# Music by Genre > Jazz/Blues Variants, Bossa, Choro, Klezmer >  Summertime?

## mandomaniac

Hey Folks...
Happy Holidays!
I've been trying to noodle out Summertime and wonder if anyone would like to share chord progressions they might have worked out that work well on mando. Explored some from guitar sites, but not seeming to strike my fancy yet.
Thanks!
Tom

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## Peter Hackman

> Hey Folks...
> Happy Holidays!
> I've been trying to noodle out Summertime and wonder if anyone would like to share chord progressions they might have worked out that work well on mando. Explored some from guitar sites, but not seeming to strike my fancy yet.
> Thanks!
> Tom


Why not take whatever there is and modify it to suit your personality?
A good source for progressions is 
http://www.songtrellis.com/changesPage
I would strip it down a bit.

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## jmcgann

Am7 Bm7b5/ Cmaj7 Bm7b5/ Am7 Bm7b5/ Cmaj7 A/C#/ 
Dm Dm/C/ Bm7b5 Cmaj7/ E7 F7/ E7 Bb7
Am7 Bm7b5/ Cmaj7 Bm7b5/ Am7 Bm7b5/ Cmaj7 D7/ 
Cmaj7 Fmaj7/Bm7b5 E7/ Am7 Bm7b5/ Cmaj7 E7

That's with harmonized bass motion- a stripped down version might be:

Am7/Am7/Am7/Am7/
Dm7/Dm7/E7/E7
Am7/Am7/Am7/Am7 D7
C F/Dm E7/Am7/Am7 E7

You could think of the stripped down changes when soloing over the 1st version- but the stripped down version for comping chords would be pretty vanilla for my tastes...

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## Martin Jonas

Have a look at Nigel Gatherer's page here, which has mandolin chords and two different examples of decorating the melody line.

Different key from John's version, though.

Martin

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## Brad Weiss

I love the chord solo on tabledit available here at the old mandozine site.

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## mandomaniac

Thanks to all for the great tips!!!
I have indeed been fooling with what seems to work for me....just looking for more 'options' to explore. 
Really just beginning to pursue jazz mando a bit more seriously.....so any and all help is appreciated. 
Figure if I make jazz mandos, I ought to play jazz a bit better! 
 

Thanks again,
Tom

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## Don Stiernberg

My column in Mandolin Magazine, Volume 5, Number 1(Summer 2003) focused on Summertime.
 There are five different sets of changes there to explore. I also had the pleasure of recording the tune with John Carlini on our CD called "By George". John arranged the harmony, paying careful attention to a Gershwin piano score, which netted some real surprises!Sometimes the changes intended by the composer can be the hippest or most modern sounding!
    Happy New Year everybody, and keep playing that jazz! I hope 2007 is the year our host Scott Tichenor records as a jazz mandolinist--he is great!
    All the Best and have fun looking for "the good notes"..

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## mikeomando

Hey Don,
While you're here, thanks for all the great music. I saw you play a nice gig at The Cultural Center here in Chicago recently. How about telling a Jethro story? You know we eat that sort of thing up...

Happy New Year! Everybody!

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## jmcgann

Also listen to the Miles Davis/Gil Evans version on "Porgy and Bess"- beautiful harmonizations there...also the Louis and Ella version of Porgy...

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## mandomaniac

Now THIS is what amazes me about this forum.....
Just TOO COOL (Unseasonably??? # #) to see your _"heroes"_ take the time to lend a hand. The direction is seriously appreciated! 

Just whipped off an order for a Back Issue (summer 03) to Mandolin Magazine. Not to mention a new CD or 2 will be late stocking stuffers! # 

Once again, thank you folks for sharing your thoughts. Nothing like this to put a smile on my face for the New Year!

Best regards,
Tom

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## Don Stiernberg

At the request of mikeomando, here is a Jethro story:

 Nowadays we all hear a lot about our Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. If I'm not mistaken he was mentored in some manner by the previous occupant of the seat, the Honorable Paul Simon. Once back in the day we had a Jethro show downstate at one of the colleges, either U of I or IL State.
 We pulled up early for the soundcheck and were told to wait because Senator Paul Simon was finishing a fundraiser(re-election time)...we could go in when he was done shaking hands. "Can't we meet him too?" Jeffo asks. Next thing I know we're in a receiving line, getting closer to the Senator, who is greeting everyone with a glazed look and the words"So nice to see YOU!" Finally we're right on top of him and Jethro says"Donnie, watch this!", flashing his famous smile. As he shook hands with the Senator he said, "Paul, I just gotta tell you, I LOVE all those records you made with Art Garfunkel, they are so good I got ever one of 'em!" To which the Sen. Paul Simon replied "So nice to see you!"

 Returning to the topic, I don't recall playing Summertime
 with Jethro, oddly enough. I think he did teach that frequently, but we didn't do it onstage as I recall, or very many Gershwin tunes for that matter-more Ellington, a few Basie grooves, Django tunes of course..

 Thanks for kind words. It's nice to hear the sound of Amin6
 from contemplating Summertime, also fun to recall the sound of the world's greatest mandolin player saying "watch this".
 You gotta wonder what he might say to or about some of our leaders today!

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## Daniel Nestlerode

Thanks Don! LOL!  

Daniel

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