Need some advice, swing all night long!

[figure_02]

A week after new years eve, me and a double basser (not sure if thats correct, huge acoustic bass used in jazz), a pianist, a girl singer and probably a guitarist, is going to play at a dance "party" for some older people, smoking and the whole deal. We are pretty experienced players, but we have never played an entire night for dancing people, swing, waltz etc...So I need some tips on tunes we could learn. What Im worried about is that it go on for a long time. probably four hours. What do do? Play a two hour drumsolo?

Sorry if theres some bad english here, pretty tired, Hope you understand what I mean, and every answer is appreciated. :)

[Pete Stoltman]

Take a look at the thread about jazz standards. Pick out familiar tunes. Things that the people will know. Think about tempos. With an older crowd they'll most likely dance to medium tempo swing tunes and ballads the most. Throw in a few "latin tunes" to mix things up a bit. I wouldn't worry too much about waltzes but one or two would be handy to have ready. As far as playing the tunes here's a simple format that should work. Play the head (main melody) of the song first, then a vocal chorus, then let one or two of the players take a turn at soloing for one or a maximum of two choruses each. Usually the singer can come back in on the bridge and then sing the out chorus. Try to mix it up so you don't make every song sound the same. Have the soloists play within the context of the music so that even though they are playing their own thing the dancers can "hear the song" in their heads. If your players are decent readers have a couple of fake books handy so you can take some requests. If it's a four hour gig I'd probably split the sets by doing an hour at a time with a 10 minute break until your last set which would be about a half hour. I would avoid breaking for more than 10 minutes because you may start losing the crowd especially with older folks who decide it's time to go home. If you use the format I suggested you should probably have about 10 songs prepared for each of your one hour sets. You may end up using less but it's better to be prepared. Hope that helps.

[KCDrummer]

I think the styles you choose matter just as much as the titles. Obviously, you'll play plenty of swing, but the folks would probably love to hear some samba, bossa nova, rhumba, etc. Also, when you play ballads, don't play them at a super-slow durge. You don't want to play them fast, just make sure the beat is discernable and the tempo moves along without getting stagnant, otherwise you might have people falling over trying to keep their balance between beats. Nothing ruins New Year's like a broken hip and breached Depends.

[Drummer Karl]

I actually like what Wolfgang Haffner said in his TV documentary some time ago: When he plays a gig with his band he likes to catch the audience for a journey, take them away from their daily life.
He likes to "arrange" his gigs like a big bow. It is supposed to be round experience, with a climax. Finding a good mix and not just to divide the whole gig into blocks of "styles" or particular tunes.
Look out for Jazz standards to play (aydee posted a big standard set of Jazz tunes)... http://www.drummerworld.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=32454

Maybe start with a comfortable tune (maybe a medium bossa like "blue bossa") and for example the singer introduces the band. Then the actual tune starts.
For the next tunes you could play songs in a similar tempo...latin, slow bluesy stuff, slow waltz, ballads relaxing and slow.
As the audience gets warmer go ahead maybe try some second line rambling for the audience...New Orleans or Dixie. It`s nice music to dance with and it should be much fun for the crowd. After getting wilder I would slow it down again and go for a 15 minutes break. After that maybe some medium to fast swing up to some wilder stuff to reach a climax.
In the end you play on, your singer introduces the band briefly again and bye-bye.

That is just what I would roughly do...how many breaks would you like to do btw?

Karl

[Pete Stoltman]

Originally Posted by KCDrummer

I Also, when you play ballads, don't play them at a super-slow durge. You don't want to play them fast, just make sure the beat is discernable and the tempo moves along without getting stagnant, otherwise you might have people falling over trying to keep their balance between beats. Nothing ruins New Year's like a broken hip and breached Depends.

Good advice on the ballads Zack. Pretty funny too. Just like anything there are good tempos and bad tempos. As an example "Body and Soul" is one that probably should be relatively slow but something like "These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)" would be up a bit. It's kind of a judgement call and about the only way you figure that out is with a bunch of experience. If you find a really good singer they should be able to help dictate the tempo/feel of the song too.

[figure_02]

Thanks guys, some fine answers here! I'll check out that "standard" list, but I dont really know any jazz tunes that well, a few you could reccomend? We will try to mix in some styles, sure, and we will have breaks, of course, but do you think we need material for atleast 3 hours, or could you play some tunes over again?

[Eric]

All of these posts have good advice. Another thing is to keep an eye on the dance floor. The dancers will naturally gravitate towards a certain tempo, and it might be ok to gently nudge the tempo that direction, especially if they're giving you dirty looks.

[figure_02]

Yeah, I figured out good connection is a key. :)

[spleen]

Good suggestions above and funny remark KC about "breached depends" (I laugh now but watch, now when I'm 90 I'll probably have to wear them).

I would also suggest trying to learn a little more about your audience and what they might like. You said it's an "older" crowd but that could mean many things. I know "older" people who like classic rock, rockabilly, country music, polkas, etc. So, it may not be limited to swing era music and standards.

Have fun and let us know how it goes!

spleen

[figure_02]

We have played for the same people before, but for half an hour only, and no dancing. We played a few tunes, Wade in the Water, Better together, but also some uptempo, Big Yellow Taxi, and a reagge tune by Jason Mraz. They were very pleased with us, but this time they are going to dance... The one we got the gig from said some swing, some waltz, a bolognese, and that the important thing is that its danceable.

[spleen]

Originally Posted by figure_02

We have played for the same people before, but for half an hour only, and no dancing. We played a few tunes, Wade in the Water, Better together, but also some uptempo, Big Yellow Taxi, and a reagge tune by Jason Mraz. They were very pleased with us, but this time they are going to dance... The one we got the gig from said some swing, some waltz, a bolognese, and that the important thing is that its danceable.

Ah, sounds like you've got a good handle on it then.

Have fun and please let us know how it goes!

spleen

[figure_02]

Originally Posted by figure_02

Thanks guys, some fine answers here! I'll check out that "standard" list, but I dont really know any jazz tunes that well, a few you could reccomend? We will try to mix in some styles, sure, and we will have breaks, of course, but do you think we need material for atleast 3 hours, or could you play some tunes over again?

Bumpetibump. :)

We have decided on three songs yet, from Diana Kralls "The Girl in the Other Room", Stop this World, Temptation and Love me like a Man.

[Pete Stoltman]

Just a few more thoughts about your tune selection. The type of gig you're describing is stuff I've had quite a bit of experience with. While the tunes you mention may be perfectly fine and people may like them I'm going to suggest that you consider filling your set with a lot more mainstream tunes. People associate music with times in their lives and while they may enjoy hearing something that's different from time to time you will fill the dance floor by playing stuff they know. The end result is you come off like heros and get hired for more gigs. If you're doing swing stuff then tunes like Satin Doll, All of Me, In The Mood, Isn't It Romantic, It Had to Be You, Misty, etc. etc. will get the job done. Most of these tunes are easy to find in various legit fake books too. And yes, be prepared to do a polka (Beer Barrel, She's Too Fat), waltz (Moon River, Anniversary Waltz, Let Me Call You Sweetheart), Cha Cha (Never On Sunday), Bossa (Girl from Ipanema) and so on. I would absolutely not repeat a song unless it's a request. Keep in mind that this is a social event for the audience/dancers not a showcase for the band to play your hippest stuff. It may seem pretty square to you but I'll guarantee that if you play familiar tunes in a proficient manner they will love you.

[figure_02]

Thank you, very good tip there! I´ll check those tunes out, wich artist should I search for?

[Pete Stoltman]

Well most of those tunes have been performed by dozens of artists. To keep things simple I'd look for some of the really high profile artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Sinatra, Sarah Vaughn, Mel Torme for vocal tunes then get busy listening to Duke Ellington, George Shearing, Oscar Peterson, Bobby Short, among others assuming that your piano player is going to "take the lead" on this gig. It's really tough to pin down a specific artist. Just listen a lot and take note of tunes that seem to be common to a number of artists. Those will be the ones that your audience will be most likely to recognize.

[figure_02]

I just searched for the entire list and picked some artists at random. Im not sure what to say, but they seem so "weard"... And trumpets, sax and other "blowers" seem to be the focus on the tunes, and we wont have any of those...

[Pete Stoltman]

The idea is to get a feel for the songs. Don't worry too much about trying to copy a particular artist or horns playing heads and solos. Your singer, piano player, guitarist will have to contend with the melodies. Look for groups with similar instrumentation not exact but close enough like trios or quartets. George Shearing would be a good one to look for. His group plays lots of standard tunes (in their own style of course). and they usually stick to a fairly straight ahead format that will give you a decent feel for that type of thing.

[figure_02]

Thanks again, Ill check out George. :)

Any wellknown female singers who had some hits?

[Pete Stoltman]

Off the top of my head: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, June Christy, Dina Washington, Astrud Gilberto, Diana Krall, Carmen McRae, Shirley Horn, Diane Reeves, Diane Schurr, Anita O'Day.