jazz jam, "form"

["Keith Freeman" <keith.freeman@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Robert,

> I prepared two songs ("Don't get around much anymore" Nat Cole,and
> "what a wonderful world" Louis Armstrong) and practiced them in the
> keys that I wanted to play, using Lee Oskar Melody Makers.
> 
> I got some surprised looks when I called a tune, and was informed that
> "the right key is..."
> 
> So, my Jazz-oriented friends on the list here... Is there an
> expectation to arrive and call my tunes in "the right key?" What if
> ten singers recorded the song in ten different keys?

You need to know a bit about the history of a jazz tune to know the "standard" key for it. 
"Don't Get Around..." is a Duke Ellington number, and I imagine the Ellington band 
would always have played it in C. "What A Wonderful World" was a pop song and 
hasn't become part of the standard jazz repertoire in my experience.

Instrumentalists are expected to play tunes in the "original" key (the various Real/Fake 
books are probably the best guide to this). Singers will often ask to perform a song in a 
different key to suit their range, but at well-organized jams they will bring along copies 
of the transposed version for the accompanists.

> But I was told at the jazz jam Monday that it's expected that I would
> play "the whole form" of the song, (meaning sequence of verses and
> choruses) then take a turn with others wanting a round of it.
> 
> What's the usual approach here, jazz folks??
We jazzers term the whole form of the song (AABA or whatever) the/a chorus. The 
"verse" is the recitative-like introduction to the song that is only sung once - this is 
usually omitted by instrumentalists (and lot of singers). (There are a few exceptions to 
this such as Stardust and Lush Life, where instrumentalists always perform the verse as 
well.) You are indeed expected to play at least one whole chorus!

Hth,
- -Keith Freeman