What are the essential jazz standards to learn?

Kuras

I have a real book and I'd like to know what are 10-15 jazz standards I should know off by heart that always come up at jams? I feel like that is a good place to start.

Autumn Leaves of course!

Cheers

viz

The good thing about learning Autumn Leaves is that you will also be able to play:

·         Still got the Blues

·         Emporte Moi

·         Europa

·         Nordrach

·         Y Volvere

·         the MASH theme tune

·         Brother can you Spare a Dime

·         Pink Panther moat scene (theme 2)

·         Hello (Lionel Ritchie)

and also

·         Parisienne Walkways

·         Blue Bossa

·         I Will Survive

·         Burn (the middle 8)

·         Fly me to the Moon

·         Lou Reed - Perfect Day

·         Cat Stevens - Wild World

·         Mike Mullen’s Space Overture

·         Yngwie Malmsteen - Rising Force

·         Pink Panther moat scene (theme 1)

·         Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

·         All the Things You Are

Brad

I wouldn’t be concerned so much with what crops up at jams necessarily, more with what standards will equip you with being able to take on most things. 

Jazz/Blues of some sort (Billies Bounce etc)

Minor Blues of some sort (Mr PC etc)

Rhythm Changes of some sort (I Got Rhythm, Moose The Mooche, Anthropology, Oleo etc)

All The Things You Are
Stella By Starlight
Donna Lee
Just Friends
All Of Me
Blue Bossa
How Insensitive
Giant Steps 
Modal tunes (So What/Impressions, All Blues, Freddie Freeloader etc)
East Of The Sun (And West of The Moon)
Tune Up
Stompin’ At The Savoy
Body And Soul
But Not For Me
Days Of Wine And Roses
Misty

This isn’t an exhaustive list and there are loads I could’ve included, but it’s generally a good starting point at least. 

joeW

@Brad has pretty much nailed it imv.  Those will unlock a large amount of material that can be applied to other tunes 

Brad

I should’ve added at least a couple of tunes in 3/4 - My Favourite Things and West Coast Blues

Kuras

Thanks so much @Brad. This is gold

Evo

Knowing ANY jazz tunes off by heart will put you ahead of the game at 90% of the jazz jams I've ever been to.

If you can pick out a ii V I when you hear it, and have a couple of tasty licks under your belt to navigate them then you should be good.

Unless it's gypsy jazz.

Those guys go HARD.  

Brad

Kuras said:

Thanks so much @Brad. This is gold

You're very welcome  

Lots of listening, lots of transcribing, using the Real Book as a reference (not a crutch) and there will be no stopping you.

Hootsmon

Round Midnight

Dominic

Evo said:

Knowing ANY jazz tunes off by heart will put you ahead of the game at 90% of the jazz jams I've ever been to.

If you can pick out a ii V I when you hear it, and have a couple of tasty licks under your belt to navigate them then you should be good.

Unless it's gypsy jazz.

Those guys go HARD.  

Yeah, Fuckin Gypsies innit !

Dominic

......Jazz ? ..yup all the real book stuff but bustin out a bit of comping like A Train or Take 5 always gives everybody a bit of fun on a jam .....the melodies are well known to all and good for basic improv

duotone

Had this bookmarked & have found this useful: https://www.jazzguitar.be/blog/category/jazz-standards/

Shows notation & TAB with the ability to listen & play along with how it should sound. Has a backing track for each song, some history of the song & recommended listening versions.

GuyBoden

I'd say first learn Autumn Leaves, because it has both a Major ii-V-I and a minor ii-V-i.

And........... it's a great song.

Learn the Melody and Chords by memory.

For improv solo, no noodling, hit chord tones on the down beats 1 and 3 of each bar. (I'll say it again, No Noodling.)

IMHO, it's better to learn to play one Jazz standard very well, than play 20 badly. 

wizbit81

I'd question why you want to do this....
Jazz is a bottomless hole of despair and horror and impossible standards and hard, hard work for what most of the time is f*ckall gain. 
Nobody cares about jazz, nobody goes to jazz gigs, nobody listens during solos. There's no money in it, and there's a million people all far, far better than you (and me, and the vast majority of people) who won't help you and who will probably judge you. It's got the highest bar of entry of any music I can think of with the lowest payoff. It will eat as much time as you have to throw at it and it will give you nothing back for it other than a constant feeling that you're sh1t at it compared to everyone else who has ever lived. It's not something you can dabble with or p1ss about with like rock or blues, it requires your soul on a stick and indentured servitude for years to even grasp the basics and play at a remedial level. The vast majority of people fail without ever even vaguely being able to do it. Most people I went to college with and studied it either failed at it (immediately or over time) or 'succeeded' and continue to barely subsist decades later.

If you understand all that and you still have a burning feeling that you need to, then go ahead and listen to people like Brad who are pointing the way, then prepare mentally for everything else.

Signed...post college immediate jazz failure who still tries decades later and still can't do it for sh1t no matter how much time is put in.

Take all the above as deeply cynical screed from a bitter failure of a musician, but also realise it's true. There is a counterargument of course but if you are seriously going to put any effort into it it's good to know this first and go in with your eyes open. You're better off considering jazz a 'danger do not enter' sign for your musical career imo.

greejn

Try Guitar Jazz Standards with Setlist on hubpages.com. I'll probably add some rationale for each tune if it helps...

Litterick

wizbit81 said:

I'd question why you want to do this....
Jazz is a bottomless hole of despair and horror and impossible standards and hard, hard work for what most of the time is f*ckall gain. 
Nobody cares about jazz, nobody goes to jazz gigs, nobody listens during solos. There's no money in it, and there's a million people all far, far better than you (and me, and the vast majority of people) who won't help you and who will probably judge you. 

I have a particular loathing for those who refuse to recognise any innovation made after Wes Montgomery's death, and who play their beloved bebop by the book — every note justified by Theory. They could not improvise for toffee, and they condemn anyone who does anything that their elders and betters did not do.

Bonus rant: most jazz standards are mediocre songs that happened to be popular when jazz was young. They are played because jazz cannot let go of them.

CoffeeAndTV

wizbit81 said:

It's got the highest bar of entry of any music I can think of with the lowest payoff. It will eat as much time as you have to throw at it and it will give you nothing back for it other than a constant feeling that you're sh1t at it compared to everyone else who has ever lived. 

this is why I love and enjoy the process of practicing everyday.  I’ll never be able to play like Julian Lage or Pat Metheny, but the fun I’m having trying to get better is priceless.  

wizbit81

Litterick said:

wizbit81 said:

I'd question why you want to do this....
Jazz is a bottomless hole of despair and horror and impossible standards and hard, hard work for what most of the time is f*ckall gain. 
Nobody cares about jazz, nobody goes to jazz gigs, nobody listens during solos. There's no money in it, and there's a million people all far, far better than you (and me, and the vast majority of people) who won't help you and who will probably judge you. 

I have a particular loathing for those who refuse to recognise any innovation made after Wes Montgomery's death, and who play their beloved bebop by the book — every note justified by Theory. They could not improvise for toffee, and they condemn anyone who does anything that their elders and betters did not do.

Bonus rant: most jazz standards are mediocre songs that happened to be popular when jazz was young. They are played because jazz cannot let go of them.

On the bonus rant....yes and no for me this one. Yes a lot of the Great American Songbook stuff was played because they were the popular show tunes of the day that were in the popular consciousness, so it made sense and audiences knew the tunes and could relate. It also helped that there were absolutely top class arrangers and writers around back then playing music with a bit more to it than the modern pop bilge. So, whilst they are still played because of tradition, many of them are excellent tunes compared to what's around now.

On the fogeys.... jazz is such a broad umbrella term for largely improvised music these days that anyone sticking to a narrow definition of 'nothing from beyond modal jazz is real' is being a bit silly really. There definitely are those type of guys around though. 

octatonic

Brad said:

I wouldn’t be concerned so much with what crops up at jams necessarily, more with what standards will equip you with being able to take on most things. 

Jazz/Blues of some sort (Billies Bounce etc)

Minor Blues of some sort (Mr PC etc)

Rhythm Changes of some sort (I Got Rhythm, Moose The Mooche, Anthropology, Oleo etc)

All The Things You Are
Stella By Starlight
Donna Lee
Just Friends
All Of Me
Blue Bossa
How Insensitive
Giant Steps 
Modal tunes (So What/Impressions, All Blues, Freddie Freeloader etc)
East Of The Sun (And West of The Moon)
Tune Up
Stompin’ At The Savoy
Body And Soul
But Not For Me
Days Of Wine And Roses
Misty

This isn’t an exhaustive list and there are loads I could’ve included, but it’s generally a good starting point at least. 

This is a good list.

DLM

I spotted this thread while replying to a similar one from @fretmeister here:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/282549/jazz-standards-is-there-a-list/p2

Brad said:

I wouldn’t be concerned so much with what crops up at jams necessarily, more with what standards will equip you with being able to take on most things.

Yeah, that's the purpose of the Bruce Forman list I posted a link to in the other thread.

ElevensLouder

@wizbit81 unsure whether to LOL or WIZ!