A Playlist for the Half-Closed Bar, the Long Goodbye, and the Beautiful Ones Who Stay Too Late

You don’t build this kind of playlist during the day. You build it with a third glass of something dark, the lights low, and the bar thinning out to just the true believers — the ones who know how to listen without needing to talk.

This is music for the last hour before silence, when soul melts into jazz, jazz curls toward chaos, and progressive rock opens a door you don’t remember closing.

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 I. Retro Soul & Passionate Blues

The opening pour — warm, smoky, full of ache. This is how the room starts to lean inward.

“Ain’t No Love in the Heart of the City” – Bobby “Blue” Bland

“I’d Rather Go Blind” – Etta James

“I’ll Take Care of You” – Bobby Bland

“Damn Your Eyes” – Etta James

“When a Man Loves a Woman” – Percy Sledge

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 II. Sophisticated Soul with a Little Jazz in Its Collar

These songs know the rules — and where to bend them. Smooth, smart, quietly devastating.

“Angel Eyes” – Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane

“Funny How Time Slips Away” – Al Green

“My Flame” – Bobby Caldwell

“Sugar in My Bowl” – Nina Simone

“Don’t Explain” – Cassandra Wilson

“Morning Morgantown (Live)” – Joni Mitchell

“You Can’t Hide” – Teddy Pendergrass

“I Keep Forgettin’” – Michael McDonald

“Dreaming’s Out of Season” – The Montclairs

“Misty Blue” – Dorothy Moore

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 III. The Drift: Soul Meets Avant-Garde

This is where the structure starts to slip. Dissonance creeps in. The melody lingers — but it’s staring out the window now.

“Please Send Me Someone to Love” – James Booker

“In a Sentimental Mood” – Duke Ellington & John Coltrane

“Baltimore” – Nina Simone

“Dolphins” – Tim Buckley (or Fred Neil)

“Theme de Yoyo” – Art Ensemble of Chicago feat. Fontella Bass

“Lonely Woman” – Ornette Coleman (or Cassandra Wilson’s version)

“The Sky Is Crying” – Elmore James (or slowed/downtempo remix)

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 IV. 3AM Rails – Where Jazz Meets Progressive Rock

The final stretch. No hits. No flash. Just depth, patience, and a few quiet detonations.

“Peace Piece” – Bill Evans

“Book of Saturdays” – King Crimson

“To Be Over” – Yes

“Maiden Voyage” – Herbie Hancock

“Starless” – King Crimson

“Open Letter to Duke” – Charles Mingus

“Soon” (from “The Gates of Delirium”) – Yes

“Naima” – John Coltrane

“The Undercover Man” – Van der Graaf Generator

“Sanctuary” – Miles Davis (from Bitches Brew)

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️ Final Notes

You don’t play this list for a crowd. You play it when the conversation’s gone quiet, but the meaning hasn’t. You play it for someone you just met who makes you feel like you’ve known them a thousand years — or someone you lost who still shows up in certain chords.

This isn’t a playlist. It’s a slow conversation between strangers who understand regret, groove, and grace.