Nature Boy - E minor, D minor, Eb minor

[Teasing the Korean]

In playing situations, I have encountered this tune in these three keys.  They are all close, and the harmonies to this tune are fairly straightforward, but does anyone know if one of these three keys tends to be favored?  

[Teasing the Korean]

No one? 

[Gheorghe]

In my head I hear it in E minor.

But I think I might play it in Eb-minor even easier. It´s strange. I´m a piano player and should not have too much problems with keys like E natural, D natural, A natural and so on, but I think since I don´t play anything else but jazz, those keys are quite strange to me, since they are unusual keys for horn players and I think much more like a horn player.

It´s only if I feel that a certain tune is supposed to be heard in a certain key.

Maybe if I hadn´t perfect pitch I might be more flexible. But that way, the way how I hear it, I got it in my head and it sticks.

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 4/3/2017 at 5:54 AM, Gheorghe said:

... those keys are quite strange to me, since they are unusual keys for horn players and I think much more like a horn player. 

Expand  

I hear you, but d minor is related to F major, hardly a strange key to jazz.

[JSngry]

E minor is great for tenor (our F# minor), it gives you that open C# (and the options for palm keys that entails) and the uber malleable A (regular and altissimo. It's also a key that works well with more..."rock"-oriented guitarists, if you got that on hand.

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks all. (Both.)  I am writing an arrangement, and based on the instrumentation, I think that D minor or Eb minor will be best.  

I have seen sheet music in both E minor and D minor.  

[JSngry]

Nat's got it in D Minor

 

Trane will do E Minor. Tenor.

Miles in G Minor.

 

[Gheorghe]

  On 4/3/2017 at 10:43 AM, Teasing the Korean said:

I hear you, but d minor is related to F major, hardly a strange key to jazz.

Expand  

Now that you say it, I agree to you. That´s it.

I can play easily in d-minor but got headaches if I´d try in D major. Never new why, but now I can understand it.

But I hate keys like B natural major. One time I  h a  d  to play it, cause the guest artist a saxophonist told us "I´m tired playin the usual keys, let´s start with "Moose the Mooche" in B major.
My luck was I heard so many Bird records where the speed is up so some tunes in B-flat sound like B, that´s how I managed to get thru, just having in my mind those that are too sharp because of incorrect speed.

 

Miles´ Nature-Boy in G yeah I think that was the first version I ever heard, when I was a kid. Then I couldn´t do much with that tune, it was the abstract arrangement. Strange record anyway, that´s Mingus who somehow sounded more "western abstract/cool" in 1954/55. Complete different to the "angry Mingus" that we love so much, the Mingus with Dolphy/Byard or later with George Adams/Don Pullen.

 

Got another version of Nature Boy by Jackie Mc Lean which I got from my wife , got to listen to it again, if I remember right, that was in f-minor, strange I don´t remember.

 

[Big Beat Steve]

  On 4/4/2017 at 1:06 AM, JSngry said:

Nat's got it in D Minor

 

Trane will do E Minor. Tenor.

Miles in G Minor.

 

Expand  

And this???     

 

 

 

[JSngry]

A Minor!

Here's an Eb Minor, trumpet not having the same exploitation mechanics as tenor, but Ran Blake makes all keys work, like, at all times.

 

Indeed, Jackie in F Minor, as noted. That puts the alto in D Minor, which is a good key for any saxophone.

 

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 4/4/2017 at 11:06 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

And this???     

Expand  

That Red Ingle track is amazing!

Edited April 5, 2017 by Teasing the Korean

[JSngry]

The composer prefers D Minor!

 

[Big Beat Steve]

  On 4/5/2017 at 9:38 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

That Red Ingle track is amazing!

Expand  

You didnt know it?  

 

[Teasing the Korean]

  On 4/6/2017 at 6:23 AM, Big Beat Steve said:

You didnt know it?  

Expand  

No, I have some Spike Jones stuff, but I never heard that!  "A little shy/On account of that one bad eye."  Hysterical. 

[Jazzmoose]

  On 4/5/2017 at 9:38 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

That Red Ingle track is amazing!

Expand  

No kidding.  I've got to poke around in these odd threads more often!