Restaurant gigs, what are people playing

Those of you that play restaurant gigs, what are your top 20 played songs?

laid back European type place, very small,

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www.AudioworksCT.com

Here's that Rainy Day
When Sunny Gets Blue
Masquerade
Sunny
Nature Boy
You are the Sunshine of my life
Lady Blue
Someone To Watch Over Me
I Love you More today than Yesterday
Hey There Lonely Girl
Wildflower
God bless the Child
Wine and Roses
Haven't We Met?
Here, There and Everywhere
That's All
Spring can really hang you up
Four
Work Song
Song for My Father

These fit the upscale restaurants I work.
Of course, the arrangements need to be altered to fit the venue.


Russ

"American Song Book" never fails.

Great list Russ, I do just about all of those. They are some great songs.

Joe

Absolutely ... the songs of Sinatra, Bennett, Ella, Torme, etc ... songs sung today by Diana Krall and Michael Buble, lots of bossa nova (Jobim, Jobim, Jobim) ... Italian songs - Mala Femmina, Al Di La, Roma Non Fa La Stupida Stasera, Non Dimenticar, Come Prima, ... songs like Autumn Leaves played with a musette accordion voice (just for you chas ) to give it a French feel, same with the Beatles Michelle, Yesterday, and And I Love Her ... even some 'pop standards' like Blue Bayou (I do it in a bossa style), Joel's Just the way You Are, ... Sway, Save The Last Dance For Me ... for starters ...
t.

Russ, I do about 90% of those plus....

'Round Midnight
Misty (Groove Holmes version)
Black Orpheus
Good Bait
Funny Valentine (one of my favorites)
Feeling Good
Moanin'
Blues in F
I Remember Clifford
Fever
Time after Time (NOT the Cyndy Lauper version)
Georgia (Hey, I'm in Atlanta )
Get on down with the B3 sound
Who can I turn to
Autumn in New York
New York State of Mind
Angel Eyes
A love supreme (Coltrane)
I got a woman (McGriff)
Deep Purple (Groove Holmes version)
Blue Monk
Ain't that love (Ray Charles)
How Deep is the Ocean (another favorite of mine)
Motherless Child (Sometimes I feel, like a...)
C Jam Blues
Little Girl Blue
I put a spell on you
The Sermon (Jimmy Smith)
J.O.S.
Yesterday (Beatles)
Ipenema
Pennies from Heaven (Still trying to find the lyrics to 'Bennie's from Heaven' to do as comic relief)

......PLUS.......

ONLY IF REQUESTED

Satin Doll
Cherokee
Happy Birthday


chas

It depends on the audience rather than the venue for me.
Lots of times I have a room full of older people for Texas in town for the Casinos.
They would totally ignore most of the stuff on Russ' list. Probably has to do with geographics as well.
In non-country settings, here's some off the top of my head that I do that seem to work for most everybody.
Spanish Eyes
Last Date
Summer Wind
Summertime
Margaritaville (sorry Russ)
Can't Help Falling in Love
Unchained Melody
Besame Mucho
Fly Me To the Moon
You've Got a Friend
Fire and Rain
Yesterday
If
LOVE
Mona Lisa
I Just Called To Say I Love You
Now or Never
Stand By Me
My Girl
Color My World
A Place in the Sun
Always On My Mind

Songs like these are recognizable, even if they aren't paying close attention. Many of them have been done in a variety of ways and by various people, so almost everyone can identify with them.
And then someone will request Brown-eyed Girl anyway.
DonM

Don, I actually enjoy doing 12 of those on a regular basis at one of my regular jobs. You're right. The list of appropriate material changes per venue. Some of these songs just would not work at one club, and none of them would work on B-3 jazz night at another (well, a few might with some serious style alterations from the original).

I think it's venue related and not geographical. All of your tunes would work in many venues here, and some of mine would not at some venues.


R.

Night and Day (as a slow bossa)
What A Difference A Day Made
Basin St Blues
And I Love Her (as a slow Bossa Nova)
Meditation
I'll Never Smile Again
Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
Ain't Misbehavin'
Europa
Anything Goes
Black Orpheus
Theme From Ice Castles
Undecided
Autumn Leaves
How High The Moon

Song's along these lines seem to work pretty good.

All these are great tunes. I play many of them and would like to add several mentioned. I'm wondering if anyone here has done anying from this century? I think there are lots of possibilites with electronic styles like Chill Ambient, Trip-hop, Nu jazz, Ambient House, Ambient Trance,Downtempo. I haven't tried it but I think these kind of styles could be played on just a keyboard. There's lots of room for improvisation and I have a feeling it would go over well at trendy up scale places. Just a thought...

Sure I am MM! Toes, Good Directions, People Are Crazy, Southern Voice, etc... All current hits. They are Country.
But so am I!
DonM

Don... as I've said before, Lydia is listening mostly to country now... got ME doing Toes, Beyond the Blue Neon, even 'dug out' Cold Cold Heart and Hey Good Lookin' ... working on Brad Paisley's Then ...
t.

Hello Frank,
I play in an Italian BYOB restaurant and in some respects the wine dictates the music selection. For the first hour or so, soft, mostly down tempo tunes, then as the wine kicks in, the tempos, and the energy increase. Towards the end of the night it’s show time … here is a partial list that seems to work in an Italian restaurant setting:

SORRIENTO/SANTA LUCIA/OUI MARIE (MEDLEY)
ANAME E CORE/NU QUARTO E LUNA/ACARREZZAME (MEDLEY)
MALA FEMMENA
SPERANZA PERDUTE
JUST SAY I LOVE HER
NA VOCE NA CHITARRA…
CHITARRA ROMANA
MAMBO STAMBO
RETURN TO ME
NON TI SCORDAR DI ME
VITTA NA CROZZA
SPANISH EYES (RHUMBA OR TANGO)
LA SPAGNOLA
ROMA NUN FA LA STUPIDA
ARRIVEDERCI ROMA
CIURI, CIURI
INNAMORATA
THE MAN WHO PLAYS THE MANDOLINO
MIELE
MORE
SUSANNA
LISBOA
L’ANATRA(O’PATO)(SAMBA)
RECADO(BOSSA)

TARANTELLA BELLA/ HEY CUMPARI
FERRY BOAT SERENADE/PEPINO(LOU MONTE)/REGINELLA COMPAGNOLA
FROM THE VINE CAME THE GRAPE/THAT’S AMORE
VICINA MARE
EVE. IN ROMA
TIC TI TIC TA(CHA CHA)
CHE LLA LLA(SOCA)
DOMANI(CUMBIA)
ANGELINA/CHE LA LUNA
FELICIA

SIMPATICI ITALIANI
QUANDO, QUANDO
VOLARE
BACIAMI PER DOMANI
CHE SERA
CON UN BACIO PICCOLISIMO
GIGOLO
BA BA BACIAMI
BELLA BELLA
CON TE PARTIRO
MARINA, MARINA


ALWAYS SPRINKLED IN EACH SET ARE SONGS FROM THE ‘AMERICAN SONG BOOK’ PARTICULARLY THE CURRENT MICHAEL BUBLE RENDERINGS, AS WELL AS PATRIZIO, LOUIE PRIMA, DINO AND OF COURSE, SEVERAL SINATRA TUNES.
Ciao,
Jerry

DonM stole my restaurant song list!

Gary

Arthur's Theme

Downtown

Besame Mucho

As Time Goes By

What A Wonderful World

Girl From Ipanema

It's Now Or Never

Lyin' Eyes (The Eagles)

Your Cheatin' Heart

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

When You Wish Upon A Star

Alone Again, Naturally (Gilbert O'Sullivan)

Moon River

Moonlight Serenade

New Kid In Town (The Eagles)

Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue

Red Roses For A Blue Lady

This Masquerade

Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)

Piano Man (Billy Joel)


[This message has been edited by ianmcnll (edited 05-18-2010).]

Yes, those too!
DonM

Jerry ... that's a great list ... I was surprised I didn't see Ciao, Ciao, Bambina on there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t3Ru6EaF-Q

Also, Roma Non Fa La Stupida is not a song on everyone's list either ...
Not having seen "Roman Holiday" I was not familiar with the tune... heard it for the first time while having dinner in Rome with our good friend Andrea (Dreamer) ... I have played it since...
t.

I am surprised these tunes are missing:

A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square
Give Me The Simple Life
Polka Dots And Moonbeams
What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Steve Tyrell)
Stars Fell On Alabama
Bye Bye Blackbird
Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Vocal like Ray Charles) Man what a gash.
My Romance
All The Things You Are
I Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry
Where Are You
Where Is Love
For All We Know
I Can’t get Started
Try A Little Tenderness
Someday (You’ll want me like I want you)
What A Wonderful World
A Kiss To Build A Dream On.
Yakety Sax Ha! Ha! ( DonM Does This One)
Soul Serenade (David Sanborn and I do this one, but he does it better)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Vocal Slow Bossa)
I Get A Kick Out Of You
Our Love Is Here To Stay
Willow Weep For Me
I Only Have Eyes For You
This list is long enough
Sorry


[This message has been edited by brickboo (edited 05-18-2010).]

Tony, I do Ciao,Ciao Bambino and lots more that I didn't list.
Have you been in contact with Dreamer? He was having some medical problems and I would like to know if they were resolved and know that he is well.
Ciao,
Jerry

When we last spoke things weren't resolved yet, but he was hopeful ...
I know he was posting at one time on http://www.createsongstyles.com/forum/
t.

my favorite request:

"Do you guys know Summertime by Porgy and Bess?"

I told her it's a hard tune because I never can figure out which one wrote the music and which one the lyrics

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Miami Mo