[Dixielandjazz] si tu vois mere

[Stephen G Barbone]

>  Gluetje1 at aol.com wrote
>
> My goodness, I love it how this plot has thickened from my initial
> question!
> Ginny
>
> texasjazzlover at verizon.net  (Rebecca) writes:
>
> We have  a musician friend who owns a 45 recording of Sidney Bechet  
> playing
> this  song and the title is "Lonesome".  The time frame for the  
> recording
> was BEFORE Sidney went to France.

> Barbone Wrote : In some circles, Si Tu Vois Mere is also known as  
> "Lonesome".

I am not sure that Peter's story about how Bechet named it is  
accurate. In my opinion it sounds like "Lonsome" and I think it was  
named "Lonsome" first. But who knows?

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the tune is that many current  
bands have changed the chords to it.
Listen to Bechet doing it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs_DD_7C8_A&feature=related

Now it seems to be in B natural but I think that is an error in the  
recording. Bb is the key Bechet played it in.
Listen carefully to those first three chords. They are Bb / Bb / Bb.  
as I hear them in this recording assuming that it it is really in Bb.

Who among the current bands plays those first 3 chords as Bb? (Besides  
Bob Wilber) Most others that I hear do it as Bb F7 Bb if I am hearing  
correctly, and many do it in C with similar chord alteration.

In my original post with a link showing the chord chart in C, the  
first 3 measure chords were: Fm6 / C6-Am7/ Dm7. Wow.

Amazing how tunes/chords change. Like Skylark too. Hoagy's original  
chords are changed dramatically by bands these days. In my opinion,  
Bechet's chords should be adhered to, but Skylark is a different  
matter. I prefer the altered changes.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband