Top Ten Dixie Tunes

[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!

[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.

[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!

[tubarepair]

South Rampart Street Parade - With a good vocalist of course...

[sloan]

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

[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.

[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

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[Biggs]

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.

[Dan Schultz]

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.

[Jedi Master]

Anybody else want to chime in with their 10 most often played Dixieland tunes?

[sloan]

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...

[Jedi Master]

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.

[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!!!

[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

[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. . .

[sloan]

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?