!(Re: [Dixielandjazz] Strange Blues

[Craig I. Johnson]

I am not stating this as a "correct" description of the chords etc.
for this tune. However, as Steve Barbone has stated I do have some
music for it. It was taken directly and "as is" from the Chas. Anderson
collection of  "fake sheets."
I have always liked this tune, having become first acquanted with it from
Ray Smith's "Jazz Decades" music program where he used it as one of his
themes between sections of his program. I believe but am not sure that the
version he played was by the Bob Scobey band, but someone correct me on
that if I am wrong. It has been recorded by a number of groups as one can
see
by doing a Google search on the title. Manone, Scobey, The Uptown Lowdown JB
Marty Grosz --- that is as far as I have followed through looking at the
links. There is
one link to its recording by a group headed up by the trumpet player "Bobby
Lewis"
on that track the late, great Jim Beebe was on trombone.
The "Jackie McLean" references are to a totally different tune in a totally
different
genre.

We have played it a couple or 3 times as we've added new tunes to our
repertoire and
I intend to get it more solidly into our "book" over time. So I don't claim
as I said,
to be an expert on this song. and.......
I have NOT exercised "due diligence" and compared the chart I have directly
to any of the records to see if it is in the same key as any of them or
whether the chords
match the ones used on those records, but  it sounds right to me based on my
memory of
its playing on Ray's program.
(Charts and midi sent off-list to Ken and to Steve Barbone)

The key I have it in is concert Eb, as it came from the Anderson chart.
In that key, the first chord in the bridge for 2 measures is B natural 7
and BOTH those 2 measures are four 8th notes [B(nat), A(nat), Gb, Eb.],
 the last one tied to  a half (Eb)
: The chords in that song include a fair number of 9ths and 13ths.
Considering it's composition date (1927 according to "Anderson") it is a
bit unusual in that respect. (I love it!)

Regards,
Craig Johnson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve barbone" <barbonestreet at earthlink.net>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 04, 2006 10:55 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Strange Blues


> "Ken Gates" <kwg28 at sbcglobal.net> wrote
>
> > Wingy Manone is given credit for "Strange Blues"---a rather pretty tune,
I
> > think. I have two recorded versions----One is in the key of Db ---- This
one
> > use the chord A7--and the four melody notes of A7 to start the bridge.
>
> > The other version is in the key of C --- and Ab7 (the corresponding
chord, of
> > course) does NOT seem to work--but Ab6 (one melody note different) does
seem
> > to work.
>
> > Either way sounds okay to my ear.  But curious as to what chord and what
the
> > first four
> > eighth notes of the bridge are used by your group.  Anybody play this
tune?
>
> Hi Ken:
>
> I've played it as a sideman and as I recall, in Db with the first four
notes
> of the A7 to start the bridge.
>
> However, that's from memory only, which has been known to falter. I think
> Craig Johnson plays the tune and has the music. What say Craig?
>
> Bopper sax man Jackie McLean also played the tune, but I think it was
simply
> a Blues Jam that he named "Strange Blues", not the Manone version. :-)
VBG.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
>
>
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