General Discussion

You should try to become familiar with as many of these tunes as possible. Most of them can be found in the Real Book

All Blues blues, modal

All Of Me standard

All The Things You Are standard

Anthropology rhythm changes, swing

Au Privave blues, swing

Autumn Leaves standard

Beautiful Love standard

Beauty And The Beast rock

Billie's Bounce blues, swing

Black Orpheus Latin

Blue Bossa Latin

Blue In Green ballad, modal

Blue Monk blues, swing

Blue Train blues, swing

Blues For Alice blues, swing

Bluesette 3/4, swing

Body And Soul ballad, standard

C Jam Blues blues, swing

Caravan Latin, swing

Ceora Latin

Cherokee swing

Confirmation swing

Darn That Dream ballad, standard

Desafinado Latin

Dolphin Dance modal, non-tonal

Donna Lee swing

Don't Get Around Much Anymore swing

E.S.P non-tonal

A Foggy Day standard

Footprints 3/4, blues, modal

Freddie Freeloader blues, modal

Freedom Jazz Dance non-tonal

Four swing

Giant Steps swing

The Girl From Ipanema Latin

Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat ballad, swing

Have You Met Miss Jones standard

I Mean You swing

I Remember Clifford ballad, swing

I Thought About You standard

If I Were A Bell standard

Impressions modal

In A Sentimental Mood ballad, swing

In Walked Bud swing

JoySpring swing

Just Friends standard

Killer Joe swing

Lady Bird swing

Lullaby Of Birdland swing

Mr. P.C. blues, swing

Maiden Voyage modal

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy rock

Misty ballad, standard

Moment's Notice swing

My Favorite Things 3/4, modal, standard

My Funny Valentine ballad, standard

My Romance standard

Naima ballad, modal

A Night In Tunisia Latin, swing

Nica's Dream Latin, swing

Nostalgia In Times Square swing

Now's The Time blues, swing

Oleo rhythm changes, swing

On Green Dolphin Street Latin, swing, standard

Ornithology swing

Recorda Me Latin

Red Clay rock

Round Midnight ballad, swing

St. Thomas Latin

Satin Doll swing

Scrapple From The Apple swing

The Sidewinder blues, swing

So What modal

Solar swing

Some Day My Prince Will Come 3/4, standard

Song For My Father Latin

Speak No Evil modal, non-tonal

Stella By Starlight standard

Stolen Moments blues, modal

Straight, No Chaser blues, swing

Sugar swing

Summertime standard

Take Five 5/4, modal

Take The "A" Train swing

There Is No Greater Love standard

There Will Never be Another You standard

Up Jumped Spring 3/4, swing

Waltz For Debby 3/4, swing

Wave Latin

Well, You Needn't swing

When I Fall In Love ballad, standard

Yardbird Suite swing

> Top 100 Most Commonly Called Jazz Tunes in the DC Area

> A Foggy Day

> All Blues

> All of Me

> All of You

> All the Things You Are

> Alone Together

> Anthropology

> Autumn Leaves

> Beautiful Love

> Billies Bounce

> Black Orpheus

> Blue Monk

> Bluesette

> Body and Soul

> Bye Bye Blackbird

> Chega De Saudade

> Cherokee

> Confirmation

> Darn That Dream

> Days of Wine and Roses

> Dolphin Dance

> Don't Get Around Much Anymore

> Donna Lee

> East of the Sun

> Falling Grace

> Fly Me to the Moon

> Footprints

> Four

> Gentle Rain

> Giant Steps

> Girl From Ipanema

> Green Dolphin Street

> Have You Met Miss Jones

> How High the Moon

> How Insensitive

> I'll Remember April

> I Hear a Rhapsody

> I Love You

> I Mean You

> I Thought About You

> If I Should Lose You

> In Walked Bud

> In Your Own Sweet Way

> In a Mellow Tone

> In a Sentimental Mood

> Invitation

> It Could Happen to You

> Joy Spring

> Just Friends

> Just in Time

> Lady Bird

> Like Someone In Love

> Long Ago and Far Away

> Lullaby of Birdland

> Meditation

> Misty

> Moment's Notice

> Moonlight In Vermont

> Mr. PC

> My Funny Valentine

> My One and Only Love

> My Romance

> Nica's Dream

> Night and Day

> Oleo

> Once I Loved

> One Note Samba

> Out of Nowhere

> Quiet Nights (Corcovado)

> Recordame

> Rhythm-a-ning

> Round Midnight

> Satin Doll

> Scrapple From the Apple

> Secret Love

> Softly As In a Morning Sunrise

> Solar

> Someday My Prince Will Come

> Song for my Father

> Sophisticated Lady

> Speak Low

> Star Eyes

> Stella By Starlight

> Sugar

> Summertime

> Take the a Train

> Tenderly

> There Will Never Be Another You

> There is No Greater Love

> This I Dig of You

> Triste

> Up Jumped Spring

> Wave

> Well You Neednt

> What is This Thing Called Love

> When I Fall In Love

> Yardbird Suite

> Yesterdays

> You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To

> You and the Night and the Music

Essential Jazz Tunes List 2008 (by Chicago Trumpeter Nick

Drozdoff)

I regularly attend about 5 different jam sessions in the Chicago area. The make of personnel/attendees

varies from very young and inexperienced to seasoned professionals. It is from the seasoned pros

(musicians at least 20 years my senior) that I have learned/gleaned the most. Jazz musicians these days

study chords, scales, patterns theory. This is important, but this is actually the minimum required. This

may sound daunting, as you should know EVERY scale and chord — ALL OF THEM! The next step

is transcribing solos, of course. This is a big addition to the theory. However, what I have discovered

from working with these experienced pros is that they go far deeper than that. They seem to have an

incredibly intuitive understanding of melodic structure. This is no accident and it comes form their

experience. They literally know thousands of tunes. I am not exaggerating here. The best folks I have

gotten to know seem to be utterly un-stumpable. The finest jazz players can play anything they can hear

and have heard and know thousands of tunes. This is what I have gleaned from this project so far.

So in the spirit of sharing, here is a list of 150 tunes/changes in alphabetical order that I have found

seem to get called repeatedly at jam sessions and on dinner sets on high class jobbing dates. I have

made it my job to know every one of these tunes from memory. I know hundreds more, but, again,

these seem to be the essential mix, so far. As my list grows, I’ll edit here.

Essential Jazz List

A Child Is Born

A Day In The Life Of A Fool

A Day Of Wine And Roses

A Night IN Tunisia

Afro Blue

Airmail Special

Alice In Wonderland

All The Things You Are

Almost Like Being In Love

Alone Together

And I Love Her

Anthropology

Au Privave

Autumn Leaves

Back Home In Indiana

Billie’s Bounce

Birk’s Works

Blackbird Singing In The Dead Of Night

Blowing The Blues Away

Blue Bossa

Blue ‘n Boogie

Blues in Ab

Blues in C

Blues in Db

Blues in G

Blueswalk

Body and Soul

Broadway

But Beautiful

Bye Bye Blackbird

Caravan

Chameleon

Cheek To Cheek

Cherokee

Close Your Eyes

Confirmation

Cookin’ At The Continental

Dear Old Stockholm

Desafinado

Dig

Dinah

Dizzy Atmosphere

Donna Lee

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

Down By The Riverside

Doxy

Embraceable You

Emily

Epistrophy

Every Time We Say Goodbye

Exactly Like You

Five Foot Two

Footprints

Four

Freedom Jazz Dance

Fungi Mama

Good Bait

Groovin’ High

Have You Met Miss Jones

Hello Dolly

Here’s That Rainy Day

Hot House

How High The Moon

How Insensitive

I Can’t Get Started

I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

I Love Paris

I Love You

I Remember Clifford

I’ll Remember April

Impressions

In A Mellow Tone

Invitation

It Might Asw Well Be Spring

It’s You Or No One

Jada

Jordu

Joy Spring

Just The Way You Look Tonight

Little Sunflower

Love For Sale

Margie

Michele

Misterioso

Misty

Moten Swing

Mr. PC

Night And Day

No More Blues

Now’s The Time

Nuttville

Oleo

Ornithology

Paper Moon

Pennies From Heaven

Pensativa

Pent Up House

Perdido

Polka Dots and Moonbeams

Ramblin

Rhythm Changes in F, Bb, Ab, and C

Robbin’s Nest

Round Midnight

Salt Peanuts

Sandu

Satin Doll

Scrapple For The Apple

Seven Steps To Heaven

Sidewinder

Sister Sadie

Slow Boat To China

Society Red

Softly As The Morning Sunrise

Solitude

Someday My Prince Will Come

Someone To Watch Over Me

Something

Song For My Father

Sophisticated Lady

Stablemates

Stardust

Stella By Starlight

Stolen Moments

Stompin At The Savoy

Struttin’ With Some Barbacue

Sweet Georgia Brown

S’Wonderful

Syeeda’s Song Flute

Taking A Chance On Love

Tangerine

Tenderly

Tenor Madness

The Girl From Ipanema

Them There Eyes

There Will Never Be Another You

They Can’t Take That Away From Me

Thing’s Ain’t What They Used To Be

Triste

Tune Up

Up Jumped Spring

Well You Needn’t

West End Blues

What Is This Thing Called Love

Whispering

Willow Weep For Me

With A Song In My Heart

Woody ‘n You

Work Song

Yesterday’s

You Made Me Love You

You Stepped Out Of A Dream

You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To

You’ll Never Know

You’re Blasé

–>>Nick Drozdoff

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From Pete Thomas (UK sax player/educator):

Below is a list of some of the most famous jazz tunes that I have found useful. This is by no means a

comprehensive list, it is based mostly on jazz of the 30s - 50s and useful repertoire can vary from

region to region in the world. There is a very comprehensive repertoire list in The Jazz Theory Book by

Mark Levine. More modern jazz has become so diverse stylistically that it becomes almost impossible

to list modern standards.

Tunes marked * are very important - everyone ought to know.

Tunes marked ** are essential - everyone must know.

Standards

Ain't Misbehavin'

All Blues

All Of Me *

All The Things You Are *

Autumn In New York

Autumn Leaves *

Blue Moon *

Body And Soul

Bye Bye Blackbird

Cherokee

Days Of Wine And Roses

Desafinado

Do Nothin' Till You Hear From

Me

Embraceable You

Flamingo

Fly Me To The Moon

Foggy Day

Georgia On My Mind **

Girl From Ipanema *

Green Dolphin Street

Have You Met Miss Jones?

Here's That Rainy Day

Honeysuckle Rose

How High The Moon

I Got Rhythm **

I Can't Get Started

I Cover The Waterfront

I Didn't Know What Time It Was

I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good

Jazz Standards

Basin Street Blues

Blue Bossa

Caravan *

Chelsea Bridge

Cotton Tail

Countdown

Dat Dere

Dig

Dolphin Dance

Donna Lee

Doxy

Four

Giant Steps *

Good Bait

I Remember Clifford

Impressions

In A Mellow Tone

Invitation

It Don’t Mean A Thing

*J

eannine

Jeep Is Jumpin

Jitterbug Waltz

Jordu

Joy Spring

Just Friends

Killer Joe

Lazy bird

Lester Leaps In **

Little Sunflower

Jazz Blues

Billie's Bounce

Blue Monk **

C Jam Blues **

Cool Blues

Cousin Mary

Jumping With Symphony Sid *

Mr. P.C. *

Night Train

Now's The Time **

Red Top

Some Other Blues

Sonnymoon For Two *

Straight No Chaser

Tenor Madness

Things Ain't What They Used To Be

*

Watermelon Man **

I'm Beginning To See The Light

I Want To Talk About You

In A Sentimental Mood

I'm Beginning To See The Light

I'm Getting Sentimental Over You

Just Friends

Lady Be Good

Lady Is A Tramp *

Laura

Love For Sale

Lover Come Back to Me

Loverman

Lullaby Of Birdland

Mack The Knife *

Mean To Me

Meditation

Misty **

Moonlight In Vermont

My Favourite Things

My Funny Valentine

Night And Day

On The Sunny Side Of The Street

On A Slow Boat To China

One Note Samba

Out Of Nowhere

Over The Rainbow

Pennies From Heaven

Satin Doll **

Shadow Of Your Smile

Skylark

Softly as In A Morning Sunrise

Someone To Watch Over Me

Star Eyes

Stardust

Stella By Starlight

Stomping At The Savoy

Stormy Weather

Summertime **

Sunny **

Sweet Georgia Brown

Tangerine

Tea for Two

Tenderly

There Will Never Be Another You

These Foolish Things

Wave

Way You Look Tonight

What Is This Thing Called Love?

When The Saints Go Marching In

Lonely Woman

Lullaby Of Birdland

Maiden Voyage

Manteca

Meet The Flintstones

Moments Notice

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy *

Milestones

Moanin *

Moments Notice

Monks Mood

My Little Suede Shoes

*

Naima

Nefertiti

Night In Tunisia

Oleo

Ornithology

Perdido **

Preacher

Prelude To A Kiss

Rhythm-A-Ning

Robbin's Nest

Round Midnight

Scrapple From The

Apple

Shiny Stockings

Sidewinder

Sister Sadie

So What?

Song For My Father

Solar

Sophisticated Lady

St. Thomas *

Stolen Moments

Sugar

Take Five *

Take The A Train **

Tune Up

Well You Needn't

Work Song *

Yardbird Suite

**

When Sunny Gets Blue

Willow Weep For Me

You Are My Sunshine

From the Manhattan School of Music:

YEAR 1

1. Blue Bossa

2. Stella by Starlight

3. Satin Doll

4. Take the A Train

5. There Will Never Be Another You

6. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore

7. Green Dolphin Street

8. Indiana

9. I Got Rhythm

10. Honeysuckle Rose

11. Autumn Leaves

12. The Girl From Ipanema

13. Wave

14. Misty

15. My Funny Valentine

16. Someday My Prince Will Come

17. All of Me

18. Bye Bye Blackbird

19. Tenor Madness

20. So What

21. Cool Blues

22. Perdido

23. Sweet Georgia Brown

24. What Is This Thing Called Love?

25. Stompin’ at the Savoy

26. Night and Day

27. Mr. PC

28. All Blues

29. Maiden Voyage

30. A Night in Tunisia

YEAR 2

1. Once I Had a Secret Love

2. Confirmation

3. Like Someone In Love

4. I Hear a Rhapsody

5. I Love You

6. Our Love Is Here to Stay

7. Prelude To a Kiss

8. Stardust

9. Here’s That Rainy Day

10. The Days of Wine and Roses

11. A Day in the Life of a Fool

12. Embraceable You

13. Body and Soul

14. Cherokee

15. What’s New

16. Afternoon in Paris

17. Alone Together

18. Yesterdays

19. Au Privave

20. All the Things You Are

21. Milestones (old)

22. Bluesette

23. Quiet Nights

24. Don’t Blame Me

25. Footprints

26. Four

27. Roseta

28. Lady Bird

29. Joyspring

30. Minority

13

YEAR 3

1. All of You

2. Beautiful Love

3. Darn That Dream

4. Everything Happens to Me

5. Here’s That Rainy Day

6. Dearly Beloved

7. How High the Moon

8. Meditation

9. I Can’t Get Started

10. I Got It Bad

11. End of a Love Affair

12. I Remember April

13. In a Mellow Tone

14. In a Sentimental Mood

15. Invitation

16. Seven Steps to Heaven

17. It Don’t Mean a Thing

18. My One and Only Love

19. I’ll Take Romance

20. Up Jumped Spring

21. Out of Nowhere

22. ’Round Midnight

23. Solar

24. The Shadow of Your Smile

25. Sophisticated Lady

26. Tenderly

27. Take 5

28. Tune Up

29. When I Fall in Love

30. Just One of Those Things

YEAR 4

1. Giant Steps

2. Struttin’ With Some Barbecue

3. The Way You Look Tonight

4. Jitterbug Waltz

5. Love for Sale

6. Easy Living

7. Willow Weep for Me

8. You Stepped Out of a Dream

9. Woody ’n’ You

10. Con Alma

11. Once I Love

12. How Insensitive

13. The Song Is You

14. Blame It on My Youth

15. My Favorite Things

16. Blue in Green

17. God Bless the Child

18. Have You Met Miss Jones?

19. In a Sentimental Mood

20. For All We Know

21. Fly Me to the Moon

22. I Remember You

23. Milestones (new)

24. One-Finger Snap

25. Just Friends

26. Somewhere Over the Rainbow

27. Mood Indigo

28. Dolphin Dance

29. A Foggy Day

30. Speak No Evil

14

YEAR 5

1. It Could Happen to You

2. Summertime

3. Nica’s Dream

4. Spring Is Here

5. It Might as Well Be Spring

6. Spring Can Really Hang You Up

the Most

7. Pensativa

8. Upper Manhattan Medical Group

9. You Don’t Know What Love Is

10. ’Round Midnight

11. St. Thomas

12. These Foolish Things

13. Watch What Happens

14. Speak Low

15. Pent Up House

16. Polka Dots and Moonbeams

17. My Shining Hour

18. I’m Old-Fashioned

19. Imagination

20. I Thought About You

21. Everything Happens to Me

22. Moment’s Notice

23. Ain’t Misbehavin’

24. Airegin

25. All God’s Children Got Rhythm

26. Angel Eyes

27. As Time Goes By

28. But Not for Me

29. But Beautiful

30. Caravan

YEAR 6

1. Chega de Saudade

2. A Child Is Born

3. Emily

4. Alice in Wonderland

5. Count Down

6. Easy to Love

7. Georgia

8. Gone With the Wind

9. Greensleeves

10. How Deep Is the Ocean?

11. Moonlight in Vermont

12. I Fall in Love Too Easily

13. Stablemates

14. I Should Care

15. If I Were a Bell

16. It’s All Right With Me

17. If You Could See Me Now

18. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You

19. In Your Own Sweet Way

20. Whispering

21. I’ve Grown Accustomed to Your Face

22. Just in Time

23. Laura

24. Long Ago and Far Away

25. Love Walked In

26. Lover Man

27. Lover

28. Slow Boat to China

29. Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise

30. Tangerine

Jazz Studies Repertoire List

University of Oregon

Songs on the Jazz Studies Repertoire List are required to be performed by memory including the

melody and improvised choruses over the chord changes. You are strongly encouraged to learn these

songs by listening to the original artists and recordings when possible. All songs may be found on

Jamey Aebersold play-alongs for practice purposes.

Freshman Year

Impressions (modal) - Dmi

Maiden Voyage (modal) - D7sus

Mr. PC (minor blues) - Cmi

Billie's Bounce (major blues) - F

Oleo (rhythm changes) - Bb

Autumn Leaves (standard) - Gmi

What's New (ballad) - C

Lady Bird (jazz classic) - C

Blues Bossa (jazz classic) - Cmi

Sophomore Year

All Blues (modal 6/8 blues) - G

Witch Hunt (modal) - Cmi

Tenor Madness (major blues) - Bb

Birk's Works (minor blues) - Fmi or Gmi

Scrapple From the Apple (jazz classic) - F

Out of Nowhere (standard) - G

Misty/I Want to Talk About You (ballad) - Eb

Alone Together (standard) - Dmi

Solar (jazz classic) - Cmi

Junior Year

Four (jazz classic) - Eb

Green Dolphin Street (standard) - C and Eb

What is This Thing Called Love (standard) - Cmi

Caravan (jazz classic) - Fmi

Invitation (standard) - Cmi

Body and Soul (standard) - Db

Stella By Starlight (standard) - Bb

It's You or No One (standard) - F

Lazy Bird (jazz classic) - G

Moment's Notice (jazz classic) - Eb

Once I Loved (standard) - F

All The Things You Are (standard) - Ab

Council for Higher Education in Music (a group of Maryland colleges)

Jazz Repertoire

(Freshman Year: Semester 1)

Standards: Satin Doll, Take the A Train. Autumn Leaves.

Be-Bop: Tune-up. Four.

Bossa Nova/Samba: Song for My Father. Blue Bossa.

Ballads: In a Sentimental Mood. Yesterdays.

Blues: Blue Monk. Now's the Time. Equinox.

Modal: So What. Cantaloupe Island.

Three-Four: Footprints. All Blues.

Suggested Aebersold Volumes in Addition to Repertoire: Volumes 1, 2, 3, 21, 24, 54.

Suggested David Baker Volumes in Addition to Repertoire: How to Play Be-Bop, Volume 1.

(Freshman Year: Semester 2)

Standards: Just Friends. Invitation. It Don't Mean a Thing.

Be-Bop: Oleo. Scrapple From the Apple. Solar.

Bossa Nova/Samba: 500 Miles High. Girl from Ipanema.

Ballads: Tenderly. Misty.

Blues: Billie's Bounce. Mr. P.C., Blue Trane. Straight No Chaser.

Modal: Little Sunflower. Maiden Voyage. Milestones. Freedom Jazz Dance (emphasizes

fourth intervals).

Three-Four: Alice in Wonderland. A Child is Born. My Favorite Things (also modal--cf

Coltrane version).

Suggested Aebersold Volumes in Addition to Repertoire: Volumes 1,2,3,21,24,54.

Suggested David Baker Volumes in Addition to Repertoire: How to Play Be-Bop, Volume 2.

(Sophomore Year: Semester 1)

Standards: Green Dolphin Street. I'll Remember April. All the Things You Are.

Be-Bop: Night in Tunisia. Confirmation. Lazy Bird. Cherokee. Joy Spring.

Bossa Nova/Samba: Spain. How Insensitive. Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars.

Ballads: Round Midnight. Prelude to a Kiss.

Modal: Impressions. Passion Dance.

Three-Four: Waltz for Debbie. Fly Me to The Moon in 3/4.

Complex Time Signatures: Paul Desmond, Take Five

Suggested David Baker Volumes in Addition to Repertoire: How to Play Be-Bop, Volume 3.

(Sophomore Year: Semester 2)

Standards: Stella by Starlight. There Will Never be Another You. How High the Moon

Be-Bop: Giant Steps (moderate tempo). Donna Lee. Moment's Notice. Nica's Dream.

Bossa Nova/Samba: One Note Samba. Wave. Ceora

Ballads: Namia. Lush Life.

Three-Four: La Fiesta. Up Jumped Spring.

Complex Time Signatures: All the Things You Are in 7/4. My Favorite Things in 11/4