Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner - Non Classical 20 Jazz standars one MUST know, would you name them?

Im starting to jam with some jazzist friends and I would like to know several tunes already, so Id really really appreciate if you guys could help me with a little list of 20 jazz standars that you consider to be essential.
Of course its completely subjetive and of course you can add more than 20 (or just a few if you dont feel like 20)

I'll take a stab at this.

I assume you're asking for a list of tunes most commonly called at gigs, as opposed to somebody's idea of tunes a player "should" learn.

My list would be...
1. all the things you are
2. autumn leaves
3. there will never be another you
4. rhythm changes
5. Cherokee
6. on green dolphin street
7. so what
8. blue bossa
9. take the a train
10. have you met miss jones
11. like someone in love
12. a night in Tunisia
13. my funny valentine
14. willow weep for me
15. take five
16. body and soul
17. softly as in a morning sunrise
18. east of the sun
19. all of me
20. scrapple from the apple (ok, maybe not that common, but I love the tune so it gets on my list)

Oh, and Au Privave. Can't believe I left that off my list.

20 more
Stella by Starlight
What is this thing called love.
Ill remember april
Night and Day
I love you
How hight the moon/Ornnithology
What's new
Donna Lee/Indiana
It could happen to you
Just friends
Alone together
My romance
You stepped out of a dream
Darn that dream
A foggy day
But not for me
Speak Low
Bye bye blackbird
In your own sweet way
Confirmation

The list goes on...

And additionally (many I play or played are in the posts above):

All Blues
Bemsha Swing
Billies Bounce
Blue Monk
C Jam Blues
Con Alma
Freddie Freeloader
Georgia On My Mind
Killer Joe
Laura
Mr P C
Nardis
Nows the Time
Round Midnight
St Thomas
Someday My Prince Will Come
Straight No Chaser
Walkin'
Watermelon Man
Well You Needn't

Cheers

I'll probably get flamed for asking this, but no Misty?

Perhaps when players say that they have "learned" pieces they should say whether they learned it sufficiently well to play with or without the sheet music?

Ian

There are really two questions about what it means to "learn" a piece:
1. Do you have to know the head? As piano player at a jam session with at least one horn, horn players assume it's a birth right to play the head. I generally learn the head if I'm learning a piece because it helps to understand what's going on. However, if I've got a gig and Donna Lee is on it (very fast, tough, head), I'm fine just being comfortable comping and soling over the chords.

2. With music or without: At a certain level, jam sessions and gigs I do people all use music. Then, you play with higher level people, and they rarely use music. If you are playing with people who use Real Books, you're probably O.K.. However, one of the best things I did for my playing was learning a good 30-40 common tunes without music. So much more fun to play that way!

I certainly never learned all the pieces I listed. I used to play from lead sheets, when I was in a band. A few I could play from memory, which were mostly the blues based pieces. Terrible memory, and I'm not really a Jazz Pianist anyway.

I've seen professional Jazz musicians of the highest class using lead sheets, chord charts, as well as many who just played from memory. A couple of stories relating to that:

Three of us went to the Jazz Cafe in Camden (London) to see the Jazz Organist Barbara Dennerlein about 15 years ago. Before the musicians came on the 3 of us (all amateur musicians) were debating whether the trio would use sheet music of any description. My friend was adamant that they wouldn't. 5 minuets later the guitarist (a well known jazz guitarist whose name I can't remember) walks on with a music stand and a pile of sheet music. Much laughter at my friends expense ensued!

Around the same era I remember being at the 606 club in London, and seeing a Sax player (Patrick Clahar I think) write the chords to John Coltrane's "Crescent" in biro on a napkin for the Pianist, Gareth Williams. A friend of mine took the napkin later, and framed it. Its still on the wall in his kitchen to this day.

Cheers

Simon:

First, I'm jealous you got to see Barbara Dennerlein. She is awesome!
As to sheet music, usually that's when a group is doing some one's original compositions.
Every top jazz musician knows most of the standards without the need for music.
That doesn't mean, however, that people at the good amateur level need to do that.
I suggest learning a good number of standards without music because it changes your relationship to jazz; curiously, getting rid of the music enables you to see things you don't otherwise see.

Hi jjo

Yes she is a wonderful musician and I'm sure you're right, the trio were probably playing a lot of her compositions. I honestly can't remember the set now.

Here is an interesting parallel with what you say about freeing you up, if you play without music. Until about 3 or 4 years ago I used to play with a very good Vibes player, sadly now dead, mostly in a trio with a bass player. On occasions we would swap and I'd play Vibes on a couple of tunes. Over a period of years I became a passable Jazz/Blues Vibes player. What was interesting was the fact that because you are in effect only playing a RH line (when soloing) and don't have to think about left hand chords and harmony so obviously, my solo lines were quite different from what I would have played in my RH on the Piano. I'm sure there are other reasons for the difference, just the physical mechanics of playing Vibes would probably change the way you solo. It sort of relates to what you say about being freed up when playing without music - I think!

Just a final story. I'd been playing with Terry (the Vibes player) for about 20 years when this happened. He was a very modest, quiet man, and aside from our common interest in music I knew very little about what he had done in the past. We were doing a gig and in our break / interval I happened to mention Dudley Moore for some reason. And Terry says "Oh I played with him". Well my head nearly fell off.

Anyway I've hijacked the thread now. Back to the 20 Jazz Standards, of which there are a lot!!

Cheers

Personally I'm always on the lookout for old standards that almost no one plays anymore, but are still very pretty. My recent favorite is Moanin' Low.

I almost want to say it's against my nature to play the common ones because they're so common, but it's not true because I happen to really like playing the tunes in those first two lists too. It turns out one reason they're such classic standards is that they are great to play and improvise on, and not every song is.

Anyway, here's 50 I have listed because 20 isn't enough. (I got the list from somebody else. I'd add Night in Tunesia and Gershwin & Cole Porter tunes.)

All of Me
All The Things You Are
Alone Together
Autumn Leaves
Billie’s Bounce
Black Orpheus
Blue Bossa
Body and Soul
But Not For Me
Bye Bye Blackbird
Cherokee
Confirmation
Days of Wine and Roses
Doxy
Fly Me To The Moon
Footprints
Four
Have You Met Miss Jones
How High The Moon
I Hear a Rhapsody
I Love You
I Remember You
I’ll Remember April
I’m Old Fashioned
If I Should Lose You
If I Were A Bell
In A Mellow Tone
In A Sentimental Mood
It Could Happen To You
Just Friends
Misty
My Funny Valentine
Night and Day
Oleo
On Green Dolphin Street
Recorda Me
Satin Doll
Stella By Starlight
Scrapple From The Apple
So What
Solar
St. Thomas
Sweet Georgia Brown
Take The A Train
The Girl From Ipanema
There Is No Greater Love
There Will Never Be Another You
Up Jumped Spring
What Is This Thing Called Love
Yesterdays

Edit. When you're starting to learn them, you can memorize a few you like, but it's good IMO just to spend time going down a longer list like this (or flashcards), playing the head and then playing around with the chords just to get used to them for the time being, and pick a few at a time to learn seriously over the longer term.

Here are some links you may find interesting from https://www.learnjazzstandards.com

https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/blog/20-standards-for-beginners/

https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/blog/50-jazz-standards-you-need-to-know/

https://www.learnjazzstandards.com/index-of-jazz-standards/

cmajornine: I use that site a lot; those guys know what they're doing and I think think they have an excellent list of the most commonly called tunes.

More Advice from a Professional
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gkjagra0O00

I'll have to bookmark this thread. Now I just need a Real / Fake book with the changes.

Come to think of it, what materials will we need to begin the study?

1. List of songs.
2. Real book.
3. Chord book with LH/RH voicings
4.Jazz Theory study
5. Improvisation Study

Anyone want to suggest some materials that measure up?

iTunes
amazing slow downer
pen
paper
a pair of ears
lots of patience

And a lot of time!!

I watch her all the time lately. Her ii-V-I video was good, and her All The Things You Are improv video was also very good.