Le Jazz et la Java (1st and 4th position)

Le Jazz et la Java is a famous song by late singer Claude Nougaro. Nougaro has always been a great lover of both Jazz and Chanson Française, and this song playfully describes how he is constantly torn between the two. For those of my readers who read French,  here are the lyrics:

Chorus:
Quand le jazz est, quand le jazz est là
La java s'en, la java s'en va
Il y a de l'orage dans l'air, il y a de l'eau dans le gaz
Entre le jazz et la java

Chaque jour un peu plus y'a le jazz qui s'installe
Alors la rage au coeur la java se fait la malle
Ses petites fesses en bataille sous sa jupe fendue
Elle écrase sa gauloise et s'en va dans la rue

Chorus

Quand j'écoute béat un solo de batterie
Voilà la java qui râle au nom de la patrie
Mais quand je crie bravo à l'accordéoniste
C'est le jazz qui m'engueule  me traitant de raciste

Chorus

Pour moi jazz et java c'est du pareil au même
Je me saoule à la Bastille et m' noircis à Harlem
Pour moi jazz et java dans le fond c'est tout comme
Le jazz dit "come on" la java dit "go home"

Chorus

Jazz et java copains ça doit pouvoir se faire
Pour qu'il en soit ainsi tiens je partage en frère
Je donne au jazz mes pieds pour marquer son tempo
Et je donne à la java mes mains pour le bas de son dos
Et je donne à la java mes mains pour le bas de son dos

The chorus is in C major and the verses in C minor. Obviously, it's tricky not to switch harp in these circumstances. There is a playable combination in 3rd position, I think, which allows to play both parts reasonably well, but I think it lays a lot more beautifully in 1st and 4th respectively, because they allow a chording which brings it closer to an accordion effect, something that's very much in line with the tune since it's a 3/4 java to begin with.

The tabs are below, but if anyone is interested in sampling Nougaro and hearing this specific tune I have found a compilation of his stuff available on amazon which features Le Jazz et la Java. It's entitled Nougaro, and looking at the track listing I'd say it's a good sampling of his stuff. Über-faithful reader Marc Molino has found a link to a Youtube version of the original. Ignore the terribly sixties video clip, and enjoy and learn the original music !

Comments

[marc]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooFswoCdSMo

[Ben Felten]

Marc,

You rule.

I've edited the post to include the link.

Thanks for your contribution !!!

Ben

[marc]

I didn't know the song, so I had to look it up ; )
I'm much better at finding things on the Web than I am at playing harmonica...

I checked out Bon Vent thanks to your links over on the left column and they've got some fun tabs--I love The Sailor and the Maid!

Any chance you include www.harptabs.com in this Tab section? I believe it's the largest collection of free harmonica tabs anywhere (not all are perfect as they are all publicly contributed, but there's more than 2,000 songs there and it's the type of resource that really encourages beginners since you can almost always find a song you like). I have no affiliation with this site other than posting some tabs I've worked out from sheet music. (Note: There is a harptab.com site--singular--and a harptabs.com; the latter is the one I'm referring to.)

[Emily]

Hi Marc,

You write about the Nougaro clip, Ignore the terribly sixties video clip, and enjoy and learn the original music !"

Ignore the terribly sixties video clip! Hmm, I happen to think it's rather cool, that sixties clip. And if you've seen some of the later YouTube clips of Nougaro singing (i.e., not long before he died in 2004)--for example, this one, where he sings his wonderful "Armstrong":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqzmrgBU6bE&NR=1
it's a little sad 'cause he looks so sick, like he might keel over any minute. So, it's nice to watch him singing when he was at his best. Hell, any chance to see such a great lyricist sing his own tunes... well, you can't beat it, IMHO...

Oh, I highly recommend folks get the translation for "Jazz et la java" and for "Armstrong," as well as others of his tunes. The lyrics are just so incredible.

[Emily]

Oops, sorry... I should have said, "Hi Ben," not "Hi Marc"!