Here’s a simple list of the tunes I am currently working on as chord solos. Let me just publish this list and revise it later.

  • “All of You,” Cole Porter, arr. Barry Greene
  • “All the Things You Are,” Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein, arr. Chris Buzzelli
  • “Alone Together,” Arthur Schwartz & Howard Dietz, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Bluesette,” Toots Thielemans & Norman Gimbel, arr. Dave Frackenpohl
  • “Body and Soul,” John Green, Edward Hayman, Robert Sour & Frank Eyton, arr. Howard Morgen & arr. Ron Berman
  • “But Not For Me,” George & Ira Gershwin, arr, Barry Greene
  • “How Hight the Moon,” Morgan Lewis & Nancy Hamilton, arr, Mike Christiansen
  • “Invitation,” Bronislau Kaper, arr. Dave Frackenpohl
  • “It’s Only a Paper Moon,” Harold Arlen, Billy Rose & E.Y. Harburg, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Li’l Darlin’,” Neal Hefti, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Long Ago and Far Away,” Jerome Kern & Ira Gershwin, arr. Jack Wilkins
  • “The More I See You,” Harry Warren & Mack Gordon, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “My Foolish Heart,” Victor Young & Ned Washington, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “My Funny Valentine,” Richard Rogers & Lorenz Hart, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Nice Work if You Can Get It,” George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “‘Round Midnight,” Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams & Bernie Hanighen, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Speak Low,” Kurt Weill & Ogden Nash, arr. Howard Morgen & arr. Rick Stone
    • two separate arrangements in two different guitar keys. Morgen’s arrangement is in E Dorian, allowing the use of open bass strings. Stone’s arrangement is in G Dorian, allowing the use of 12th and 7th fret harmonics for melody notes.
  • “Stardust,” Hoagie Charmichael, arr. Howard Morgen
  • “Summertime,” George Gershwin, DuBose Heyward, Dorothy Heyward & Ira Gershwin, arr. John C. Purse
  • “Yesterdays,” Jerome Kern & Otto Harbach, arr. Corey Christiansen

So now I have revised the list the next day, adding the names of composers, lyricists, and arrangers. While I am going to stick to this list for now, memorizing and developing these arrangements, it is still just a modest list for a performance repertoire.

In addition, all of these arrangements can be modified and augmented. “All the Things You Are,” for instance, can be performed with an introduction, either like Charlie Parker’s or like Tony Bennett’s. In fact, Bennett’s intro would probably fit best with Buzzelli’s arrangement.

Many of these solos can be modified for performance with a rhythm section or as part of an accompaniment for a singer or instrumentalist. I have already begun to write out bass lines for some of the tunes. What I have found is that if I simply write out the bass line and the chord changes I can still grab some chords for walking bass comping. I should also be able to play each tune with a two-feel bass without having to write out the lines. Ultimately, of course, I should be able to play the bass lines without having to write them out.

Which reminds me, I need to get back to practicing the walking bass lines that I was working on a while ago. The books are shit, but the bass lines are solid - the author is a bassist, not a guitarist, leaving me to re-write most of the fingerings. But no matter, the fact is that I’ve been working on my sense of time; I should be using a metronome to play these lines, but I do have a general sense that my walking time has improved.