There are a number of songs in jazz called standards. If you want to play jazz with other musicians, you should know some of them. They are like a common language that jazz musicians share. If you are with musicians and say you want to play a song and it is a standard, chances are that everyone will know it.
Here are a few I like:
Ballads:
Somewhere Over the Rainbow
In a Sentimental Mood
Nature Boy
The Shadow of Your Smile
My Funny Valentine
Harlem Nocturne
Brazilian:
Wave
Desafinado
Girl from Ipanema
Favela
Jazz Standards:
Nica’s Dream
Night in Tunisia
All Blues
Green Dolphin Street
Dolphin Dance
Freedom Jazz Dance
Fee Fi Fo Fum
Four
Bye Bye Blackbird
Skylark
Sugar
Midnight Special
Song For My Father
Ceora
Watermelon Man
Maiden Voyage
Impressions
So What
Don’t Stop the Carnival
Moanin
Work Song
Spain
There is No Greater Love
Have you Met Miss Jones
Black Orpheus
Softly as the Morning Sunrise
Alone Together
You and the Night and the Music
Recordame
Latin:
Come Candela
Afro Blue
La Fiesta
Sabor
St. Thomas
Poinciana
Bebop:
Oleo
Tenor Madness
Billie’s Bounce
Anthropology
Crazeology
Bebop
Scrapple From the Apple
Moose the Mooch
Here are a few other songs, not necessarily jazz, that people in Saxophone Tribe like:
‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission
-Dan Lee
Who can I turn to?
Bengt says
Thanks, Neal! Glad you like all the songs I work on. But how to proceed? You suggested that I send you a recording. I want to do that. These days I work on “Solitude”, “Who can I turn to” and “Danny boy”. Which one of these do you think is most appropriate to record and send to You? What are the hurdles in each of these? Which on is the easier and which one is the most difficult to master?
Best,
Bengt
Neal says
Pick the one you like the best and that you feel you can handle. That will be the one you will probably be most motivated to practice.