more upbeat number. It didn't become popular however until the tempo was slowed down and lyrics were added.

Here's the first version I heard from Martin and Tommy:

**ragman1** · 06-12-2020, 07:00 PM

Originally Posted by pmgetty

Interesting how tunes seem to find a natural tempo over time.

Absolutely, good point.

**ragman1** · 06-13-2020, 01:48 AM

I did this the other day. It's quite nice in Bb for guitar.

**hohoho** · 06-16-2020, 05:53 AM

Walking Bass Comp Etude

**ragman1** · 06-16-2020, 07:13 AM

Nice, hoho. Mind if I try that too?

**hohoho** · 06-16-2020, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Nice, hoho. Mind if I try that too?

Thank you ragman! Not at all!

**jameslovestal** · 06-16-2020, 07:30 PM

**ragman1** · 06-30-2020, 03:42 AM

hohoho -

Here we go.

Well, there's a thing here. You did your own version very slowly.

Personally I think a walking bass ought to be fairly zippy. I think that's the point of it, it moves the rhythm along. So, basically, it doesn't work at slow tempos, at least not for me.

But I liked your arrangement, it's nicely crafted, so I've had to find a sort of medium tempo that's neither too fast nor too slow. Which I found quite tricky because the fingers kept wanting to race along. I tend to use w/bass rhythms for turnarounds and stuff like that.

Anyway, here it is. I've kept the melody down so we can hear the w/bass track. It is what it is :-)

**hohoho** · 06-30-2020, 03:50 AM

Wow! Very nice Ragman.
I agree: walking generally sounds better at your tempo and/or faster.
I am working my way up to faster tempo.
I find the anticipations slow me down quite a bit...

**ragman1** · 06-30-2020, 03:55 AM

Originally Posted by hohoho

Wow! Very nice Ragman.
I agree: walking generally sounds better at your tempo and/or faster.
I am working my way up to faster tempo.
I find the anticipations slow me down quite a bit...

Anticipations - I think familiarity's the answer to that. Lots of doing it a lot. Get it in the brain.

To be honest... I think it's the wrong song for a walking bass, it makes it too clunky :-)

But you can write them really well, the fingerings glide nicely together and are intuitive. Why not do one on a song that would be enhanced by a w/bass arrangement?

Trying to think of one. Other people will be better at this than me. We better request help!

**ragman1** · 07-01-2020, 06:57 PM

hohoho -

Try doing one for Joy Spring. Failing that, just a blues.

**hohoho** · 07-02-2020, 06:28 AM

Originally Posted by ragman1

hohoho -

Try doing one for Joy Spring. Failing that, just a blues.

Thanks for the encouragement ragman!

I did one for Joy Spring years ago, but don't have it written out. Does not seem appropriate this year though.

I think I saw a walking bass tutorial for Joy Spring on Youtube (also a few years ago).

Now onto If I Had You...

/Hans

**ragman1** · 07-02-2020, 07:56 AM

If I Had You

Well, the trouble there is the same, it's a slow number... I haven't found a decent version yet that goes much above a sort of very medium bounce.

(Well, there is one but it's dreadful)

Doesn't matter, something will come along :-)