One Note Samba: Billy Batts Esemble Reunites For Some Standards

It's been a spell since all four of us had played together.  Mark was out last time, Walt the time before, I may have missed one, good to have us all together once again.  Walt is so busy that he doesn't participate in a lot of Sweetwater Junction functions, so it is always refreshing to get in the space with his talents.  He brings a lot to the party.  We more or less played it safe, as we do most of the time.  Nothing wrong with that.  As a matter of fact, we called some tunes we haven't really played before as a group.  Thanks to Mark's impetus, we pre-arranged to add some new standards to the band's repertoire.

Among them, Jobim's One Note Samba was a standout track.  The groove is not an easy one, and the changes can be a bit strange, as the head highlights one note (or two) that is voiced according to some clever alterations. I like it, and think of the Stan Getz & Gary Burton version on Getz Au Go Go as the definitive version, as heard here.  It is the one I've heard the most in my long life.  It features Astrud Giberto on vocals, which is nice, but may take away points in terms of stretching out.  I just like the sound of that "live" album (I'm not convinced that it is all live, I think Corcovado is a studio recording), mainly due to the fact that Burton's vibes are the only comping instrument.  Another thing about the chord changes is that many people who play it vamp in the beginning on the V, at least the bass pedals a V note and chords move on top of that.  Then the head begins on the iii chord.  I'm only getting into this as I had never really analyzed it closely before.  The bridge or B section is 8 bars, the first 4 being a ii-V-I up a minor third from the original tonic (or I), the second 4 is a ii-V-I with a turnaround that gets you back to original key center by playing iv-V of the original I.  Confused?  There's more because as the composer played it, those ii-V-I's are really ii-V-I-IV7-I-IV7.

Other versions I have in my iTunes playlist are a tour-de-force upright performance by Brian Bromberg from In The Spirit of Jobim, The Earl Klugh Trio, Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd from Jazz Samba (the earliest recording I have of this song from 1962), and what I would think would be the original version, which is Antônio Carlos Jobim performing his song on his debut album from 1963 The Composer of Desafinado, Plays.  This version is in the key of G (starting on Bm) as is the Astrud Gilberto vocal one.  So check out the original, with a stellar arrangement by Claus Ogerman here.  It is perhaps the most classic now that get inside those flutes and strings.  So, while you listen, check out this chart I found.  This is the arrangement exactly as on the Jobim recording.  This is how the song should be played...

I also worked on the Bill Evans tune Peri's Scope, which certainly doesn't get called that often.  Mark had some good suggestions, along with Straight No Chaser and Blue Monk (yes, 2 Monk tunes).  Makes me recall a few years back when I played an All Monk show with TAAG.  We learned that Monk wrote a lot of blues tunes and they all had his stamp on them.  On this night, we played all of Mark's suggestions except for the Evans tune.  It was just a bit much for us.  Maybe next time.  I played Brian's Jazz bass as my upright was found to be completely out of commission.  I will scrape together some funds to try to get another one day.  Such is life as a neo-jazzer.