Repertoire: Jazz Set

Next up in the series is my Jazz set. If you’re an avid fan of jazz guitar then the first thing to mention is that my jazz set is a little bit different to what you might expect. All songs are played on a classical guitar and not an archtop, so the tone of the instrument is very different. The majority of songs in my jazz guitar set are prearranged, meaning there is very little improvisation when I play live. The arrangements in my jazz guitar set are voiced nicely for the classical guitar; the melody being played mostly on the top strings to help it cut through, and avoiding too many close harmonies like you might expect to hear in a typical chord/harmony jazz arrangement. This is done for clarity, because when music is played as background music, I find that the melody can get lost in amongst the ambient hustle and bustle of a party if it’s not completely clear.

I’ve included a mix of jazz tunes from different eras and parts of the world, which I hope will appeal to the majority. There are classics such as Summertime as well as hits like Fly Me To The Moon. I’ve also included a couple of bossa nova tunes like Manha de Carnaval which is one of my all time favourite songs. I play a transcription of one of Baden Powell’s performances which I really like. It’s got a very authentic Brazilian sound which links it in well with some of the Latin songs I play. I’m in the process of adding more jazz songs to my repertoire incorporating the use of a loop pedal. The loop pedal provides a great alternative to backing tracks as it means I can record the ‘backing track’ live before adding more layers to the song in real time. This creates a bigger sound similar to a full band. I’ll post more on this at a later date.

My jazz guitar set is well suited to drinks receptions and cocktail parties. It’s also suitable for use as background music for hotel lobbies/restaurants. The jazz pieces fit ialso work well for background music at birthday parties.