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Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 10:37 am
by Jedi Master
Hey! For those of you who are steeped in the Dixie tradition:
What are the TOP TEN all-time standard Dixieland tunes, that one should learn to be prepared for gigs?
I'll get it started:
1) When the Saints Go Marchin' In ;^)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Thanks!
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 12:29 pm
by eupher61
here's a different approach: what changes patterns to learn?
12, 8, and 16 bar blues
Rhythm (as in "I Got..")
5' 2 (especially the bridge..."The Flintstones" bridge is quite common)
BIll Bailey
then, in generic changes, VI7 - II7 --V7- I
learning 10 tunes will give you...3/4 of a set. Learning these patterns will give you most of a 4 hour gig, at least.
Every key.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:04 pm
by Jedi Master
Thanks, Robert & eupher!
I guess I was looking for the tunes that you would expect to play on EVERY gig you get called for, which is why I limited it to only 10 names. I realize that there is much more to learn, but I figured to start with those tunes that were most often called for.
I hope more folks with much experience can chime in!
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 4:03 pm
by tubarepair
South Rampart Street Parade - With a good vocalist of course...
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 6:32 pm
by sloan
Jedi Master wrote:Hey! For those of you who are steeped in the Dixie tradition:
What are the TOP TEN all-time standard Dixieland tunes, that one should learn to be prepared for gigs?
I'll get it started:
1)
When the Saints Go Marchin' In ;^)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)

9)
10)
Thanks!
0) South Rampart Street Parade
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:30 pm
by eupher61
What tune will be played varies GREATLY from city to city, believe it or not. In Cleveland, they used to play "Burgundy St Blues" a lot...I've never played it in KC. I can't remember other specific tunes, but there are local standards among players.
But, more to the re-explained point, if I were to pick 10 tunes that I would play on any gig, with any group of somewhat experienced players, I'd say
Saints
Closer Walk
Basin St Blues
Tin Roof Blues
Bill Bailey
Tiger Rag
5' 2
Ain't She Sweet
Indiana
I Found a New Baby
YMMV. I'm not even sure those are completely accurate in my own experience, but in the 90 seconds I've devoted to this reply, that's what you got.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:34 pm
by iiipopes
You are all correct and have thought of more songs that I've ever played at a gig.
But you're all forgetting one very important function of a true Dixieland band: playing a funeral, as I did yesterday.
Just A Closer Walk With Thee
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:20 pm
by eupher61
umm....reread from above!
Saints
Closer Walk
Basin St Blues
Tin Roof Blues
Bill Bailey
Tiger Rag
5' 2
Ain't She Sweet
Indiana
I Found a New Baby
sorry, I'm in a finicky mood.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 9:13 pm
by Dan Schultz
Here's the program we played last Saturday.... in order. We always close with 'Saints':
Down by the Riverside
Darktown Strutters Ball
Dallas Blues
High Society
Tiger Rag
Bill Bailey
Tin Roof Blues
Clarinet Marmalade
Ja-Da
Hit the Road, Jack
Dixie Down Beat
Basin Street
Indiana
Ain't She Sweet
When You're Smiling
Ostrich Walk
Sweet Georgia Brown
Wolverine Blues
Who's Sorry Now
Saints
An interesting observation of mine about Dixieland music.... most of the Dixieland groups I've heard tend to pay more attention to 'noodling' than to the melody lines. We swap the solos around but also like to make certain that we keep the melodies recognizable. Too much 'noodling' seems to make each tune sound too much like the last.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:31 pm
by TubaCoopa
Sheik of Araby is a great tune. Especially if you have a vocalist. If you don't have one, that would be cool to have one as a guest on a few gigs!
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:47 pm
by eupher61
a bridge in "Sheik"???
um, maybe a verse...I've heard it, don't know it and never played it, but I do remember a recording, maybe the Dukes that bloke mentioned. But no bridge, per se.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 7:31 pm
by Biggs
bloke wrote:TubaCoopa wrote:Sheik of Araby is a great tune. Especially if you have a vocalist. If you don't have one, that would be cool to have one as a guest on a few gigs!
Do you know the bridge to this tune? (It actually starts - like a great many tunes do in their sheet music form) with the bridge. The bridge is in the relative minor (with a #4 in the scale). The best recording that I can think of is the old Audio Fidelity recording of Louis Armstrong playing with the (original) Dukes of Dixieland.
bloke "That recording also featured Rich Matteson playing his helicon."

I can't for the life of me remember this tune having a bridge (I've heard a few versions but only ever played the chorus) but will check out a recording ASAP. I am partial to a version recorded by
(I believe) Ray Miller's Black and White Melody Boys.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 10:21 pm
by Dan Schultz
TubaCoopa wrote:Sheik of Araby is a great tune. Especially if you have a vocalist.
We have an 84 year-old euphonium player who does a killer job on 'Saint James Infirmary'. I forgot about that until you mentioned 'great' and 'vocal'. Never fails to bring the house down. He also does a great rendition of 'I'm an Old Cowhand From the Rio Grande'. Not Dixieland by any stretch of the imagination but good entertainment.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 7:52 pm
by Jedi Master
Anybody else want to chime in with their 10 most often played Dixieland tunes?

Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 8:35 pm
by sloan
bloke wrote:Jedi Master wrote:Anybody else want to chime in with their 10 most often played Dixieland tunes?

...but you already have more than 10...??
The more people claim to add to the top 10 list, the more incorrect answers you will have.
bloke "or so it seems to me...??"
You can lead a bloke to knowledge, but...
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:24 pm
by Jedi Master
bloke wrote:Jedi Master wrote:Anybody else want to chime in with their 10 most often played Dixieland tunes?

...but you already have more than 10...??
The more people claim to add to the top 10 list, the more incorrect answers you will have.
bloke "or so it seems to me...??"
I guess I was being unclear.
My point is to see what each person feels are the top 10 Dixie tunes that
they play on
every gig.
By comparing the various lists, I am looking for the overlapping tunes, attempting to cull some sort of "universal" list (admittedly imprecise) of tunes that really are played everywhere.
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2008 10:40 pm
by Jedi Master
All is well, Bloke!
I just wanted to make sure everyone understood the intent of the informal poll.
May the Force be with you!!!
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Thu Aug 28, 2008 8:42 pm
by pwhitaker
I would add:
Smiles
Trouble in Mind
How Long Blues
Bye and Bye
C.C. Ryder
Sin to Tell a Lie
All of Me
I Get the Blues When it Rains
Whenever You're Lonesome
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gave to Me
Panama
I'm All alone Cause I Love You
Swanee River
You Are My Sunshine
St. Louis Blues
China Boy
Limehouse Blues
Honeysuckle Rose
At the Jazz Band Ball
Original Dixieland One Step
Sweet Georgia Brown (we call it Sweet George O'Brian - an "Irish" tune)
... usw
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:00 pm
by IkeH
Rather than play what everybody else plays, here are some pretty common tunes that I haven't seen yet:
Avalon
Tiger Rag
Beale St. Blues
Midnight in Moscow
Blue Skies Fidgety Feet
Lady Be Good
Sweet Lorraine
Dinah
Paper Moon
Lazy River
Hindustan
Do You Know What It Means
What A Wonderful World
New Orleans
Louisiana
Muscat Ramble
Margie
Mack the Knife
Mie Ber Mist Du Shoen
Whispering
That's A Plenty
Old Fashion Love
Sweet Sue
I'm Confessin'
Undecided
ByeBye Blackbird
Bourbon St Parade
Ain't Misbehavin'
Dr Jazz
Down by the Riverside
Chicago
and many more. . .
Re: Top Ten Dixie Tunes
Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2008 1:21 am
by sloan
IkeH wrote:Rather than play what everybody else plays, here are some pretty common tunes that I haven't seen yet:
Mie Ber Mist Du Shoen
. . .
I'm not familiar with that one...can you hum a few bars?