Question about a tune to play for an audition

[djg]

Ive been scolded for playing a tune memorized because the dude could tell I’d learned it from the Real Book.

good

i hate the way everybody plays the last A of mrs jones the same way as the first one. play Bm7b5 E7 in bar 28 goddamit!! i blame aebersold as well as the realbook.

funny story: i once saw a well-known alto player reading work song from an aebersold sheet while standing next to nat adderley. yikes.

[Christian Miller]

Whereas I stand in judgement of people who play G7 in bar 1 of rhythm changes. What ARE they teaching them??? ;-)

Sure I can’t play as well as them, but judge them I shall!

[pamosmusic]

i dont mind the em7b5 in stella, or the original dim changes on it could happen to you, alone together, just friends, etc. and i do not mind the clash of say playing Abm7 over Abdim in just friends, or Bm7 over the Abdim in alone together. in fact i like the rub.

expanding a beautiful melody with obvious voice leading is ugly, i agree. out of nowhere is a good example. another one is bar 4 of how deep is the ocean, where you often hear the dreaded a.

got more examples?

Second bar if I Remember You?

[pamosmusic]

And in the regular universe I’m just considering the rehearsal part of the gig. You can tell me the gig pays $100 an hour all day long, but if the rehearsals aren’t included in that then I’ll be doing the math myself.

Once I’ve done the math, it’s just a thing I consider in a big “is it worth it” assessment.

I have a friend who says … “good time, good money, good music, pick two.”

So if I really like the people and the music is a blast then I’ll be there on a Wednesday afternoon for whatever it pays. If it’s a whole big to-do and the bandleader is difficult and I’m not sure about the music, it’ll need to be reaaalllly worth it in another way.

[Christian Miller]

And then I’ll nick them all and put them in a video called ‘never play these chords or everyone will think you’re a noob and laugh at you for ever’ with a thumbnail of me tearing my hair out.

[mr. beaumont]

And then I’ll nick them all and put them in a video called ‘never play these chords or everyone will think you’re a noob and laugh at you for ever’ with a thumbnail of me tearing my hair out.

As long as there's a dissection of why playing xRx73x as a maj7 voicing sounds cool, but adding the 5th on the 4th string is LAME.

[Christian Miller]

and make 15 quid in the process.

another one: bar 34 attya, it's an F in the melody, not a Db. "when all the things you are are mine"

Ooh that’s better than normal that is.

It’ll go viral!!!!

[Christian Miller]

As long as there's a dissection of why playing xRx73x as a maj7 voicing sounds cool, but adding the 5th on the 4th string is LAME.

Is cos Pete says so…

Done that one already (are you making reference?), but i think my thumbnail game was very much sub par.

It needs more gurning, red circles and arrows and appeals to social anxiety and paranoia.

[pamosmusic]

Is cos Pete says so

And I’ve already established that, unfortunately, he’s always right .

[mr. beaumont]

and make 15 quid in the process.

another one: bar 34 attya, it's an F in the melody, not a Db. "when all the things you are are mine"

The ATTYA thing that drives me NUTS is when people play the melodic rhythm of bar 14 in bar 6.

That would be the equivalent of singing

That makes the lone-ly wi-in-in-ter seem long.

[Christian Miller]

And I’ve already established that, unfortunately, he’s always right .

He is

Also

Am7b5 D7/A Gm as a phrase ending

I was SCOLDED for doing it. Play the ii V I in root position, the tritone sub or go home!

[Christian Miller]

Second bar if I Remember You?

Do you mean Bm7/Bm7b5? Unnecessary

[AllanAllen]

I would absolutely turn Metheny down. I know my playing and there's no way he'd still want to get together after he sobered up.

[James Haze]

I would absolutely turn Metheny down. I know my playing and there's no way he'd still want to get together after he sobered up.

LOL, Well, the good news is, you can always put in the time to get better, that part is up to you

[Christian Miller]

I don't think even quite a young Pat would be in the business of jerking people around and wasting their time. He was already used to hanging out with professional musicians having been on the road a fair bit and playing with experienced musicians back in Missouri and picked up a lot on the unwritten codes of professional practice within the community.

So, if he asked you to rehearse it would be clear that you were rehearsing for a paid gig or recording session, and if he just wanted to hang for a play that would also be clear. I'd be bang up for it either way.

[grahambop]

Actually didn’t Pat talk about the audition process for his band in that Beato interview recently?

I think he said he expected people to know and be able to play a reasonable number of his tunes, or something like that.

Also I think he said he wants people who know how to play bebop, but don’t (!)

[John A.]

I find it easy to communicate how to play tunes at a blues jam.

So do I, with people who know what they're doing. But IME, a fair portion of people who show up at blues jams don't, i.e., have pretty limited chops/knowledge, can't follow some fairly basic terminology, and don't have repertoire beyond basic I IV V "blues blues" forms.

[AllanAllen]

So do I, with people who know what they're doing. But IME, a fair portion of people who show up at blues jams don't, i.e., have pretty limited chops/knowledge, can't follow some fairly basic terminology, and don't have repertoire beyond basic I IV V "blues blues" forms.

Ah, now I'm picking up what you're putting down. I had told someone we were going to play a box blues, he didn't know what I meant so I showed him the bassline which he played fine, but then switched to copying the guitar stabs instead of playing bass. It made me rethink my expectations.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I had told someone we were going to play a box blues, he didn't know what I meant

To be honest, neither do I and I've been playing the blues professionally for 60 years. I assume you mean a 12 bar shuffle over a "bass box" line that's a variant of the 4 notes 1-5-7b-8 and hope you will educate me if I'm wrong. I've never heard anyone call a tune that way.

[AllanAllen]

To be honest, neither do I and I've been playing the blues professionally for 60 years. I assume you mean a 12 bar shuffle over a "bass box" line that's a variant of the 4 notes 1-5-7b-8 and hope you will educate me if I'm wrong. I've never heard anyone call a tune that way.

Yeah, that's it. The guy who explained it to me called it a box blues, then I saw a video of Josh Smith presenting it as a Chicago Box Blues. So I figured it was standard. A shuffle is like Jimmy Reed, while a box blues is Before You Accuse Me the bassline is emphasized by the guitar.

[ragman1]

Allan, how do you, on your third gig or something, account for nevershouldhavesoldit, who's been playing blues professionally for 60 years, never having heard of a box blues? I know it's a provocative question but I can't help wondering.

I've never heard of it either but I'm no one. I've heard of blues boxes, i.e. shapes on the neck, but that's it. There's the 'BB King box' which is a specific pattern attributed to BB King but that's not a 'box blues'.

[AllanAllen]

I don't know, regional knowledge? You can't know everything, even with 60 years experience.

I've only had 3 gigs as a bandleader in a jazz quartet. However, I've been playing other styles since the 90s. Not that it gives me more authority than the players here, just trying to give you a better idea of my experience/history.

[Christian Miller]

Actually didn’t Pat talk about the audition process for his band in that Beato interview recently?

I think he said he expected people to know and be able to play a reasonable number of his tunes, or something like that.

TBH I would think that be the case of any well known composer/player? I'm not sure what constitutes a reasonable number - I'm assuming you have to know a few more than just James, Phase Dance and Bright Size Life - but the music is easy to get hold of, so it seems especially reasonable, especially given his stature as a contemporary jazz composer.

OTOH, I think there's a few people who learn people's records. It's good practice, and it makes you ready to step in. And now I feel lazy and silly. I need to make a list of the musicians I want to play with, and learn their stuff... so when Chris Potter inevitably gives me a bell, I'll be ready (/jk). But, you know, can't hurt can it?

Also I think he said he wants people who know how to play bebop, but don’t (!)

I think I remember Pat saying that was his whole evolution as a player.

[mr. beaumont]

OTOH, I think there's a few people who learn people's records. It's good practice, and it makes you ready to step in. And now I feel lazy and silly. I need to make a list of the musicians I want to play with, and learn their stuff... so when Chris Potter inevitably gives me a bell, I'll be ready (/jk). But, you know, can't hurt can it?
.

I think I need to try that with younger artists...I was in the middle of learning as much Ray Crawford era Ahmad Jamal as possible when he passed away.

Was taking a chance he might want to do a drummerless trio thing again. I mean, it had only been 60-odd years.

[James Haze]

Nah not missing the point. You’re just trying to use a ridiculously specific hypothetical
.

As if Pat needs another guitarist…

It's so utterly "ridiculous" that Pat Metheny might approach another guitarist about playing guitar duo jazz gigs. How could I bring up some totally preposterous, "ridiculous hypothetical" like that? Where do I get such utterly ridiculous ideas?

This whole conversation is just hilarious to me. On one hand, you act all indignant that the bandleader has to pay you to practice, then, on the other hand, you say that you're not good enough musicians for Pat Metheny to be interested in making music with you. Let me just say that with your attitudes, I am not surprised to hear that. LOL.