Minor Swing on a cd

[Nick Royal]

I have the music for Minor Swing, by Django Reinhardt, and would like suggestions for a good recording of the tune. Thanks,
Nick Royal

[AW Meyer]

Andy Leftwich has a nice version on his CD entitled Ride.

[Brad Weiss]

Dawg's version with Stephan Grappelli is a modern classic- on Hot Dawg

[Perry]

I have the music for Minor Swing, by Django Reinhardt, and would like suggestions for a good recording of the tune. Thanks,
Nick Royal

How about the original recording by Django and Stefan? Dawg did it in a different key and with a different feel. Not sure which version your sheet music matches.

[onassis]

+1 on the original. Django and Stephan. The most satisfying version I've heard.

[SternART]

Dawg's version w/ Stephane on Hot Dawg is in Dmin and has a bridge.
Django & Stephane originally did it in Amin
Grisman has another earlier version that was added to the first DGQ album
when it came out on CD, recorded at those original sessions.
I hear there is a version on the new Mark O'Conner album with Thile,
Vignola, Sutton, et al.......anyone heard that one?

[grassrootphilosopher]

For Minor Swing David Grisman is the obvious choice to check reference recordings. I propose to listen to the recording "Swinging With Svend" which has a nice recording of Swing Mineur by David Grisman and band featuring the Swedish Swing giant Svend Asmussen.

[ralph johansson]

Svend Asmussen has toured a lot in Sweden and collaborated with many Swedish musicians but he is certainly Danish (yes, the last I heard he is still alive, and even playing, at 94).

My favorite version is the one on Mike Marshall's "Tasting the Wine Country", with D Anger, P McCandless (soprano sax), P Aaberg (piano), and T Philips. The whole CD is one of the true New Acoustic classics.

[onassis]

I was listening to Grooveshark last night and found a version by Brian Sutton, very cool, straight up and unadorned trio (guitar, fiddle, bass) like the original. Not a slavish Django copy, but very true to his spirit. Apparently off of a recording called "Ready To Go".

[Nick Royal]

Thanks to everybody who come up w. cds have Minor Swing on them! Ralph mentioned Mike Marshall's Wine Country cd, which I then remembered that I had. Again, all the different versions are appreciated.
Nick Royal
Santa Cruz, CA ...home of the Mandolin Symposium in June

[pglasse]

As Arthur Stern points out: at least one of David Grisman's recordings of Minor Swing featured an altered form to the tune. That is: Django recorded the song in A minor, solos followed an ABAB (etc.) format; Grisman's version was in D minor and solos followed an AABA format (with the B section different from Django's). Grisman's B section was iv i II V (2 bars per chord change), as I recall.

Anyway, I thought you'd want to know, just in case your sheet music doesn't match what you're hearing on your recording of choice. This is also one of those tunes that, in a jam situation, is helpful to clarify which version folks want to play...to avoid train wrecks mid-tune.

All the best,

Paul Glasse
Austin, Texas
http://paulglasse.com (http://paulglasse.com/)

[AlanN]

I thought Dawg's bridge was

iv (1 bar)
V7 (1 bar)
i (2 bars)
iv (2 bars)
II (1 bar)
V7 (1 bar)

[pglasse]

I thought Dawg's bridge was

ii (1 bar)
V7 (1 bar)
i (2 bars)
ii (2 bars)
II (1 bar)
V7 (1 bar)

Yikes! Right you are! That's what I get for not double-checking the recording. Thanks for setting the record straight.

Paul Glasse
Austin Texas
http://paulglasse.com

[AlanN]

Yikes by me now!! We were both off, I corrected my original...Gm is the iv of Dm, not the ii

[jasonanick]

I will have minor swing on my upcoming debut solo album "Sleepless". It is a unique arrangement with some new parts that I composed to give it a new feel, but still has the same solo section as the original. I will post it up here once its mixed!

Jason Anick

[SternART]

I just rediscovered a sweet version in my music collection............on Martin Taylor's "Spirit of Django" CD from 1994.

[Mark Seale]

Dawg's version w/ Stephane on Hot Dawg is in Dmin and has a bridge.
Django & Stephane originally did it in Amin
Grisman has another earlier version that was added to the first DGQ album
when it came out on CD, recorded at those original sessions.
I hear there is a version on the new Mark O'Conner album with Thile,
Vignola, Sutton, et al.......anyone heard that one?

Yep, it is on the Jam Session CD, its also on O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio recording. Both are really interesting interpretations and very well done.