Country Material for a jazz singer

Charles Fager · Post by **Charles Fager** » 19 Apr 2006 8:11 am

I will be performing for the first time playing PSG in early June at a festival with a great country rock band (very eclectic with lots of Merle, Dwight, Elvis, Marshall Tucker etc...), so I'm pretty excited and I hope I don't blow it since I'm only into PSG for about 6 months. My wife who is a professional jazz singer (conservatory trained) with a jazz singer's attitude (that's changing) toward Country Music, wants to sit in with the band for a short set - maybe 4 -5 songs. We are trying to come up with some Country-Rock classics which might lend themselves to a more jazz oriented voice. She kills on "Crazy"...any other ideas on good county-rock songs (especially up tempo rockier stuff than Crazy) which we might consider for a pro jazz singer who wants to dip her toes into the Country-Rock pool? She's starting to take to Country, it's just going to take a little time. Any ideas out there on 3 or 4 more songs which might fly? ..Charlie[This message was edited by Charles Fager on 19 April 2006 at 09:11 AM.]

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 19 Apr 2006 8:21 am

This isn't a Pedal Steel topic, so I've moved it to the "Music" section.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 19 Apr 2006 8:25 am

Most of the jazzier stuff is probably going to be slower. Tap heavily into Patsy Cline -- 'You Belong to Me' is a great tune with more than three chords. 'Night Life' always works -- other Willie Nelson tunes draw heavily on pop/jazz standards of the 30s and 40s. That's assuming the band can handle it.

What you're asking for is hard to come by since most country is country BECAUSE IT'S NOT JAZZ. Country favors simple chords put together into simple progressions. Any jazzy tunes that sneak into country are really crossover tunes -- songs from another musical style or genre that a country singer has done. That doesn't really make it country.

She's probably more comfortable with tunes like 'All the Things You Are'. The band would probably be lost after the first 4 bars, trying to follow the chart. I'd stick to the slower ballad style stuff.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S/D-12 6x6, 1984 Sho-Bud S/D-12 7x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 19 Apr 2006 8:38 am

.....professional jazz singer (conservatory trained) with a jazz singer's attitude....

Yikes !

Now that my terror has subsided at the idea you have I think "Stand by your Man" might be a fun one.

Another song that takes a good range and vocal control to sing is "Blue Bayou".

Have fun ! I work with jazz singers pretty often and it can be the best. Although if you want to stay within the idiom you must absolutely forbid melismatic glissandos, melodic variation and the dreaded scating !

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