What Are Your Favorite Instrumental Tunes?

[MaVolta]

The subject of instrumentals came up in another thread, so I thought it might be fun to see what instrumental tunes everyone enjoys. Instrumentals cover a wide range of genres when you start to think about it; classical (of course), movie soundtracks, pop, jazz, big band oldies, blues, country, rock, and many instrumental versions of your favorite song titles, too.

So what instrumental music do you like? What are your favorite tunes or instrumental versions of your favorite songs? Multiple tunes and multiple genres are okay. And, if you have favorite on youtube, feel free to post the link so that we can listen, too!

[gc57729207]

No question, it's Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. 

[MaVolta]

I'd be remiss to let this topic go without mention of this favorite rockin' jazz classic -

Jessica - The Allman Brothers Band

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9RovTGUGsA

[mp8908]

                              Sleep Walk                  Santo & Johnny

[Marilyn34]

Forgot about that one one of my favs and brings back memories of high school

[ms77389106]

My favorite instrumentals were from the 60's - A Summer Place (I forget who the artist was) & Stranger on the Shore (by Acker Bilk). I was only 10 at the time & a few months later our country lost its innocence with the assassination of President Kennedy.

[rh97821964]

Summer Place: Percy Faith

[Marilyn34]

Love theme form a Summer's Place and it brings back memories

[KellyB560262]

Crystallize by Lindsay Stirling

[l483260l]

"LITTLE WING" BY EITHER HENDRIX OR STEVIE RAY VAUGHN." EVOLUTION" BY JOHN COLTRANE;

[MaVolta]

This one played almost every morning on the radio when I was a kid. I still love it.

Stranger on the Shore - Acker Bilk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jzx664u5DA

[MaVolta]

From the pop music genre - remember this one from 1968? It went to #1 on Billboard's Hot 100, and stayed there for 5 weeks!

Love Is Blue - Paul Mauriat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjsNNcsUNzE

[mp8908]

                        Java               Al Hirt

[nyadrn]

Songbird   Kenny G

[mp8908]

                     A Swingin' Safari          Billy Vaughn

[millineutron]

Twentytwo Fourteen by The Album Leaf

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yWy4Pf8SiNc

[DED46]

It's a 3-way tie for me:

Harlem Nocturne - The Viscounts

Crossfire - Johnny & the Hurricanes

Take Five - The Dave Brubeck Quartet

[diannet242805]

Take 5 is AMAZING.. love that song. Have it on vinyl but don't play it enough.

[nyadrn]

The Ventures  Walk don't Run

[mp8908]

                    Autumn Leaves               Roger Williams

[diannet242805]

nice one- I love the vocal version done by Eva Cassidy

[nyadrn]

Ah Sweet Dancer     Santana

[diannet242805]

Love guitar in an instrumental song so top of the list is anything by Johnney A the Boston musician but if I must pick his cover of "The Wind Cries Mary" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikkwSYE_JSY

but the song by Explosions in the Sky "Your Hand in Mine" is a song I can listen to over and over. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdiY6kijYHE

[Loulit]

Rodeo

-- Aaron  Copland

Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes: IV. Hoedown

London Symphony Orchestra, Conducted by Aaron Copland

This is about as American as symphony orchestra can sound.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXCfEuU2eu0

[mp8908]

                  Last Date                Floyd Cramer

[nyadrn]

Rise. Herb Alpert

Alpert is the only recording artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop chart as both a vocalist ("This Guy's in Love with You", 1968), and an instrumentalist ("Rise", 1979).

[MaVolta]

From the country bluegrass genre -

Under the Double Eagle - Willie Nelson version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqNLcmVZYco

Interesting side note - The original composition is a military march by Austrian composer, Josef Franz Wagner, 1893. He was known as the Austrian March King.

[ReTiReD51]

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@MaVoltawrote:

From the country bluegrass genre -

Under the Double Eagle - Willie Nelson version

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqNLcmVZYco

Interesting side note - The original composition is a military march by Austrian composer, Josef Franz Wagner, 1893. He was known as the Austrian March King.

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Under The Double Eagle is a guitar picker’s classic.  It was the first Bluegrass tune I ever taught myself from reading tablature to play on the guitar. I spent two months of my spare time in the summer of 1976 trying to master hammer-on’s and pull-offs so I could play along with my neighbor who was from the Blue grass state and who introduced me to bluegrass music. A lot of fond memories for me that summer. I never quite mastered it  like my neighbor or Willie but had fun trying. Thank you MaVolta for your post.

[MaVolta]

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@ReTiReD51wrote:

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Under The Double Eagle is a guitar picker’s classic.  It was the first Bluegrass tune I ever taught myself from reading tablature to play on the guitar. I spent two months of my spare time in the summer of 1976 trying to master hammer-on’s and pull-offs so I could play along with my neighbor who was from the Blue grass state and who introduced me to bluegrass music. A lot of fond memories for me that summer. I never quite mastered it  like my neighbor or Willie but had fun trying. Thank you MaVolta for your post.

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That's a great story! Thanks for sharing. I doubt that anyone can pick it like Willie, and this is his original "slow" version. He also does a faster one!

[mp8908]

       Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White          Perez Prado