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Anyone playing in a trio


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Is anyone playing in a trio? Or maybe a 4-piece where keys are a major part of the sound?

 

I'm looking for song ideas to add to my bands setlist. Instrumentals are very welcome. Thinking blues, jazz/blues, funk, soul, blues/rock. Anyone creating a new twist on older classics or other genres?

 

Also, hope everyone that celebrates it here in the states had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

 

 

NS3C, Hammond XK5, Yamaha S7X, Sequential Prophet 6, Yamaha YC73, Roland Jupiter X

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Also swinging ' Blue Bossa'. Heard Gene Harris do it that way,,, we bring up our singer and into 'More Today Than Yesterday '. People seem to latch on to that tune,, I try to mix the poppy stuff with the standards,,, then bossa ' Tenderly ', ' Smile' ,'' Only Have Eyed For You',' Tangerine '
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"Rockin Pnuemonia & Boogie Woogie Flu" is an 8 bar New Orleans blues the crowd seems to like. And in the blues/rock genre, "After Midnight" ala Eric Clapton works really well on EP.

Boards: Kurzweil SP-6, Roland FA-08, VR-09, DeepMind 12

Modules: Korg Radias, Roland D-05, Bk7-m & Sonic Cell

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I play, among others, a trio of keyboards, guitar, drums, with me on LH bass. We usually open with an instrumental, Green Onions, Blue Monk (usually tied to Everyday I Have The Blues), or a swing standard. In our last gig, we did a swing version of Billie Jean, Moon Over Bourbon Street, some slow T-Bone Walker blues, etc. It all depends on the crowd, if we are playing in a small dinner bistro, it's more jazz oriented, if it's more like a club, we include faster shuffles and some classic rock-ish tunes (eg Black Magic Woman).
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Speaking of twists, Andy Rehfeldt does some fun, genre-bending versions of popular songs that might provide some inspiration:

 

 

 

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I think there's a few different categories of things that have worked for me in trio or quartet settings.

 

1) strong melody

2) funky jam

3) pop tune

4) drastic reharm

 

1) Standards like Our Love Is Here to Stay, or After the Love Is Gone - anything with recognizable, hummable melody. Folks love a melody they recognize, and genre doesn't matter that much. But a lot of contemporary pop tunes don't have complex melodies.

 

2) Canteloupe, Tune 88, Chameleon - chance to stretch out a little. Depends on the crowd. Depends how solid your drums and bass are at creating a sweet pocket.

 

3) Tougher and tougher as pop tunes get simpler and simpler. But even old stuff can work - old tunes like Brandy or Dancing in the Moonlight or When I Need You (Leo Sayer).

 

4) I've done full out reharms for tunes, from Amazing Grace to Skylark to My Funny Valentine - keep the melody and completely rewrite the harmony. If you come up with something nice, folks love hearing a familiar melody set against an entirely fresh canvas.

 

Anyway, just some ideas. I think the best instrumental choices are the ones that resonate with you in your heart. You'll play them with more emotional investment. And of course, as I've suggested above, a whole lot depends on the vocabulary and maturity of your bass and drums.

 

tim

..
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I think the best instrumental choices are the ones that resonate with you in your heart. You'll play them with more emotional investment. And of course, as I've suggested above, a whole lot depends on the vocabulary and maturity of your bass and drums.

QFT. :thu:

 

Personally, I'm a huge proponent of KB led trios and bands. :D

 

Brotha Tim nails it above. Start with songs/tunes you dig, personalize them and take the audience for a ride.

 

It definitely requires having a solid foundation of bass and drums. If those cats cook, swing, groove, play in the pocket, etc., it makes the leader's job a lot easier. :cool:

 

 

PD

 

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy"

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