# great jazz tunes and standards



## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

I'd like to make it clear what this thread is about and what it's not about: it's not about the tune as a vehicle for improvisation. That means that it happens that great improvisations could happen on not so interesting melodies and chord changes. it's a thread about... great tunes, written by the composers of the great american songbook, sometimes by pop songwriters and by jazz musicians. Standards and tunes that deserve to be standards. And It's not about albums. So it's ok to list Ornette Coleman for Lonely Woman but not for Free jazz. A love supreme is a great album, but it's great mostly because of the improvisation, more than the tunes that are fragments not particularly significative.
Said that, obviously it's good to link great version of a tune, and any discussion about the quality of a tune is welcome.

For instance, some amazing tunes of Wayne Shorter:

Footprints





Dear sir





Sanctuary





Teru





Iris





This is for Albert





a vocal version of Infant eyes





Dance cadaverous





Black nile





Ana Maria





Pinocchio





Rio





Nefertiti





Endangered species





Children of the night





On the milky way express


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

some great standards written by american songbook composers (that sometimes weren't american at all)

Gene de Paul - I'll remember april





Kurt Weill - September song





Kurt Weill - Speak low





George Gershwin - Summertime





Cole Porter - Everytime we say goodbye





Cole Porter - Night and day





Bronislaw Kaper - Invitation


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

For me, one of the greatest standards is "All the Things You Are." It's a great improvisational vehicle.

Different standards present different harmonic problems. Presently I'm working on "Stella by Starlight." It has lots of half-diminished and diminished chords which could be re-interpreted in different ways. For instance, the G dim which opens the piece could be re-interpreted as F# aug 7. The way the melody lands on the chords, often not a chord tone, also presents some interesting problems to solve.

Other standards which are useful:
Autumn Leaves
Georgia Brown
The Nearness of You
My Foolish Heart


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Softly As In A Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II.

Here sung by Dianne Reeves:


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## Casebearer (Jan 19, 2016)

Fats Waller - Jitterbug Waltz


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

millionrainbows said:


> For me, one of the greatest standards is "All the Things You Are." It's a great improvisational vehicle.
> 
> Different standards present different harmonic problems. Presently I'm working on "Stella by Starlight." It has lots of half-diminished and diminished chords which could be re-interpreted in different ways. For instance, the G dim which opens the piece could be re-interpreted as F# aug 7. The way the melody lands on the chords, often not a chord tone, also presents some interesting problems to solve.
> 
> ...


I like those standard, especially Stella and the Nearness of you (Lenny Breau did great things with those songs). I've never like Autumn leaves, I don't know why, maybe I simply think it's not a very interesting tune. 
Do you like also some more modern tunes?


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

A couple of great standards from the seventies:

Jimmy Rowles - The peacocks





Billy Harper - Croquet ballet


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

norman bates said:


> I like those standard, especially Stella and the Nearness of you (Lenny Breau did great things with those songs). I've never like Autumn leaves, I don't know why, maybe I simply think it's not a very interesting tune.
> Do you like also some more modern tunes?


I started wanting to do Autumn Leaves when I heard Ricki Lee Jones sing it:


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

norman bates said:


> I like those standard, especially Stella and the Nearness of you (Lenny Breau did great things with those songs). I've never like Autumn leaves, I don't know why, maybe I simply think it's not a very interesting tune.
> Do you like also some more modern tunes?


Autumn Leaves is a good improvisational vehicle, not too complicated.

Lenny Breau and Gil Goldstein made me want to do "My Foolish Heart," and also John McLaughlin.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

norman bates said:


> I like those standard, especially Stella and the Nearness of you (Lenny Breau did great things with those songs). I've never like Autumn leaves, I don't know why, maybe I simply think it's not a very interesting tune.
> Do you like also some more modern tunes?


As far as more modern tunes, I like "Nardis" written by Miles Davis. I first heard it on this George Russell LP:






Then, Mike Stern did it, with Gil Goldstein on keys (he's one of my favorite keyboard players):






I like Thelonious Monk a lot: Epistrophy, Crepuscule with Nellie, Bemsha Swing...






And the most "modern" tune I think ever written is Pat Martino's "The Great Stream:" (30 minutes in)


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

_Let's Face the Music and Dance_ by Irving Berlin


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)




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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

ldiat said:


>


A great tune and one of many with (at the time) odd time signatures and meters.
Avery nice tune taken up by many ens "Over the rainbow" here is an unusual performance with Ukulele take note of the left hand technique keep your eyes on the left hand.
Sorry I meant to put right hand.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

The vocalist in the band I direct wants to do this next season:

Louisiana Sunday Afternoon


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Dr Johnson said:


> Softly As In A Morning Sunrise by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein II.
> 
> Here sung by Dianne Reeves:


That is a great album! In another thread I mentioned that I consider "I Remember Sky" (more accurately "I Remember") to rank with great lieder.

This is a live version. I don't like it quite as much.






No time now. I'll put together a list of other favorites.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Back in the 1960s (I believe) I saw an NBC Special with performances of the 10 greatest American songs (chosen by Bell Telephone I think). These were all pre-rock. It was a pretty good list. I am sure I have 9 right, and I'm pretty sure of the 10th. It was a countdown, but I don't remember the order, so I'll list them alphabetically:

All the Things You Are





Blues in the Night





Body and Soul





Over the Rainbow





September Song





Someone to Watch Over Me





St. Louis Blues





Stardust





Stormy Weather





Summertime





No Porter, no Rodgers, no Berlin. But I can't really quibble about the choices - they're all great songs. And I do like Harold Arlen (represented three times)


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

millionrainbows said:


> Autumn Leaves is a good improvisational vehicle, not too complicated.
> 
> Lenny Breau and Gil Goldstein made me want to do "My Foolish Heart," and also John McLaughlin.


yes, the My foolish heart of Breau is very nice (not the vocal version, he was a great guitarist but such an awful singer). One tune that is not a standard but that deserves to be that I discoverd thanks to him is Days gone by, written by the canadian bassist Don Thompson. It's one of those hidden gems that I'd like to find more often.






big fan of Nardis, probably my favorite tune written by Miles Davis, especially some version recorded by Bill Evans. I don't know why he never recorded it. 
By the way, Coltrane clearly "imitated" in on his Resolution from A love supreme.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

jegreenwood said:


> Back in the 1960s (I believe) I saw an NBC Special with performances of the 10 greatest American songs (chosen by Bell Telephone I think). These were all pre-rock. It was a pretty good list. I am sure I have 9 right, and I'm pretty sure of the 10th. It was a countdown, but I don't remember the order, so I'll list them alphabetically:
> 
> All the Things You Are
> 
> ...


all great songs, no doubt. I would probably put September song and Stardust in a top ten myself (and Someone to watch over me, Summertime and Stormy Weather are other favorites of mine.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

Some great Horace Silver tunes:

Shirl 





Senor blues





Silver's serenade





Nutville





Peace





Ecaroh





Calcutta cutie





Song for my father


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

and some Mingus

Vasserlean (weird nightmare) probably my favorite tune of him





Goodbye pork pie hat (probably his only standard)





This subdues my passion (one of his most overlooked pieces, in full Strayhorn mode)


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Autumn leaves
Cry me a river
September song
Someone to watch over me
Where or when


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

millionrainbows said:


> For me, one of the greatest standards is "All the Things You Are." It's a great improvisational vehicle.
> 
> Different standards present different harmonic problems. Presently I'm working on "Stella by Starlight." It has lots of half-diminished and diminished chords which could be re-interpreted in different ways. For instance, the G dim which opens the piece could be re-interpreted as F# aug 7. The way the melody lands on the chords, often not a chord tone, also presents some interesting problems to solve.


I remember Steve Allen saying he was blown away the first time he heard All The Things You Are. That and Stella are two of those songs that feature what Bronislaw Kaper called shoulder chords; when pianists play them, they tend to pull up one of their shoulders. In that regard, his song, On Green Dolphin Street, should be added to the list.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

[Post deleted: I made a suggestion and changed my mind.]


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

norman bates said:


> A couple of great standards from the seventies:
> 
> Jimmy Rowles - The peacocks
> 
> ...


Billy Harper composed a lot of memorable tunes. Cry of Hunger is another powerful piece.
Gill Evans, Harper: 



The recordings by Harper's group are also excellent, especially live from Poland (DVD) is deeply moving.



millionrainbows said:


> As far as more modern tunes, I like "Nardis" written by Miles Davis. I first heard it on this George Russell LP:
> 
> Then, Mike Stern did it, with Gil Goldstein on keys (he's one of my favorite keyboard players):


I read somewhere that Bill Evans might be the true composer of Nardis, but I recently found that Evans himself said in a concert that it was Miles's composition.

Solar is another interesting tune by Miles Davis, which has become a jazz standard played by many jazz musicians.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

tortkis said:


> Billy Harper composed a lot of memorable tunes. Cry of Hunger is another powerful piece.
> Gill Evans, Harper:
> 
> 
> ...


yes, for what I know Nardis was written by Davis, even if was Evans who is associated with the tune because he played it a lot during all his career. It seems that Davis dedicated it exactly to Evans: during a concert someone asked to Evans to play some terrible song, and he answered something like "I don't play that crap, I'm an artist" with that "an artist" transformed in Nardis.
It's Solar that wasn't composed by Davis but by the guitarist Chuck Wayne. Now, in jazz there's the tradition to reinvent tunes changing something, but Davis was known for his habit of stealing the tunes by others and take credit for it.


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

norman bates said:


> yes, for what I know Nardis was written by Davis, even if was Evans who is associated with the tune because he played it a lot during all his career. It seems that Davis dedicated it exactly to Evans: during a concert someone asked to Evans to play some terrible song, and he answered something like "I don't play that crap, I'm an artist" with that "an artist" transformed in Nardis.
> It's Solar that wasn't composed by Davis but by the guitarist Chuck Wayne. Now, in jazz there's the tradition to reinvent tunes changing something, but Davis was known for his habit of stealing the tunes by others and take credit for it.


I didn't know it. I heard about the appropriation by Miles (Four and Tune Up, which I like a lot), but I thought Solar was one of few tunes actually composed by Miles Davis.

This is obviously the same as Solar.
1946 recording of Chuck Wayne's Sonny
http://blogs.loc.gov/music/2012/07/chuck-wayne-sonny-solar/


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