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Must-know tunes!

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A while ago I began a project of memorizing standards (melody, progression, other important information) based on a list of tunes. I thought it would be interesting to find out what you all consider to be the most important tunes for students of jazz to master. I'll toss out a few to start: So What/Impressions -- an introduction to modal improvising and the work of John Coltrane Blue Monk and Straight, No Chaser -- good blues tunes, great exposure to the music of Monk Autumn Leaves -- II-V7-I in major and minor Tim Owen

Funny you should ask. I'm revising a packet for a clinic on teaching jazz that I'll be giving at a few upcoming NASA conferences, and I came up with a list of about 50 tunes. This list is based on 1) my personal experience, 2) cross-referencing tune lists from books by Coker, Baker, Aebersold, and Levine for overlaps, and 3) a very un-scientific poll of saxophonists I know from different areas of the country. Here goes: All Blues All the Things You Are Alone Together Autumn Leaves Billie’s Bounce (and other blues heads) Blue Bossa Blue Monk Body and Soul Bye Bye Blakbird Caravan Cherokee C Jam Blues Days of Wine and Roses Doxy Footprints Freddie Freeloader Girl from Ipanema Green Dolphin Street Have You Met Ms. Jones How High the Moon I Can’t Get Started I Got Rhythm I’ll Remember April I Love You Impressions In a Mellowtone In a Sentimental Mood Invitation I Remember You Joy Spring Ladybird Loverman Maiden Voyage Misty My Funny Valentine My One and Only Love Night and Day Night in Tunisia Now’s the Time Oleo Over the Rainbow Perdido Polka Dots and Moonbeams ‘Round Midnight St. Thomas Softly as a Morning Sunrise So What Stella by Starlight Take the “A” Train Tenor Madness The Theme There is no Greater Love There Will Never Be Another You You Stepped Out of a Dream I'm sure I'll get some comments about this list. Some people won't be able to believe I excluded one of their favorite gig tunes, others will think I've included too many blues heads, etc. However, I think there's probably a consensus that most, if not all, of the tunes on this list belong on a "gig-survival" list of good tunes to have memorized.

i like this List. it includes tunes that are also considered standards which are just as important. Especially tunes that have similar changes. I was even thinking of getting ones that are sort of the pillars and putting those up first, then maybe tunes with similar changes underneath. (too anal for jazz??) Sort of like; Ornithology going with "How High the Moon" or maybe all the 32 bar AABA tunes that are kinda like "I Got Rhythm." I kinda remember the way I learned tunes and found that kind of categorizing to work for me when learning. Then taking 3-5 recordings of a tune for listening. Maybe not just saxophone but tpt, bone, piano and vocal. Sal Lozano website

Hey, Sal. I actually used a list like you're describing for a while. I didn't write it, and I can't find it at the moment, but it was basically a list of standards organized categorically rather than alphabetically. So you'd have lists of up-tempo tunes, ballads, waltzes, latin tunes, bebop tunes, modal tunes, etc. This is great to have for jazz pick-up gigs so you can vary the programming better, and it also cuts down on the "dead air" between tunes while the band figures out what to play next.