Studying Standard Tunes on Saxophone

[Tim Price]

A lot of SOTW students have asked me about standards.
There are so many favorites, but..I've tried to get a "basic" to learn list for students needing this.
I hope this helps and gives some ideas-Try to memorize them and think of where you would use/play them in a gig.
This is a good place to start-many of my NewYork City or Penna. based sax students try to memorize about one standard a week, with melody and chords.
If you have any questions-E mail me-I'm here to help :)

Jazz Standards
The following tunes are among those most commonly played by jazz musicians. I have made an attempt to categorize them based on how they are usually played.
You should try to become familiar with as many of these tunes as possible. Most of them can be found in the Real Book or in Chuck Sher's books. You must know these.

All Blues- blues, modal
All Of Me - standard
All The Things You Are- standard
Anthropology- rhythm changes, swing
Au Privave- blues, swing
Autumn Leaves- standard
Beautiful Love - standard
Beauty And The Beast- rock
Billie's Bounce - blues, swing
Black Orpheus - Latin
Blue Bossa - Latin
Blue In Green - ballad, modal
Blue Monk- blues, swing
Blue Train - blues, swing
Blues For Alice- blues, swing
Bluesette- 3/4, swing
Body And Soul- ballad, standard
C Jam Blues- blues, swing
Caravan - Latin, swing
Ceora- Latin
Cherokee- swing
Confirmation- swing
Darn That Dream- ballad, standard
Desafinado- Latin
Dolphin Dance- modal, non-tonal
Donna Lee- swing
Don't Get Around Much Anymore- swing
A Foggy Day - standard
Footprints - 3/4, blues, modal
Freddie Freeloader - blues, modal
Freedom Jazz Dance- non-tonal
Four - swing
Giant Steps- swing
The Girl From Ipanema- Latin
Goodbye, Pork Pie Hat - ballad, swing
Have You Met Miss Jones- standard
I Mean You- swing
I Remember Clifford- ballad, swing
I Thought About You- standard
If I Were A Bell- standard
Impressions - modal
In A Sentimental Mood- ballad, swing
In Walked Bud- swing
Joy Spring- swing
Just Friends- standard
Killer Joe- swing
Lady Bird- swing
Lullaby Of Birdland- swing
Mr. P.C. - blues, swing
Maiden Voyage- modal
Misty - ballad, standard
Moment's Notice- swing
My Favorite Things - 3/4, modal, standard
My Funny Valentine- ballad, standard
My Romance- standard
Naima- ballad, modal
A Night In Tunisia- Latin, swing
Nica's Dream - Latin, swing
Nostalgia In Times Square - swing
Now's The Time- blues, swing
Oleo- rhythm changes, swing
On Green Dolphin Street - Latin, swing, standard
Ornithology- swing
Recorda Me - Latin
Red Clay- rock
Round Midnight - ballad, swing
St. Thomas- Latin
Satin Doll - swing
Scrapple From The Apple- swing
The Sidewinder- blues, swing
So What - modal
Solar- swing
Some Day My Prince Will Come- 3/4, standard
Song For My Father- Latin
Speak No Evil- modal, non-tonal
Stella By Starlight - standard
Stolen Moments - blues, modal
Straight, No Chaser- blues, swing
Sugar- swing
Summertime- standard
Take Five- 5/4, modal
Take The "A" Train - swing
There Is No Greater Love- standard
There Will Never be Another You- standard
Up Jumped Spring - 3/4, swing
Waltz For Debby- 3/4, swing
Wave- Latin
Well, You Needn't- swing
When I Fall In Love - ballad, standard
Yardbird Suite- swing

[DC]

Hi Tim,

...and many thanks for the terrific list, if anyone/we all internalize this mighty list, we'll be far closer to "it" than ever!

cheers, DC

[Tim Price]

thank you-

tunes are very,very vital to any saxophonists life.i'm a firm believer if you can't play tunes....you working against yourself.
most sax players back in the late 60s and early 70s knew at least a couple 100 tunes without music.and that was before all these fake books :o
i think some ppl need to invest some time in the music and less on equipment imho 8)
oh well...to each his own :idea:

[DC]

I concur yet again,

While I enjoy all the discussion about gear, etc., as I age disgracefully, I want to hear Zoot play Ellington tunes more and more. And/or any other tunes as well. I'm trying to play catch up on standards myself, and always encourage students to learn tunes as much if not more than technique, etc. I urge them to stop obsessing about gear and play tunes.

cheers, DC

[Tim Price]

To go a step further....I gotta tell ya...I was lucky.
In 1969 @ Berklee in Boston, I had a class with Jeff Stoudt.A great trumpet player.
Each class he'd tell the rhythm section the chords via A sections then Bridge and count a tune off.We had to come in on the 2ed Chorus without the music, and using our ears fast. THIS...also was the way MANY gigs were in Boston. Even the STRIP LOUNGES. You had to learn fast, be able to hear right on the melody and play it.
There were NO REAL BOOKS then and very little if ANY Aebersold.
Ya had to study records...make mistakes and HEAR.I try to instill this in my students to this day. Ya gotta be a TUNESMITH. Imagine ALL the tunes Colman Hawkins knew!!! YEA!!
I also get on a kick...where I study phrasing..of vocalists...to get the melody even better.I sing the words WITH the CD...THEN...play the tune on my sax.
Some of the singers/tunes are listed below. It might help.This is something Sonny Stitt turned me on to as well.He knew ALL the words.Big Nick knew VERSES to tunes
that nobody knew. ( I'm lucky..to have know those guys..thank god)
Here's some of the tunes via the singers, I'm into these days: Hope it sheds some light.

All Of Me / Standard
A Kiss To Build A Dream On / Louis Armstrong
Besame Mucho / Nat King Cole Trio
Come Away With Me / Norah Jones
Comes Love / Billy Holiday
'Deed I Do / Standard
Do It Again / Shirley Horn
East of the Sun and West of the Moon / Diana Krall
Give Me the Simple Life / Peggy Lee
It's A Wonderful World / Irene Kral
Just You Just Me / Doris Day
Makin' Whoopie / Dr. John
Paper Moon / Ella Fitzgerald
Peel Me A Grape / Diana Krall
Squeeze Me / Peggy Lee
Too Darn Hot / Ella Fitzgerald

[Billy The Fish]

This is a good place to start-many of my NewYork City or Penna. based sax students try to memorize about one standard a week, with melody and chords.

Good advice. This is something I am working on myself at present. When you say memorise one standard a week, do you mean just in the original key, or in all 12 keys ?

Billy The Fish

[Tim Price]

This is a good place to start-many of my NewYork City or Penna. based sax students try to memorize about one standard a week, with melody and chords.

Good advice. This is something I am working on myself at present. When you say memorise one standard a week, do you mean just in the original key, or in all 12 keys ?

Billy The Fish

Billy- do whatever works best for you in your time frame for practice.
If you can do orig key- do it.IF..theres more time act go for it :wink:

[saxplayer02148]

A few years ago I finally starting to memorize standards rather than fake my way through them, thinking I knew the changes, when often I did not.
When I work on a tune for my lesson for a few weeks I have it down fine, but after awhile I no longer remember tunes completely. Any suggestions on how to keep a long list under your fingers? It's obviously not an option to go over them all (40 + tunes) daily.
Also, gigs are not steady, so I have less chance to play them regularly.
In fact, the most regular work is probably in a "wedding band" where the musicians are often not jazz players and only know less than 10 standards.
Stephanie

[usda]

I totally agree about the importance of the 'standards'. I have several fake and real books on Hd and print out those that catch my attention every day.

The thing about the 'standards' are they are imprinted almost in my generations DNA. Everybody recognizes them, they are supriseingly simple in their melodies and allow a great deal of room for improv, changes in time and rythem. Even without extensive rejazzing they are beautiful, at least to those who are firmly middle aged...and they have the money.

If worse came to worse...God forbid...an aging and inspiring saxaphonist could keep the hat filled with coin of the realm, playing those same standards on the corner street/

And they were successful because of simple catchy melodies and rhythms and I believe successful music can be built around them without much trouble at all.