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Cissy Strut solo: stick to the original, or do y'own thang?


How do you play the Cissy Strut solo?  

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  1. 1. How do you play the Cissy Strut solo?

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Hello guys,

 

A quick Wednesday morning poll:

 

For folks who play Cissy Strut live, how do you handle the solo? Play homage to Art's simple but memorable original, or put your own spin on things?

 

Cheers,

James

x

Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own.
Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player.

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Depends what you mean by homage. I might start it off the same way as a tip of the hat. To me, playing this kind of music is all about doing what you feel in the moment whilst feeding off the energy from the band and the room. I do think it's best to emphasize simple and soulful when playing the Meters. The easiest way to murder these songs is by shredding.

Gigging: Crumar Mojo 61, Hammond SKPro

Home: Vintage Vibe 64

 

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I would say always to your own thing, especially with this kind of music.

It's not poetry recitation, nor it is classical music, it's funk and needs you to put your own ingredients into the recipe.

My two euros

Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands
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I always out of respect for the artist, stick to their licks and add to an already memorable performance.

Didnt see the 'both' option so I didnt vote.

Dont consider copping their licks my and embellishing on the original as my own thang.

 

But to avoid the drawbars and play factory B3 patches is sacrilegious.

 

Magnus C350 + FMR RNP + Realistic Unisphere Mic
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Another song most bands don't play well.
The house band on Live from Here just tackled it, and it was great, but even Mike Elizondo and co play too many extra notes in the B section!

 

That said, I've been wanting an excuse to tackle it in a band for awhile, even if just as an exercise, or an intro to one of the Meters-influenced originals.

Samuel B. Lupowitz

Musician. Songwriter. Food Enthusiast. Bad Pun Aficionado.

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One band I was in for many years used CS as an end of set tune where the soloists stretched out to take up any slack in the pace of the set. As such, every solo was a new adventure so the duration - and as a result the content - was never played the same way twice. I can't really imagine copping a solo for this type of song note for note anyway.

Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.

-Mark Twain

 

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I think it would depend on the context. If it were a nightclub with a dance floor, stay in the groove! ... as close to the original as possible. If it were something like an outdoor festival where people are mostly listening, I'd be ok with the band opening it up.

 

I'm speaking as a fan who has never played Cissy Strut so FWIW...

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Did Art Neville do his own thing in his playing? Does Dr. John do his own thing in his playing? Did Earl King do his own thing in his playing?

J.S. Bach Well Tempered Klavier

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Similar to Wastrel, I've played this song in a lot of bands, and it is always used for extended solos by everyone. The band usually abandons the song structure and just jams on C while the soloists blow til they run out of licks. Can be magic or can get very boring very fast.
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As they say "learn from the past, play in the present". So if you've done your homework studying the original in detail, not just listening to it, then do you thang live. If you haven't really dug down better to play the original and learn from it.
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Actually, what I had from CD was from "Flat Out". That has Grolnick on B3:

 

[video:youtube]

 

more like memory, but the Chambers/Beard one is pretty good, too.

 

I don't believe in verbatim solo write-outs, though that's a challenge of it's own, so the cissy strut can do lots of things, especially when the song title is forgotten.

 

T

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My approach to this tune was to learn the solo verbatim, then let that flavor creep in to what I'm doing. Keeping it minimalist the whole time - Cissy isn't a time to be showing off your lexicon of scales.

People who know the tune will appreciate the nod to the original, but nobody will accuse you of playing a canned solo which always lacks feel.

 

Same with "Green Onions" or other iconic tunes - learn the original, let that inform what you play, but add your own stink to it. :)

 

Over everything else: have fun.

Muzikteechur is Lonnie, in Kittery, Maine.

 

HS music teacher: Concert Band, Marching Band, Jazz Band, Chorus, Music Theory, AP Music Theory, History of Rock, Musical Theatre, Piano, Guitar, Drama.

 

 

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I have to admit, it has never occurred to me to cop any part of the original solo, except maybe a fragment as a wink and nod to the other guys on stage. It's not broadly iconic except among muso's, and I can't remember ever playing this song where individual solos weren't the point.

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While I made the effort to duplicate Art's approach to the song with the funky comp and the B flat and F stabs,it never really occurred to me to cop Art's solo. The first time I played the song onstage with Charles Neville immediately to my right,about a bar and a half into my improvised Hammond lead Charles turned to me with a big smile and said an enthusiastic "Yeah." This is one of the best compliments I could ever wish for in a 45 plus year career. While not an actual Meter,the approval of a for real Neville Brother let me know I made the right choice. So yeah,when lead time comes just be yourself with this tune.

 

Outkaster is right in saying that lots of people play the tune wrong. One mistake many keyboard players make is to play the main riff along with the guitar and bass instead of doing the choppy comp behind them.

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+1 for Pa Gherkin's post. Hard to understand why most bands play the extra notes for the melody also. It'd be OK, IMHO, to hear the original solos, note for note, on certain songs only. Phil Woods' solo on Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" comes to mind.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts folks!

 

I played CS again at the weekend and opted for a combination of playing homage to the original + doing my own thing.

 

Unfortunately, my wife only caught the last bar or so of the solo on her phone, so I have no way to check how it sounded in person!

 

Cheers,

James

x

Employed by Kawai Japan, however the opinions I express are my own.
Nord Electro 3 & occasional rare groove player.

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