[Dixielandjazz] FW: Re Hoagy's'New Orleans'

[Jim Kashishian]

>Re Kash's last email ....In my ignorance I was not aware of a bridge for
New Orleans, we must play a truncated version, just a 16 bar in Gm.  IGOR


Ok, you got me, Igor!  Although it's not really a bridge (as in a 32 bar
song of AABA), 
I always think of the first 4 bars of the second eight bars as a bridge.  
The D9/Eb9 D7 Gm/A7 D7 bit is different than the other sections of four
bars. 

If you think of the song as being played in double the time, you'd end up
with the required 32 bars & a proper bridge. I'm referring to the fact that
it could have been written as each half bar being a full bar. It could just
as easily been penned that way, I suppose.  Is there a technical or creative
reason the song was written as a 16 bar song, but feels like a 32 bar song?
Where does Hoagy's genius shine through in this matter?  I'm sure someone
with tremendous chordal understanding will have an answer.

Last night I only soloed on the first 8 bars of the last chorus, and the
trumpeter picked up the melody at the (so-called) bridge to finish the song
off, as I felt the (slow, pretty)song was getting a bit long for an audience
showing a desire for up-tempo things.  

Jim