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Swing Gitan's C'est Magnifique

JackJack western Massachusetts✭✭✭✭
edited February 2005 in Repertoire Posts: 1,752
Just to get us going, this:

In the latest bunch of releases, this one tune on Swing Gitan's Caravan LP (sorry-disc) always grabs me. Absolutely infectious rhythm work replete with stops and a beautiful bounce. If you don't know it, it's a Cole Porter tune from Can-Can.

Like most Porter tunes, it's better than anything I'll likely come up with, but what I'm really interested in is the Swing Gitan take on it. If I remember right, the stops they've added at the start weren't part of the original, which had held notes in the melody for the singer. At any rate, I think it's a great example of how a fairly simple bit of arranging can really elevate a tune, and I'm hoping someone else feels the same way. Let me know what you think. With some luck, we'll get Carter to weigh in on how it came to be...

Best,
Jack.

Comments

  • Posts: 101
    oy, how embarassing, I totally spaced out and missed this!

    hi Jack, this tune I think was one of only a few we actually nailed in one take while recording, I think we were all surprised how well the stops came off at the time, in fact.

    I'll have to ask Alfonso the origin of the stops, as with much of our material, we now seem to be playing a slightly more complicated arrangement of this tune now, where instead of sitting on the Bb6 we're rocking back and forth between Bb pure, Bb6 and Bbmaj7 (Tico Tico often gets this treatment in the A major section), and in the bridge you alter that slightly to lead nicely to the Bb7.

    I'll get back to you, thanks!
  • JackJack western Massachusetts✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 1,752
    Thanks, Carter-I was starting to think I'd ticked you off. (For the record, I think you're a swell guy.) I don't think I'd be the only one interested in hearing about this stuff; you guys come up with some wonderful ideas (the medleys, the oft-overlooked tunes, etc.) that, to my ear, set you apart from many N.American bands.

    Thanks again,
    Jack.
  • Posts: 101
    I gotta blame it on my bad vision - my only beef with the Internet is that the fonts seem to get smaller every year!

    So I asked Alfonso about this yesterday, & it seems like he came up with the idea of the stops while listening to an older sung version of the tune, so I think you're right that there were probably whole notes in the melody, and he added the stops to give our version some character, and to help distinguish this tune from the other multitude of Bb tunes we play. We occasionally play When You're Smiling, and if the improv gets "out there" a bit, it can be real easy to start substituting turnarounds from different tunes with similar progressions. When it comes back to the head when we're taking the tune out, that's where the stops really help a ton.
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