JAZZ joints you play out?
Mr. Casual
953 Posts
I am DJing a party for a guy who is somewhat of a jazz enthusiast. He plays piano and writes some of his own pieces. I want to play some joints that he would appreciate, but also won't turn off the guest that might not give a damn about some raer jazz piano joints. PLAESE TO HELP!!!
Comments
exactly.
Dance Jazz is another animal.
Wine and Candles = Whatever.
Jimmy Smith ??? Prayer Meeting
Earl Moseley ??? Fly in the Soup
African Mailman, Gin House Blues, My Baby Just Cares for Me, Real Real, Buck ??? Nina Simone
C Mingus ??? Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting
L Hampton - Happiness
Willis Jakson - Nutherin Like Tutherin (or whatever it's called)
Quartette Tres Bien - Boss tres Bien
Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Maybe something a little raer like Frank Cunimondo "Feelin' Good"
This is the kind of stuff I play at my Friday night jazz spot, been at it for a year and always have people come up to the booth to ask 'Who is this?' when I drop ANY Monty Alexander from RASS (which I do play on the regular). Also, lots of folks love the vibe of Ramsey Lewis' 'Another Voyage', 'Sun Goddess' and 'Solar Wind', for mellow-but-funky jazz.
I also almost always bring Cannonball Adderley's 'Phoenix' 2LP set, and Johnny Hammond's 'Gambler's Life' and/or 'Gears'. And cosign on the Donald Byrd and late Three Sounds.
Sigh.
I had a 2 yr long gig playing this exact kinda set around 98-00.
Some of the most fun I've had playing records out.
Just good vibing music, attracts a cool, open minded crowd.
Lots of stuff to choose from, and the aforementioned
boom-bap-isms allow for 4-8 bar mixing.
Totally miss those days, and I'm sure impossible to do
sucessfuly anymore (London?), so enjoy the party!
Buddy rich the beat goes on
Lee morgan the sidewinder
Donald byrd black byrd, places and spaces, street lady (nearly any mizell production from before 1978)
Horace silver psychedelic sally
Roy ayers especialy music of many colours
Jimmy smith root down
Charles kernard afrodizzyact (thanks skipdrinkwater for that one)
Ahmad jamal the world is a ghetto, along the nile and any thing off jamal plays jamal
Are all tracks i have played to dance floors and have worked
ditto ramsey...uhuru and black and bold. mother nature son, too "cry baby cry"and "sexy sadie"
agree with dL, but mizell bros almost doesnt qualify as the jazz youre boy is into. fusion is such a wonderful hybrid...but, well you know
same vein for that jan hammer that harvey mentioned...that shit is butter, but not really jazz jazz
overtone berry superstar is about the illest upbeat shit
some cadet dorothy ashby should work
jimmymcgriff- the bird
teruo nakamura-the cat
george freeman-the bump
im partial to hiphop sounding stuff,but thats basically the stuff with a beat to it
Eddie Harris: Compared To What (or even the Roberta version, if you need something mellower)
Some Cal Tjader, maybe? Or, on a tougher Latin tip, Pucho's Got Myself A Good Man. I played that at a wedding once, and got a few old folks shaking their tuchus.
Ramsey: Jade East/Wade In The Water/Maiden Voyage
Cannon: Walk Tall
Weather Report: Birdland (everyone knows this)
Bobbye Hall: Copula
Gene Harris: Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong
Count Basie & his orchestra: Afrique
Chico Hamilton: Abdullah and Abraham
Clarence Wheeler and the enforcers: Broasted or fried
Michael Longo: Like thief in the night
Blue Michell: Message
Funk INC: I`ll be around
Jimmy Smith: Stay loose
"Uhuru Sasa" -- Gary Bartz off Harlem Bush Music
"Rita" -- Freddy Robinson off Black Fox
Also a Cal Tjader, Grant Green, Monk Higgins, to name a few...
George Benson's '65 version of "Summertime" is great.
Mel Torm?? "I'm Coming Home"
Della Reese "I've Got The Blues" and "It Was A Very Good Year"
Perhaps some newer stuff like Soil & Pimp Session and the likes would be worth investigating too?