Tunes that need to be rested

[Peter Friedman]

There are a number of tunes played by jazz musicians that seem to turn up very very often. Many of them are by Ellington or Strayhorn.  By and large they are very fine tunes, but what about the numerous other excellent tunes that are rarely performed.

All the "overplayed" tunes are not by Ellington or Strayhorn. 

Here are some I would mention. You may have others to add, and/or disagree with those I listed.

Take The A Train

Lush Life

Round Midnight

It Don't Mean A Thing ......

In A Sentimental Mood

Green Dolphin Street

Caravan

Body and Soul

Cottontail

[Daniel A]

This might be a matter of personal preference, but I find some tunes to offer endless possibilities of new interpretations that might still sound fresh, like Body and Soul. However, I do not want to hear another version of Take the A Train. 

[clifford_thornton]

If it's done well or interestingly I don't mind if it's a common tune.

[sonnymax]

I don't think any songs "need to be rested". Unimaginative arrangements and performances of standards should be banned, however. 

[ghost of miles]

"Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine" are two songs that I always think of in this regard, and then inevitably I hear versions that somehow seem to breathe new life into them.

[BillF]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

This might be a matter of personal preference, but I find some tunes to offer endless possibilities of new interpretations that might still sound fresh, like Body and Soul. However, I do not want to hear another version of Take the A Train. 

13 minutes ago, ghost of miles said:

"Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine" are two songs that I always think of in this regard, and then inevitably I hear versions that somehow seem to breathe new life into them.

Agreed, though not so sure about "new life". 

 

 

"Body and Soul"

"All the Things You Are"

"Cherokee"

Often played, but everlasting vehicles for jazz improvisation.

Edited December 13, 2021 by BillF

[Dan Gould]

In the course of my Percy France project I've heard a lot of performances of some of these tunes ... he surely played a lot of "A Train" and "Cottontail" just to reference examples among the particular tunes ID'd as overplayed by the OP.

But all I can say is that I haven't at all grown bored with those performances, proof perhaps that in the right hands (and your choice of the right hands may vary from mine) even standards you've heard again and again don't grow old, boring or stale.

 

 

[danasgoodstuff]

40 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

In the course of my Percy France project I've heard a lot of performances of some of these tunes ... he surely played a lot of "A Train" and "Cottontail" just to reference examples among the particular tunes ID'd as overplayed by the OP.

But all I can say is that I haven't at all grown bored with those performances, proof perhaps that in the right hands (and your choice of the right hands may vary from mine) even standards you've heard again and again don't grow old, boring or stale.

 

 

This.  I'm all for exploring new material, but putting a new twist on the standards is a real accomplishment too.

[felser]

"Blue Monk".  Retired, please...

[Dan Gould]

38 minutes ago, felser said:

"Blue Monk".  Retired, please...

Duly noted for BFT purposes.  (But what purposes, he asked himself.)

[JSngry]

Hard to believe this thread is almost 40 years old!

[felser]

20 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Duly noted for BFT purposes.  (But what purposes, he asked himself.)

You'll guarantee I rate the cut a "hate it" regardless of whoever's version!

15 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Hard to believe this thread is almost 40 years old!

Hard to believe how old we are, too!

[mikeweil]

1 hour ago, felser said:

"Blue Monk".  Retired, please...

That one is good only if taken super slow (like Abbey Linclon did) and with great feeling. As a medium tempo blues head to run the changes it is indeed boring.

[Larry Kart]

"Jitterbug Waltz"

[Rabshakeh]

9 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

"Jitterbug Waltz"

Yup.

I really associate that tune with jazz conservatism for some reason, probably because it is the first track on that (very good) Arthur Blythe record. I was surprised to see that Marsalis didn't cover it on MST because that's where I thought I first heard it as a younger, stupider and more standards-averse listener.

[Dan Gould]

14 hours ago, Larry Kart said:

"Jitterbug Waltz"

Is this really getting played/recorded that much in the first place? I received a tape from the Smithsonian that had this tune, but I wouldn't have named it in a thousand years and needed Jim to tell me what it was. It just sounded medium-familiar to me. And Percy blew most enjoyably on it.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Dan Gould

[Shrdlu]

This reminds me of the time when Lawrence Welk (bless him) introduced the Ellington tune thus "And a-now, we gonna a-play that-a famous Duke Ellington tune, Take A Train.".

Yes, there are a lot of tunes that I am tired of and will never perform again.

But not blues. That is always good to blow on.

[BillF]

24 minutes ago, Shrdlu said:

 

But not blues. That is always good to blow on.

[Peter Friedman]

Ain't Misbehaving

[John L]

It ain't whatcha do, it's the way that you do it. 

[Dan Gould]

2 minutes ago, Peter Friedman said:

Ain't Misbehaving

OK, as long as I can still hear "Ain't Misbehavin'".

Seriously though it is funny how many of these tunes I have multiple Percy France versions, none of which are less than good and most are kick-ass (especially Percy w. Budd Johnson on .. Ain't Misbehavin'.    )

 

[Ken Dryden]

I would rather hear a frequently played standard in a live setting or on a record date than some dog-assed piece of crap like "Feelings" any day. Marian McPartland told me she hated "the fucking song" after I interviewed her the first time in 1988 and said that the label she was on insisted on it. I suspect that is the case for a number of musicians, but what Milt Jackson or Monty Alexander saw in it, who knows?

[Peter Friedman]

I agree with the point many here are making that one can make a very often played tune interesting by the way they perform it.

However, a key point I was trying to make in my original post seems to have been overlooked by some.

For example, Ellington wrote a huge number of very fine tunes, yet most of them get little if any playing time. What about these Ellington tunes - Back Room Romp, Tired Socks, or Hot and Bothered? When have you last heard any of these?

Many other jazz musicians such as (for example) Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, and Cedar Walton wrote a large number of good jazz tunes, yet we hear perhaps 2 or 3 of their tunes and the rest are rarely played. I for one would love to hear a variety of those other interesting tunes rather than be limited by one more version of (another example) Strollin' .

[porcy62]

I think great musicians can play even the most worn out or unlikely tune without being boring, I am thinkin' of Trane's Chim Chim Cheree or My Favourite Things, but I agree that there are good jazz tunes, Duke Pearson's ones the first it comes to my mind, that would have deserved a longer life.

[colinmce]

22 hours ago, ghost of miles said:

"Summertime" and "My Funny Valentine" are two songs that I always think of in this regard, and then inevitably I hear versions that somehow seem to breathe new life into them.

If pressed I could come up with one or two "Summertime"s that were interesting, but I have never heard a decent version of MFV, it's just a dreadful boring song.