Canonical list of jazz song contrafacts?
Jeff Miller
I was wondering if such a list exists? If not, how many can you name?
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Michael Fitzgerald
<spam...@microsoft.com> wrote:
>I was wondering if such a list exists? If not, how many can you name?
Yes, there's a book. No, I don't remember the author and title. I'll
try to find out for you. Probably hard to find, though.
David Baker's How To Play Bebop vol. 3 has a decent list.
We hit this question every so often here - maybe someone *should*
compile a list on a WWW site.
Mike
Jeff Miller
Michael Fitzgerald wrote in message <35f97120....@news.eclipse.net>...
>On Mon, 31 Aug 1998 17:26:08 -0700, "Jeff Miller"
><spam...@microsoft.com> wrote:
>>I was wondering if such a list exists? If not, how many can you name?
>
>Yes, there's a book. No, I don't remember the author and title. I'll
>try to find out for you. Probably hard to find, though.
>
>David Baker's How To Play Bebop vol. 3 has a decent list.
sure enough it does -- chapter 1, in fact (I'm still working on the bebop
vol. 2 book -- there's lots of material in there). The contrafacts it
discusses are "I got rhythm", "All gods children got rhythm", "All the
things you are", "cherokee", "confirmation", "fine and dandy", "honeysuckle
rose", "sweet georgia brown", "(back home again in) Indiana", "What is this
thing called love", "love me or leave me", "out of nowhere", "lady be good",
"how high the moon" and "pennies from heaven"
Thanks for the pointer!
vertigo
Pardon my ignorance, but what's a song contrafact?
Fathom
> Pardon my ignorance, but what's a song contrafact?
Good question...
I've been a musician for 40 years, and thought I might learn from reading
this thread. I'm still mystified. Someone explain, please?
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Howard Peirce
> In article <35ED1E...@ms22.hinet.net>, ver...@ms22.hinet.net wrote:
>
> > Pardon my ignorance, but what's a song contrafact?
>
> Good question...
> I've been a musician for 40 years, and thought I might learn from reading
> this thread. I'm still mystified. Someone explain, please?
> --
Easy. "Contrafact" is kind of conservatory word, I don't you think hear it
much outside academic halls; it's a term borrowed from classical theory. A
contrafact is a new melody written on old changes (the chord progression).
So, Anthropology is a contrafact of I Got Rhythm (as is about a million
other tunes). Scrapple From the Apple is a contrafact of Honeysuckle Rose.
Groovin' High is a contrafact of Whispering. If you know both tunes, listen
to the contrafact while singing the old melody, or vice versa. Pretty cool,
huh?
Writing contrafacts is usually associated with the bop era. The reasons for
doing it are: avoiding copyright restrictions (melodies are copyrightable,
chords aren't); boredom with the old tune; writing a new tune to formally
explore some new improvisational device (I think this accounts for a lot of
the bop and Tristano-school contrafacts, but I've never seen this reason in
books); probably some other reasons I can't think of off the top of my head.
If you think the art of the contrafact is dead, check out Steve Swallow's
_Deconstructed_ for some thoroughly modern contrafacts on very old tunes.
Matt Snyder
<howard...@sdrc.com> wrote:
>Writing contrafacts is usually associated with the bop era.
...but was in general practice long before. Ellington wrote countless
pieces based on "Tiger Rag", and even on Strayhorn's "A Train." But
yes, the boppers took it to a new level, to the point where it became
the backbone of the repertoire until the advent of hardbop.
Matt Snyder
msn...@interactive.net
http://www.dragonfire.net/~msnyder
Michael Fitzgerald
>In article <35ED1E...@ms22.hinet.net>, ver...@ms22.hinet.net wrote:
>> Pardon my ignorance, but what's a song contrafact?
>
>Good question...
>I've been a musician for 40 years, and thought I might learn from reading
>this thread. I'm still mystified. Someone explain, please?
A contrafact is a new melodic line written over existing chord
changes.
Ex - Hot House is a contrafact of What Is This Thing Called Love.
There are many others for this tune, and many other tunes which have
served as the harmonic basis for new melodies.
Came to greatest prominence in the bebop era.
Mike
Fathom
> Writing contrafacts is usually associated with the bop era. The reasons for
> doing it are: avoiding copyright restrictions (melodies are copyrightable,
> chords aren't); boredom with the old tune; writing a new tune to formally
> explore some new improvisational device (I think this accounts for a lot of
> the bop and Tristano-school contrafacts, but I've never seen this reason in
> books); probably some other reasons I can't think of off the top of my head.
How about, being able to jam on some hot riffs without having to teach the
rhythm section the changes...
Jeff Miller
>If you think the art of the contrafact is dead, check out Steve Swallow's
>_Deconstructed_ for some thoroughly modern contrafacts on very old tunes.
I've asked this before, but never got an answer, does anyone know what the
original tunes that correspond to the tunes on that album are?
Reg Schwager
> Thanks for the explanation. I knew the practice, but not the term.
There is a very nice contrafact written by Mark Eisenman on the changes
to How Deep Is The Ocean. He calls it "Fathom".
Reg Schwager
> I've asked this before, but never got an answer, does anyone know what the
> original tunes that correspond to the tunes on that album are?
I'll give it a try...
Running In the Family = Basin Street Blues
Babble On = Lady Be Good
Another Fine Mess = Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
I Think My Wife Is A Hat = Deed I Do
Bird World War = (?)
Bug In A Rug = I've Never Been In Love Before
Lost In Boston = 'S Wonderful
Reg Schwager
Name That Tune = Candy
Viscous Consistency = ?
Deconstruction = Broadway? (except for the last 4 bars of the bridge)
Reg Schwager
Nope, Deconstruction = Undecided
Reg Schwager
hrt...@gmail.com
> I was wondering if such a list exists? If not, how many can you name?
>
>
> The opinions expressed in this message are my own personal views
> and do not reflect the official views of the Microsoft Corporation.