Play Tom Waits’ “In the Neighborhood”
Tom Waits made a huge impact on me when I discovered him in college—in particular, his seminal albums Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs. It wasn’t that I wanted or tried to sound like him—I mean, who could? It was the fireworks of his language and imagery, and his wide-open, kitchen-sink approach to orchestration. His music showed me that songs could be more than I ever imagined.
Which brings me to this video, an arrangement of a song from Swordfishtrombones that I’ve loved singing for many years. “In the Neighborhood” is one of the more conventional songs on the album, musically speaking, and such a vivid portrait of a run-down ’hood and its local characters.
There’s no guitar on Waits’ album track. The main accompaniment is horns. But the song sits so nicely on guitar, with a simple waltz pattern. It's an easy one to follow and fun to play with a group.
On Patreon you can find charts and tab and also an in-depth video lesson teaching this arrangement in detail.
Have fun with this little trip into Tom Waits’ neighborhood.
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