March 31, 2012 in Jazz Standards
On the Street Where You Live was written by composer Frederick Loewe and lyricist Alan Lerner for the 1956 Broadway musical My Fair Lady. It has since been adopted as a jazz standard, and many jazz musicians have enjoyed playing this classic tune. This is the first play along we have created using a live music component-Camden Hughes plays organ …
March 31, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“Tenor Madness” is a Bb blues written by the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It is also the title track of his hit record “Tenor Madness” which was recorded on May 24th, 1956. This tune is also the only recording that Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane ever did together. Check out the original recording and be prepared to be blown …
March 30, 2012 in Jazz Standards
Lady Be Good is a really nice standard tune by George and Ira Gershwin. They wrote the tune for a 1924 musical “Lady Be Good.” Incidentally, Fascinating Rhythm was another jazz standard that was written for the same musical by the Gershwin brothers. Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, and Ray Brown all made Lady Be Good one of their signature tunes, …
March 28, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“Now’s The Time” is a blues in F written by Charlie Parker and is a very important blues head to learn.
I would recommend checking out Charlie Parker’s solo on this tune as it embodies a classic mix of blues and his innovation of bebop.
I would also suggest paying attention to the melody when you think about soloing. This …
March 27, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“Song For My Father” is a Bossa Nova style tune written by Horace Silver. It’s the title track to his hit 1956 Blue Note record “Song For My Father”.
This tune is relatively simple and only deals with a handful of chords, all of which can be related to the key of F minor.
This is one of those tunes …
March 27, 2012 in Uncategorized
At Learn Jazz Standards, we promote learning tunes primarily by ear. This can take longer, especially at first, but when you learn tunes this way, you REALLY learn them as you struggle with the harmonies, melodies, and with the memorization of the tune. Reading is a crucial skill for a jazz musician, BUT it must not be used as a …
March 25, 2012 in Album of the Week
Click above to purchase Romain Pilon’s brand new record NY3
Learn Jazz Standards.com is proud to promote French guitarist Romain Pilon’s brand new trio record NY3.
I can’t recommend this album enough. Pilon’s brilliance as a guitarist and composer is uniquely expressive making him a guitarist you will want to be aware of. Joining him on his first trio record …
March 24, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“Oleo” is a tune written by the great tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins. It is one of the most popular Rhythm Changes tunes and is important to know.
It’s a standard 32 bar AABA form with a melody on the A sections and improvisation for the B section.
Click here to visit our Index of Jazz Standards to practice Rhythm Changes …
March 21, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“Mr. P.C” is a tune written by the great John Coltrane for bassist Paul Chambers. It was first recorded on his hit album “Giant Steps”.
Click here to learn Giant Steps: Giant Steps
This tune is basically a C minor blues so you can add or subtract chords as you wish. The chart we’ve provided is essentially the most common …
March 20, 2012 in Jazz Standards
“What’s New” is a ballad written by Bob Haggart with lyrics by Johnny Burke. The original title of the tune was “I’m Free” when he wrote it as a member of Bob Crosby and his Orchestra. However when he later gave it to Johnny Burke to write lyrics it was renamed after the first line: “What’s New”.
This tune is …
