requests

There's nothing really wrong with the concept of requests. People want to hear a song, they ask for it, the musician plays it. Should be just fine. So why is it that they so often are a burden? We were just at a club playing New Orleans Sicilian Swing with a Django-ish guitarist and a bass and piano, and three people asked if we could do some country.

Then there's always "New York, New York." And I do mean always. That song is not quite on the level of "The Rose" and "Feelings," when it comes to musicians' attitudes about it, but it's somewhere in there.

One common thing is that people will request a song that you've just played. I think that's because they hear it subconsciously while they're talking, and then it's in their minds and they think of it and want to hear it. Perfectly understandable.

But last night I had a first. I was doing a duo gig with Loretta Cormier, and she was singing "The Lady is a Tramp." A woman came up right during the opening chorus, and said, "Oh! A woman at our table just loves this song. Could you play it sometime later this evening?"

"This song we're playing now?"

"Yes, 'The Lady is a Tramp.'

"That's what we're playing now. We just started it."

"Yes! It's so wonderful. She heard it and said it was one of her favorites. Could you play it in a little while?"

Honestly. That's one for the books.