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Just friends : recordings?

i am lookin for recordings of the song "just friends". solo piano would be the best...

anyone know some good ones?

by ayolt on 03/31/2006, 13:11

There are 20 comments, leave a comment.

tommy flanegan has a nice version of it, but i can't remember what album it was on.

jv'

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by jazzvirtuoso on 03/31/2006, 14:35

here is a response of mine to a previous post, just substitute just friends for brazil.

i think if you go to www.rhapsody.com or go to itunes and do a search for brazil you will find a crap load of recordings. also search for aquarela do brazil which i believe is its real name. you may want to search at amazon.com too. you can do a song search for it, also try the towerrecords site they may have some song search mode as well.
yeah, brazil is an alright tune by me but one of my favorite sambas is a tom harrell tune called samba do amor off of his "the art of rhythm" cd. very good cd--good playing and good composing as well by harrell. you jazz composers should check him out.

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by pnowanabe on 03/31/2006, 15:20

monty alexander plays just friends on the album full steam ahead.
the first chorus is being played by monty alone in some kind of latin stride style and then the trio (featuring ray brown) kicks in.
i think chet baker recorded the song too.

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by funk on 03/31/2006, 18:34

not a piano solo, but i believe a classic recording is on "sonny meets hawk" by sonny rollins and coleman hawkins.

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by CynBad on 03/31/2006, 19:09

mal waldron recorded just friends solo piano on his album blues for lady day. i have a transcription, he played it in bb. he played his left hand mostly with shell voicings, about 90%.

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by Jazz+ on 03/31/2006, 19:43

i have a 1958 live recording of elmo hope performing the tune with harold land. hope (my personal favorite of all the bop pianists) takes 6 choruses i think, which i've transcribed and learned some things about his style from. they play the tune in ab. there's not very many elmo hope recordings out there, especially of standards, so it's worth your while if you have an interest in classic playing.

i could probably host it someplace if you were interested.

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by on 04/03/2006, 16:11

hey jaledin - i'd love to hear that if you could put it up on yousendit or something...

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by dreammonk on 04/03/2006, 23:04

all right -- i'll try to put it up tomorrow. i'll probably do the whole file because harold land is really doing his thing on this particular date and there's some interesting comping by elmo hope over a fairly long bass solo before the closing head.

hope is pretty restrained during his choruses but there are a bunch of interesting things he does, especially in his rh, throughout. his comping is also worth transcribing, especially toward the end of the bass solo (i can't remember who's playing bass on this one). it feels pretty nice to play in ab also -- i didn't try it in that key before transcribing this solo six months or so ago, when my interest in hope's playing resurfaced.

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by on 04/04/2006, 00:07

yes chet recorded it, on "chet baker sings and plays" or "chet baker sings again" (i think the 2nd...)
a very nice sung solo !!

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by groyann on 04/04/2006, 02:59

here you go, dreammonk:

https://s5.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=32yb4hxoal2wk2vjulyj6qrlyf

nice, simple, melodic bebop solo.

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by on 04/04/2006, 17:26

okay, here i found the tommy flanegan version. he plays it up a half step higher.

here's a nice thread for some theory and chord analysis.

https://www.learnjazzpiano.com/citadel/scotcit.mvc?intro_off=1&action=forum&sub=display_thread&id=24322&bid=24635

jv'

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by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 21:53

jaledin'

you can barely hear the piano on this recording. anybody else have this problem or is it just me?

it sounds way to low. :(

jv'

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by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 22:02

i don't have that problem -- i did listen to the recording while i was waiting for yousendit to upload. there is a recording glitch for about 15 seconds during the first part of harold land's solo, but the piano is fine. i'm thinking it must be either some kind of error on your end (speakers, or volume/eq controls) or perhaps the http transfer via yousendit introduced some kind of distortion (unlikely, but completely possible). anyone else have that prob?

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by on 04/05/2006, 00:27

oh, and what tommy flanagan version did you find, exactly, jazzvirtuoso? i haven't come across one of his records with this tune on it yet.

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by on 04/05/2006, 00:31

i'm not sure what album its on. but i can send it to you. its the best version of this song that i have heard as of yet! in a flat like
elmo/harold's.

i can send it to you on "you send it" if you like?

jv'

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by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 12:28

sure, if you want to send it i'd love to hear it.

thanks!

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by on 04/05/2006, 13:36

here it is:

https://s8.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2641ndkdpidel0rjy9kqsu36pk

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by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 14:03

very nice -- those block chords sound great. nobody quite has that same touch as tommy flanagan does. thanks!

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by on 04/05/2006, 14:14

thanks for the files jaledin and virtuoso! - the internet is a wondeful thing...

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by dreammonk on 04/06/2006, 07:08

hey, no problem!

jv'

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by jazzvirtuoso on 04/06/2006, 08:47

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Just friends : recordings?

There are 20 comments, leave a comment.

by jazzvirtuoso on 03/31/2006, 14:35

by pnowanabe on 03/31/2006, 15:20

by funk on 03/31/2006, 18:34

by CynBad on 03/31/2006, 19:09

by Jazz+ on 03/31/2006, 19:43

by on 04/03/2006, 16:11

by dreammonk on 04/03/2006, 23:04

by on 04/04/2006, 00:07

by groyann on 04/04/2006, 02:59

by on 04/04/2006, 17:26

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 21:53

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 22:02

by on 04/05/2006, 00:27

by on 04/05/2006, 00:31

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 12:28

by on 04/05/2006, 13:36

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 14:03

by on 04/05/2006, 14:14

by dreammonk on 04/06/2006, 07:08

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/06/2006, 08:47

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Just friends : recordings?

There are 20 comments, leave a comment.

by jazzvirtuoso on 03/31/2006, 14:35

by pnowanabe on 03/31/2006, 15:20

by funk on 03/31/2006, 18:34

by CynBad on 03/31/2006, 19:09

by Jazz+ on 03/31/2006, 19:43

by on 04/03/2006, 16:11

by dreammonk on 04/03/2006, 23:04

by on 04/04/2006, 00:07

by groyann on 04/04/2006, 02:59

by on 04/04/2006, 17:26

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 21:53

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/04/2006, 22:02

by on 04/05/2006, 00:27

by on 04/05/2006, 00:31

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 12:28

by on 04/05/2006, 13:36

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/05/2006, 14:03

by on 04/05/2006, 14:14

by dreammonk on 04/06/2006, 07:08

by jazzvirtuoso on 04/06/2006, 08:47

Reply to Thread

Jazz Piano Notebook Series

"Latinesque"

LJP Jazz Piano Blogs

Most Recent Discussions

Articles

Top Sheetmusic Picks

Jazz piano education is cool.

Rock on. Follow your passion.

Sign In