Learn Jazz Standards

“Freight Trane” was written by the great pianist Tommy Flanagan for John Coltrane, as the title suggests. It was recorded on the 1958 record “Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane”.
This tune is what jazz musicians call a “be-bop blues” or a “Bird Blues”(Charlie Parker). It has the same chord progression as Parker’s “Blues For Alice”.
This tune is played in …

“Broadway” was written in 1940 with words and music by Billy Byrd, Teddy McRae and Henri Woode. This is a great jam session tune to know and a good one to add to your repertoire. It has a catchy melody and a common set of changes, making it a good tune to practice improvising.
This tune is most commonly called …

“My One And Only Love” was originally composed by Guy Warren in 1947 with lyrics by Jack Lawrence. The tune was not at first a hit, but when Robert Mellin wrote a second set of lyrics for the chart it took notice. Frank Sinatra went on to record it in 1953 and many others followed. It has become a popular …

“How Deep Is The Ocean” was written by Irving Berlin in 1932. It was first introduced by Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra. This is a great tune to add to your repertoire! This composition has all sorts of interesting harmonic shifts and movement making it a lot of fun to play on.
This tune is most commonly played in the …

“Speak Low” was written in 1943 by composer Kurt Weill. It was first featured on the musical comedy “One Touch of Venus”. Ogden Nash wrote lyrics to this piece. Speak Low has been widely recorded and performed amongst jazz musicians and is an important tune to add to your repertoire. There is a set of popular hits during the head …