Table of Contents:
What is a Jazz Standard?
A jazz standard is a musical theme that has acquired a certain notoriety in the jazz genre, which is known by many musicians and which has been the subject of numerous versions, interpretations and improvisations, and which is frequently used in jam sessions and performances.
There are standards from all eras of jazz, such as ‘When the Saints Go Marching In’, ‘I Got Rhythm’ or ‘How High the Moon’, ‘Take the ‘A’ Train’ to cite examples of the hot, swing and bop.
Many of the best-known standards were composed for films, or come from the so-called Great American Songbook, and have been incorporated into the genre, such as, for example, ‘Summertime’, by George Gershwin, while, for example, ”Round Midnight’, by Thelonious Monk, has been covered by, among others, Cootie Williams, Dizzy Gillespie, Art Pepper, and Miles Davis.
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The most recorded standard composed by a jazz musician, and one of the most covered songs of all time, is Duke Ellington’s and Juan Tizol’s “Caravan” with over 500 uses.
Originally, the most recorded jazz standard was W. C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” for over 20 years from the 1930s onward, after which Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust” replaced it. Following this, the place was held by “Body and Soul” by Johnny Green.
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Before 1920
At the beginning of the 20th century, jazz was still considered dance music. The first Dixieland groups remained influenced by this image: King Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, the New Orleans Rhythm Kings and many other groups included Tin Pan Alley in their repertoires, and record companies sometimes dictated the list of titles that must be recorded by their artists.
Certain imposed songs have thus become standards, such as Darktown Strutters’ Ball or (Back Home Again in) Indiana, recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band at Columbia Records in 1917.
Also, among the standards of this era are the songs After You’ve Gone (Turner Layton and Henry Creamer, 1918) and Some of These Days (Sophie Tucker, 1910).
The 1920s
The Jazz Age began in the United States in the 1920s. Jazz became popular there, even though the older generation considered this music immoral and endangering their cultural values.
The first artist who allowed himself to freely choose his titles was Louis Armstrong, who popularized many standards during the years 1920 to 19301. The popular tunes of the 1920s were songs like Sweet Georgia Brown, Dinah or Bye Bye Blackbird.
Some compositions from this era written by jazz musicians have become standards such as Honeysuckle Rose (1928) and Ain’t Misbehavin’ (1929) by Fats Waller. The song Stardust by Hoagy Carmichael and Mitchell Parish is the most recorded jazz standard of the 1920s. Others are written by Broadway composers such as The Man I Love by George and Ira Gershwin (1924), Blue Skies by Irving Berlin (1927), or What Is This Thing Called Love? by Cole Porter (1927).
However, it was not until the 1930s that jazz musicians became comfortable with the complex melodies and sophisticated harmonic grids of Broadway tunes, and used them regularly in their repertoires.
The 1930s
Broadway contributed some of the most popular standards of the 1930s, including the famous Summertime from the comedy Porgy and Bess by George and Ira Gershwin (1935), My Funny Valentine by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (1937), All the Things You Are by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II (1939), and Body and Soul by Johnny Green (1930). These standards are among the most recorded.
The 1930s saw swing establish itself in American music. Duke Ellington and his musicians composed many themes which would become jazz standards: It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) (1932), Sophisticated Lady (1933), Caravan (1936) among the most famous.
The swing era (1935–1946) is that of the greatest big bands, such as those of Benny Goodman and Count Basie, who also participated in the repertoire of jazz standards.
The 1940s
New themes became popular, such as Cotton Tail by Duke Ellington (1940) or Take the ‘A’ Train by Billy Strayhorn (1941). The Second World War was a difficult time for big bands, and small groups developed.
The arrival of bebop brought out a new audience sensitive to sophisticated harmonies, fast tempos, and the virtuosity of the musicians. Their repertoires largely use the standards of the 1930s, but their compositions will also enter the list of standards: Salt Peanuts (1941) and A Night in Tunisia (1942) by Dizzy Gillespie, Anthropology (1946), Yardbird Suite (en) ( 1946), Scrapple from the Apple (1947) by Charlie Parker, or ‘Round Midnight (1944) by Thelonious Monk.
The 1950s and beyond
Some modal jazz recordings became popular in the late 1950s, such as the albums Kind of Blue by Miles Davis in 1959 with the compositions All Blues and So What, Impressions (en) by John Coltrane in 1963, or Maiden Voyage by Herbie Hancock in 1965.
In the mid-1960s, Miles Davis’ second major quintet with Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock recorded a series of albums which contained standards such as Footprints (Wayne Shorter, 1966) and Freedom Jazz Dance (Eddie Harris, 1966).
At the end of the 1950s, bossa nova appeared in Brazil, a mixture of samba and jazz, made popular by João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Luiz Bonfá. Gilberto and Stan Getz launched this trend in the United States in 1964 with the famous Getz/Gilberto album. Among the standards of the genre are compositions by Bonfá (Manhã de Carnaval, 1959), Marcos Valle (Summer Samba, 1966), and numerous songs by Jobim such as Desafinado (1959), The Girl from Ipanema (1962), Corcovado (1962).
In the mid-1970s, jazz fusion appeared, which was a mixture of jazz, funk and rock. Joe Zawinul with Weather Report, Chick Corea with Return to Forever, Herbie Hancock with The Headhunters, or John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra considerably broaden the jazz audience, and some of their successes have become standards: Spain (en) by Chick Corea (1971), Chameleon by Hancock (1973), and Birdland by Joe Zawinul (1977).
Jazz standards
Musical compositions that have become jazz standards.
Irving Berlin – Alexander’s Ragtime Band [1911]
“Alexander’s Ragtime Band” is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911 and is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Although not a traditional ragtime song, Berlin’s jaunty melody nonetheless “sold a million copies of sheet music in 1911, then another million in 1912, and continued to sell for years afterward.
It was the number one song from October 1911 through January 1912.” The song might be regarded as a narrative sequel to “Alexander and His Clarinet”, which Berlin wrote with Ted Snyder in 1910. The earlier song is mostly concerned with a reconciliation between an African-American musician named Alexander Adams and his flame Eliza Johnson, but also highlights Alexander’s innovative musical style.
Berlin’s “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” was introduced to the American public by vaudeville comedienne Emma Carus, “one of the great stars of the period.” A popular singer in the 1907 Ziegfeld Follies and Broadway features, Carus was a famous contralto of the vaudeville era, renowned for her “low bass notes and high lung power.”
Carus’ brassy performance of the song at the American Music Hall in Chicago on April 18, 1911, proved to be well-received, and she toured other metropolises such as Detroit and New York City with acclaimed performances that featured the catchy song. The song as comically recorded by American singing duo Arthur Collins and Byron G. Harlan became the number one hit of 1911.
Nearly two decades later, jazz singer Bessie Smith recorded a 1927 cover, which became one of the hit songs of that year. The song’s popularity re-surged in the 1930s with the release of a 1934 close harmony cover by the Boswell Sisters, and a 1938 musical film of the same name starring Tyrone Power and Alice Faye. The song was covered by a variety of artists such as Al Jolson, Billy Murray, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, and others. Within fifty years of its release, the song had at least a dozen hit covers.
Etta James – Stormy Weather
From the album is At Last.
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Artist or Composer / Score name | Cover | List of Contents |
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Art Tatum – Tiger Rag (Sheet Music) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Art Tatum – Too Marvelous for Words The Life and Genius of Art Tatum (Book by James Lester) | ||
Art Tatum 5 Jazz Piano Solos transcribed By Frank Paparelli | Art Tatum 5 Jazz Solos By Frank Paparelli – 1944 Songbook | |
Art Tatum Artist Transcriptions Solo Book | Art Tatum | |
Art Tatum Improvisations Piano sheet music | Art Tatum Improvisations Piano sheet music | |
Art Tatum Jazz Arr. Begin The Beguine (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Art Tatum Jazz Arr. Cole Porte Begin The Beguine | ||
Art Tatum New Beginnings (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Art Tatum Tea For Two (Vincent Youmans) | ||
Arthur A. Reblitz – Piano servicing, tuning, and rebuilding for the professional, the student, and the hobbyist | ||
Artic Monkeys – Only Ones Who Know | ||
Artie Shaw – Jazz Technic Book 1 Scales and Exercises | Artie Shaw – Jazz Technic Book 1 Scales and Exercises | |
Artie Shaw – Clarinet Method | ||
Artie Shaw – Concerto for Clarinet for solo Bb Clarinet with Piano accompaniment | ||
Artie Shaw – Moonglow Clarinet sheet music | ||
Artie Shaw His Life And Music by John White (Book) Biography | ||
Artpop Lady Gaga Songbook | ||
Arturo Sandoval – Sandunga Alto Sax | Arturo Sandoval – Sandunga Alto Sax | |
Arturo Sandoval – Trumpet Method | ||
Arvo Part Fratres Piano Sheet music | ||
Arvo Pärt Partita For Piano, Op 2 (1960) | ||
Arvo Pärt Spiegel Im Spiegel (Violoncello And Piano) | ||
Arvo Part Summa for Strings | Arvo Part Summa for Strings | |
Arvo Part – Fur Alina Variations | Arvo Part – Fur Alina Variations | |
Arvo Pärt – Zwei Sonatinen Für Klavier Op. 1 | ||
Arvo Pärt Out Of Silence (Peter C. Bouteneff) Book | ||
Arvo Pärt Sounding The Sacred Book by Peter C. Bouteneff Jeffers Engelhardt Robert Saler | ||
Arvo Pärt Spiegel Im Spiegel (arranged for Piano Solo) | Arvo Pärt – Spiegel Im Spiegel (arranged for Piano Solo) | |
Arvo Pärt Spiegel Im Spiegel Violin Piano | ||
Ary Barroso – Amor Fatal Fox triste (piano) | ||
Ary Barroso – Aquarela Do Brasil (Samba) Guitar Solo | ||
Ary Barroso – Aquarela Do Brasil (Samba) Guitar Solo TABs | ||
Ary Barroso – Aquarela Do Brasil (Samba) Guitar Solo.mscz | ||
Ary Barroso – Aquarela do Brasil Piano Vocal | Ary Barroso-Aquarela do Brasil | |
Ary Barroso – Tenho Saudade! Samba Cançao (piano) | ||
Ary Barroso Aquarela Do Brasil Arr Carlos Barbosa Lima for guitar | Ary Barroso Aquarela Do Brasil Arr Carlos Barbosa Lima for guitar | |
Ary Barroso Guitar 1 songbook (arr. by Almir Chediak) | Ary Barroso Guitar 2 songbook (arr. by Almir Chediak) | |
Ary Barroso Guitar 2 songbook (arr. by Almir Chediak) | Ary Barroso Guitar 2 songbook (arr. by Almir Chediak) | |
As 101 Melhores Canções Do Século XX – Vol 2 – Almir Chediak (Guitar) | As 101 Melhores Canções Do Século XX – Vol 2 | |
As 101 melhores cançoes do século XX Vol. 1 (Almir Chediak) | As 101 Melhores Canções Do Século XX – Vol 2 | |
As Time Goes By (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Ashanti – The Way That I Love | ||
Asking you (Green Card OST) Hans Zimmer | ||
Assassin’s Creed Rogue – Main Theme | ||
ASSASSINS – The Musical Sondheim-Weidman (Piano & Vocal) | ASSASSINS – The Musical Sondheim-Weidman (Piano & Vocal) | |
Assassins Creed 2 – Ezios Family | ||
Assassins Creed III Main Theme | ||
Astor Piazolla – Adios Nonino | ||
Astor Piazolla Libertango Violin And Piano | Astor Piazolla Libertango Violin And Piano | |
Astor Piazzola – Libertango (piano arr.) | ||
Astor Piazzola – Libertango (Piano Solo) | ||
Astor Piazzola – Play Piazzolla 13 Tangos By Astor Piazzolla EASY GUITAR ARR. | Astor Piazzola – Play Piazzolla 13 Tangos By Astor Piazzolla EASY GUITAR ARR. | |
Astor Piazzola Oblivion Guitar Arr. By Nadja Kossinskaja | Piazzola Oblivion Guitar arr. by Nadja Kossinskaja page 1-1 | |
Astor Piazzolla 12 Tangos Piano | ||
Astor Piazzolla 6 Tangos | Astor Piazzolla 6 Tangos | |
Astor Piazzolla Angel (Complete) For Piano (Different Version) | Astor Piazzolla Angel (Complete) For Piano (Different Version) | |
Astor Piazzolla Ave Maria (Piano) | ||
Astor Piazzolla Balada Para Un Loco (Cacho Tirao) Guitar | ||
Astor Piazzolla Maria De Buenos Aires, Opera Tango (Partitura completa) | ||
Astor Piazzolla Milonga Del Angel (Piano Solo) Arranged By Prof. John Mortensen Slow Tango | ||
Astor Piazzolla Milonga Del Angel (Piano Solo) Original | ||
Astor Piazzolla sheet music Le Grand Tango Score For Viola And Piano | ||
Astor Piazzolla Vuelvo al sur (piano) | Astor Piazzolla_Vuelvo Al Sur | |
Astor Piazzolla – 5 piezas para guitarra (guitar sheet music) | Astor Piazzolla – 5 piezas para guitarra (guitar sheet music) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Picasso (Tango) Piano | ||
Astor Piazzolla 4 Estaciones Porteñas Guitar arr. | ||
Astor Piazzolla Nightclub 1960 Duo Flute Guitar | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Adios Nonino (Two Pianos) | Astor Piazzolla – Adios Nonino (Two Pianos) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Adiós Nonino (guitar sheet music) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Adios Nonino Piano Solo | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Album No. 1 | Astor Piazzolla album no 1 | |
Astor Piazzolla – Album No. 2 | Astor Piazzolla – Album No. 2 | |
Astor Piazzolla – Album No. 4 | Astor Piazzolla – Album No. 4 | |
Astor Piazzolla – Buenos Aires Hora Cero | Astor Piazzolla – Buenos Aires Hora Cero | |
Astor Piazzolla – Chau Paris (piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Chau Paris (piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Complete Works – Obras Para Piano Y Varios Instrumentos (partituras, sheet music) | Astor Piazzolla – Complete Works – Obras Para Piano Y Varios Instrumentos (partituras, sheet music) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Contrastes (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Contrastes (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Coral (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Coral (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Estaciones Porteñas for piano – für Klavier | Astor Piazzolla – Estaciones Portenas fur Klavier | |
Astor Piazzolla – Fuga 9 (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Fuga 9 (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Invierno Porteno (guitar sheet music) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Invierno porteño [clarinet-piano] | ||
Astor Piazzolla – La Muerte Del Angel (Guitar arr. sheet music) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Libertango (Part A – Guitar Arr.) (Musescore File).mscz | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Libertango for 2 pianos | Astor Piazzolla – Libertango 2KL | |
Astor Piazzolla – Los pajaros perdidos (canción) piano vocal | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Milonga Del Angel (guitar arr. sheet music) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Milonga del angel (Piano solo) | Astor Piazzolla – Milonga del angel | |
Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion (piano solo ver.) | Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion (piano solo sheet music) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion (piano solo) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion arr. by Najda Kssinskaja (Guitar arr. sheet music with TABs) | Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion arr. by Najda Kssinskaja (Guitar arr. sheet music with TABs) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion Cello & piano | Piazzolla Oblivion cello piano arr. | |
Astor Piazzolla – Oblivion for Piano solo sheet music (partitura) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Onda Nueve (Tango) Piano | Astor Piazzolla – Onda Nueve (Tango) Piano | |
Astor Piazzolla – Otoño Porteño (guitar sheet music) | Astor Piazzolla – Otoño Porteño (guitar sheet music) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Piano SongBook (Angel, Libertango, 6 Tangos, Estaciones Porteñas) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Preludio 9 (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Preludio 9 (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Río Sena (Tango) Piano | Astor Piazzolla – Río Sena (Tango) Piano | |
Astor Piazzolla – Romanza del Duende (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Romanza del Duende (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – sheet music – Suite del Angel (Piano) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Soledad (Solitude) Full score sheet music | Astor Piazzolla – Soledad (Solitude) Full score sheet music (first page) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Suite Troileana 2 guitars (Bandoneon, Zita, Whisky, Escolaso) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Suite Troileana 2 guitars arr. Sergio Assad (Bandoneon, Zita, Whisky, Escolaso) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Suite Troileana arr for Piano (Bandoneon, Zita, Whisky, Escolaso) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Tangos for 2 Pianos | Astor Piazzolla – Tangos for 2 Pianos | |
Astor Piazzolla – Tangus Dei (Piano) | ||
Astor Piazzolla – The Last Tango Music Of Guitar arr. | ||
Astor Piazzolla – Tristango (Piano) | Astor Piazzolla – Tristango (Piano) | |
Astor Piazzolla – Vuelvo Al Sur (10 tangos and other pieces arr. piano) | ||
Astor Piazzolla -Four, For Tango – Score | ||
Astor Piazzolla (Spanish Español Ed. 2018 El Ateneo 2020) (María Susana Azzi) Biography Book | ||
Astor Piazzolla (Tango) Balada Para Un Loco – Guitar (letra Horacio Ferrer) | ||
Astor Piazzolla 25 Tangos for Clarinet and piano Clarinet Part in Bb | Astor Piazzolla 25 Tangos for Clarinet and piano Clarinet Part in Bb | |
Astor Piazzolla Album 20 compositions arr. for Piano | Piazzolla album | |
Astor Piazzolla Cinco Piezas For Guitar | ||
Astor Piazzolla Contrabajeando Double Bass And Piano Contrabajo Y Piano | ||
Astor Piazzolla Extasis Piano (Tango) | ||
Astor Piazzolla Flute or Violin Piano Collection | ||
Astor Piazzolla For Violin And Guitar (Astor Piazzolla) | Astor Piazzolla For Violin And Guitar (Astor Piazzolla)_compressed | |
Astor Piazzolla Guitar compositions Collection (Guitarra) sheet music, partituras | Astor Piazzolla Guitar compositions (Guitarra) sheet music, partituras |