Michael Buble's "Sway" Alto Saxophone Cover/backing track

[Michael Bishop]

Hey guys,

I was thinking about doing this one on the Alto Saxophone of Michael Buble’s “Sway”, I think it’s got a really great rhythm and feel for the Saxophone. Along with the main melody, some cool Improvisation could really make this song sound fantastic. If you want this backing track for yourself, you can convert the youtube video I made into an mp3 file, very easy to do.

[Anonymous]

thats a coincidence – just been playing
all the following songs today to backing
tracks

besame mucho
dos gardenias
girl from ipanema
guantanamera
la bamba
lambada
mas que nada
oye coma va
perhaps,perhaps,perhaps
sway

[john]

what a coincidence! I made backing tracks for most of those tunes for a hotel gig I did a few years ago. mind you, since I did the gig with a piano player the tracks have only bass and drums so they’re nothing I could put out online at this point. Maybe there is a call for some latin tunes.
As for Sway, I prefer Dean Martin’s version… not so slick. But that one was a very popular one to play as I remember… dancers loved it and I enjoyed it cause it had an easy melody with room for interpretation etc.

[Michael Bishop]

Hey Johnny,
I never knew Dean Martin did the song of “Sway”, I checked it out on youtube…..yes, I like it much better too! I attached it down below. It’s got a much better rhythm & tempo than Michael Buble’s version. Also, from the standpoint of doing some Improvising in the middle of the song and what, it seems like the tempo/rhythm of Dean Martin’s version would kind of make you “focus” on keep the licks/riffs a little more simple–it goes along those lines of saying more when we play less like you told me—my current Blues Brothers project has really helped impress that on my mind and that’s why I chose it. I may create a private video here in a week or so and e-mail it to you for you to look at–just of about a 1:30 solo section to make sure it’s more along the lines of what you’ve told me, that way you can critique what I’m doing before I move on and finish the whole thing.
In terms of doing more latin songs, I would say absolutely! What about Carlos Santana “Europa”? I attached that video below. I don’t know if you classify that one as a latin song, but he does produce beautiful latin music, like Samba Pa Ti. Come to think of it….I’ve never gotten around to re-uploading that one with my Trevor James Alto!!! Wow, completely forgot about it but been so busy. When I did it with the LJ Hutchen, there were some problems with the Sax that the guys at the shop at to fix. I’ll go ahead and upload it here as soon as I can before I forget again LOL.

[Michael Bishop]

Here’s a youtube friend of mine who did an Alto Sax cover for “Sway” by Michael Buble…she gave me the backing track for the song that I shared here with everyone–and she did say I can post it and share it too. I think she did great job, but I think she needs to do what Johnny told me about the Improvising—playing less means we say more. I think that’s the “problem” with songs that have a really fast tempo sometimes. We’re working on a Saxophone duet of “Smooth Operator” to put on youtube with me on Tenor and her on Alto…the Saxophone lines for the Tenor are actually pretty simple and repetitive. I’ve actually had friends on youtube and what contact me and say they want to do duets together for their channels and what, can’t believe that! The Saxophone has let me meet lots of new people and make some great friends.

[Anonymous]

i tend to disagree, she plays exceedingly well, in her case its not a case of less is more, she’s young and its a high energy fast moving tune, what i feel imho is that some of the improvisation hasn’t quite jelled with the tune – its not easy stuff improvisation, you can just lose focus, something flashes accross your mind, thought patterns change, and before you know it youre playing what youre thinking about something else not even related to the tune… but like i say its only imho

[Michael Bishop]

good points JB–some of the Improvisation didn’t quite jell like you bring out, possibly because sometimes if we play just a little less it can help. But in any case…it will blow your mind to know that he has only been playing 6 months longer than me. To be playing the way that she is in only 2.5 years of playing..that’s ludicrous. She practices like 5 hours a day and another added plus to her benefit is, before learning Saxophone, she knew how to play the Piano–huge help in Improvising, so she already knew/understood many things like modes, intervals, etc.. She’s got some Piano videos on her youtube channel. Also does some singing too, if I remember correctly.

[Anonymous]

like i say its only mho – if you’re technically experienced and understand what ‘less can mean more’ you can get away with playing more without turning the listener off – more of an option if you want to play safe

[john]

Michael, playing aside, this is a good lesson for you on how not to record a sax.
since you’re concious of this with your recordings. I have a hard time listening, although she probably is ok, the sax sounds like it was down in a well.
More reverb than the actual sax sound….this is the first thing I said about all this recording stuff…use the effect only until you can hear that it’s an effect. in her case she did the complete opposite and decided the effect was more important than the sax tone.

[Michael Bishop]

yes, absolutely 100% correct Johnny and thanks for bringing that out too. I had brought out the exact same thing in my e-mail to her and she said that, quote, “She didn’t have a good mic” and was just recording in a band room at her school. We’re going to do a duet of “Smooth Operator” with me on Tenor and her on Alto…the Tenor lines are pretty easy and repetitive as I’ve already learned most of the Sax lines. I told her that, before we do it, that she NEEDS to get a good mic or, at the very least, borrow one from someone. If you’re in a college, then someone would inevitably have one laying around somewhere…how could a music professor not have one laying around somewhere? Even with out new cpu. software, there’s not too much we could do with a recording that sounds like it does.

Speaking of the Smooth Operator Sax lines that I’m going to play…the Claude Lakey MP for Tenor that I’m using allows me to get that smooth, even flow and transition from lick-to-lick FAR, FAR BETTER than the Custom MP I used for the Green Onions. It being a new/different MP, it took me a little while to get used to it…but man-oh-man am I getting a great sound out of it 🙂 I do need to get a good, quality ligature for it though. I shared this before, but check out the video below of the ligature that you get with the Claude Lakeys. I tried it….terrible. The problem with the custom MP that I used for the Green Onions, as I brought out before, is that the blank used is imported from Bejing…I looked into it. The metal used for those blanks are HORRIBLE. It’s very free blowing and versatile…low, quite subtones to screaming Altissimo, it was great in that regard. But it’s the metal and how it “resonates”. I would love to get a Theo Wanne when I can afford it for my Trevor James Tenor, on the Alto the Theo Wanne Durga is just amazing. But the more I use this Claude Lakey for the Tenor, the more I wonder if I really need a Theo Wanne? I’m not going to lie though…if I can afford it I would have a very, very hard time from holding back and not buying one for the Tenor LOL

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