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    Jazz Song #1 - A Night In Tunisia

    Jazz / Commercial
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    • Kujo20
      Kujo20 last edited by

      Good evening TB.

      I like the idea of discussing some jazz music/songs in depth.

      My goal will be to post once a week about a singular song.

      Please contribute your thoughts, opinions, video links, memories, horror stories, favorite arrangements, technical musings, etc...!

      To start, I’d like to single out “A Night In Tunisia”.

      My personal favorite rendition is Dizzy Gillespie and his United Nations Orchestra (1989 Royal Festival Hall).

      The band was on fire the entire night, including this concert ender. Not only are the solos from each member memorable...but they are all having so much fun!

      Claudio Roditi’s solo was a personal eye opener for me. I had never heard a trumpet sound like that. Definitely an inspiration for my earlier years of playing and trying to find “my sound”.

      Let’s open the discussion up!

      Kujo
      1916 Holton Revelation Cornet
      2016 Schlub Brass Works “Damar” 4V Flugelhorn
      Martin 9 mouthpiece
      Al Cass prototype flugel mouthpiece

      Dr GO 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • Kujo20
        Kujo20 last edited by

        Here are the lyrics for “A Night In Tunisia”

        The moon is the same moon above you
        Aglow with its cool evening light
        But shining at night, in Tunisia
        Never does it shine so bright

        The stars are aglow in the heavens
        But only the wise understand
        That shining at night in Tunisia
        They guide you through the desert sand

        Words fail, to tell a tale
        Too exotic to be told
        Each night's a deeper night
        In a world, ages old

        The cares of the day seem to vanish
        The ending of day brings release
        Each wonderful night in Tunisia
        Where the nights are filled with peace

        Kujo
        1916 Holton Revelation Cornet
        2016 Schlub Brass Works “Damar” 4V Flugelhorn
        Martin 9 mouthpiece
        Al Cass prototype flugel mouthpiece

        J 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • J
          Jolter @Kujo20 last edited by Jolter

          I thought it was an instrumental tune. Who wrote the lyrics, and who recorded them?

          I like the tune a lot. We picked it up in my big band, and it's turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. I wouldn't have thought so, given how close it is to bebop.

          I hope you didn't miss Arturo's take on it, on the album Tumbaito.

          Yamaha YTR-8335G
          Monke Bb trumpet
          Carol Brass flugelhorn
          YTR-6810 piccolo
          Burbank Eb/D
          Various antique cornets & horns in various keys

          Shifty 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Robrtx
            Robrtx last edited by Robrtx

            My favorite rendition is by Lee Morgan which he plays the melody unmuted then just wails on the solo.

            Also, I've seen it listed both ways but for some reason thought that I had read that the original song title as being "Night in Tunisia" as opposed to the more time specific "A Night in Tunisia". Any insight?

            Bob

            Schilke S42
            Bach Strad 183 Flugel
            (and a modest vintage collection)

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            • Shifty
              Shifty @Jolter last edited by

              @Jolter said in Jazz Song #1 - A Night In Tunisia:

              I thought it was an instrumental tune. Who wrote the lyrics, and who recorded them?

              https://www.jazziz.com/a-short-history-of-a-night-in-tunisia-dizzy-gillespie-1942/

              Getzen Eterna 700, Eterna 800
              Conn Connstellation 28A, Victor 80A, Connqueror (1903)
              ACB Doubler Flugelhorn

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              • Dr GO
                Dr GO @Kujo20 last edited by Dr GO

                @Kujo20 said in Jazz Song #1 - A Night In Tunisia:

                Good evening TB.

                To start, I’d like to single out “A Night In Tunisia”.

                My personal favorite rendition is Dizzy Gillespie and his United Nations Orchestra (1989 Royal Festival Hall).

                Claudio Roditi’s solo was a personal eye opener for me. I had never heard a trumpet sound like that. Definitely an inspiration for my earlier years of playing and trying to find “my sound”.

                Here is the recording Kujo refers to in his post:

                At 5:46 is Claudio's solo then again at 15:20. I had the distinct pleasure of studying under Claudio from 1979 to 1981, He was already an "understudy" of Dizzy at that time. We had our lessons in Claudio's mid-Town Manhattan apartment. He charged me $20 for an hour lesson, then HE would put us both in a cab, and HE paid the ride down to SoHo where we jammed another 2 hours in a recording studio, after which, ALL the musicians present would playback the recordings of our session, and then WE would critique one another. What an AMAZING musical education. Nothing (I MEAN NOTHING) can match that experience! Not even my medical training. To this day, at nearly every concert I perform, I use that half-valve technique near the end of Claudio's last solo. I would use this technique during my lessons on Brazilian pieces I would play for Claudio, to mimic Brazilian percussion instruments, it's amazing to see Claudio used it in years after we parted our sessions together.

                Allora Pocket Trumpet 2014
                Harrelson Summit 2017
                Kanstul 1526 2012
                Getzen Power Bore 1961
                Getzen Eterna 4-Valve Fulgelhorn 1974
                Martin Committee 1946
                Olds Super Recording 1940
                Olds Recording (LA) 1953
                Olds Recording (Fullerton) 1967
                Olds Ambassador 1965

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                • Dr GO
                  Dr GO last edited by

                  At 3:12 in "Edge of the River" (An original Brazilian ballad written by Bobby Lavelle and arranged by me) you will hear this half-valve technique that adds a Brazilian rhythm quality to the flugelhorn sound.

                  Allora Pocket Trumpet 2014
                  Harrelson Summit 2017
                  Kanstul 1526 2012
                  Getzen Power Bore 1961
                  Getzen Eterna 4-Valve Fulgelhorn 1974
                  Martin Committee 1946
                  Olds Super Recording 1940
                  Olds Recording (LA) 1953
                  Olds Recording (Fullerton) 1967
                  Olds Ambassador 1965

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                  • ?
                    A Former User @Robrtx last edited by

                    Hi Robrtx,
                    Dizzy Gillespie originally called it "Interlude" and later said " some genus decided to call it A Night In Tunisia".
                    According to a couple of jazz sites, A Night in Tunisia can be done a number of different ways. The tune is an AABA form with an interlude. It is most common to do the A section in a Latin feel, with the last two bars of the A section in a swing feel. The bridge is swung, the interlude is swung, and the solo sections are generally swung. However, you can play around with the feel.

                    Jazz Classics: Dizzy Gillespie - A Night In Tunisia

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                    • Pinstriper
                      Pinstriper last edited by

                      It doesn't get any better than Byron.

                      Kujo20 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • Kujo20
                        Kujo20 @Pinstriper last edited by

                        @Pinstriper

                        Somehow he can display incredible power and intricate delicacy at the same time... A true trumpet master for sure!

                        Kujo
                        1916 Holton Revelation Cornet
                        2016 Schlub Brass Works “Damar” 4V Flugelhorn
                        Martin 9 mouthpiece
                        Al Cass prototype flugel mouthpiece

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