You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - Best of YHI: 17 Standards Every Jazz Player Should Know - #86

Episode Date: December 24, 2018

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Hey, Adam. What's up, Beat? I'll marry Christmas Eve. What is it Christmas Eve today? It's Christmas Eve today, yeah. I didn't think you'd show up to do the podcast. I'm not actually here. You're not?

I'm here. So we are going to do a best of, I heard today. We're going to do a best of week because we're not actually going to be here. I'm coming every day. I don't know about you. You're way more committed to this podcast. How about, let's just show up just for the intro. So we just show up for this and then we'll get out of here and we'll do the best of.

Sounds good. Every day. Okay. Okay. So today. this is our number one episode of all time, right? This is our most popular episode of all time. It's from way back in season one.

So does that mean we're going downhill if the season one was more popular? I think it's just more cumulative listens, but possibly. Are these stats stacked against us? Well, first of all, so this is our top episode of all time here is 17 best standards. What is it? 17 greatest standards you should know. Yeah. Right?

We used to do lists of 17. We were so ambitious. This was our last list of 17. Oh, okay. Yeah. But now it's all about the sevens. So this is going, and you know what? I bet you couldn't name one of these 17 standards now.

You don't think I could name one? No, without looking. Oh, you got it pulled up? I'd name one. Lush Life. No, I don't think that's all there. Is it not on there? Well, you know what?

We got to listen now to find out. All right, here it is. You'll hear it. I'm Peter Martin. And I'm Adam Manus. Welcome to the You'll Hear It podcast. Today, we're going to talk about 17 standards every jazz player should know.

And that's it, right? We just learned 17 and we're done? 17 and you're done. Then you're a jazz player. Jazz is so easy in our introductions. Absolutely. Okay. Yes, in reality, it would behoove you

to learn a few more than these 17. But we're going to do 17 because we love in the 17, 7, 27. Well, why don't we give them 27? Wouldn't it be 10 better? And then we'd be here all day. We couldn't do that. Okay. But these are good.

Actually, these 17 are ones that you definitely don't want to be called out not knowing if they get called. Absolutely. Yeah, I mean, these, you have to know these. Totally. And there's really a bunch more that you have to. But one thing I would just say

to you, it is something that, one of the few things that I, organizationally, that I really did well when I was young. And that was, I always kept a little log,

a little book of tunes that I needed to learn. And sometimes it's just as simple as that, just a little catalog, ones that I knew, and ones that I needed to learn. And when I went to a gig or a jam session

or even read something or heard an interview when someone would drop a tune. I was like, ugh, I guess I got to know that one. And you can't learn them and you shouldn't learn them all in one day or one week or even one month because you want to learn these deeply. We talk about that all the time.

Yep. But these are definitely ones you're going to want to get together before you're getting a website saying, hey, I'm a jazz musician, you know, or business cards printed up as a jazz player. You better know these seven. You have to. I think the business card companies should quiz you about this before you let you put jazz musicians on your card. Okay. Okay, so I'm gonna kick it off with one that if you're on the gig and somebody calls it and you didn't know it, you might be physically hurt by some of the other musicians or some of the people in the audience or just some random seven-year-old kid walking along.

I would authorize that kind of damage to you no matter what. We joke about the jazz please, but I might deputize myself if someone didn't know this one. Okay, this is Take the A-Train. So this is a universally loved and somewhat scorn tune at this point because it's so well-known. but it's such a classic Duke Ellington Oh man, it's so swinging though It's so swinging, it's such a standard People love it

People know it even when they don't know that they know it People love it even when they think they hate jazz And so you just got to know it The second tune is Satin Doll Another classic Another one that I mean go back to the original source of this And listen to some early recordings of it

It is so swinging and it's such a cool tune I love the harmonic concept of it And it's a really good tune to learn how to solo over. Yeah, yeah. Okay, we're going to kind of, I don't know, we were talking about going in chronological order,

but maybe we'll jump around a little bit just as we're thinking about these, but next, I'm going to say, I've got rhythm by the Gershwins, and this one I think is so important because it covers like a hundred different tunes, right, because of the form of it. Exactly, yeah.

There's, of course, you know the classic melody, which you should always know. I always say, like, how do you know 10 I got rhythm changes tunes, but you don't actually know I got rhythm, where the form is actually a little different. There's that tag. There's the tag on.

So I see a lot of players kind of messing that up. So that's definitely one to know. Our next tune is the first ballad that makes our famous list of 17 standards. Every jazz player should know. I like it how they have to make our list. We're very judgmental, aren't we? Oh, yeah, yeah. Exclusive club.

It's all about us and what we're going to put on other people. This is the classic ballad body and soul. It's going to be called that almost every jam session you go to. It should be one of the first ballads you learn, if not the very first. Yeah. Next, since we're talking ballads that you've got to know, and this one's called a lot in several different styles, and that's my funny Valentine. Oh, yeah. Especially for this time of year, kind of Valentine's Day, we're in February now.

That's, you know, if you want to do a gig in the middle weeks of February, you better know that soon. Absolutely. And now we're going to go to Jam Session Favorite Stella by Starlight. This is great because there's like all these secondary dominance that really, you know, for a beginning player, can be very tricky. A lot of half-diminish chords that go nowhere. It's really, really, I mean, it's kind of a deep tune, actually, when you break it down. But, yeah, definitely get some Stella by Starlight going first. Okay, cool.

Well, since we're still in the ballot kind of situation, I would say I'm going to throw another Gershwin in there, and that's Embraceable You. Beautiful tune. Yeah. Now, to be honest, is this in the top 17 standards that you have to know if you only learn 17? Probably not. It's in Peter's top. I mean, I love the tune so much. So I'm personalizing a little bit.

But it's certainly in the top 117 that you should know. You know, easily in the top, like, 57 for sure. Right, right. Our next tune is the amazing C-JAM blues. Oh, of course. It's like a great piece of minimalist art. It's like a perfect representation of swing and the blues. It's essential.

Yeah, absolutely. We should have had that first, but we're not going in order of importance. We're going in order of what we want. Next, let's do on Green Dolphin Street. Yep. Now, this talk about jam session. called a lot. I mean, this for sure is like you've got to know it. There's some great different versions, reference things, but this is another one that's like, it's probably

more of like a player's standard than an audience standard, although people know it and like it, but it's like players love to call this at certain, you know, at certain levels. And if you really want to throw them off at a jam session, do the A section Latin and do the B section swing. Oh. Everybody's going to lose their mind on that one. Mind blown. Speaking of Latin, we're going to continue on with Disney Galaspe's classic A Night in Tunisia. This is a an amazing tune. You know, make sure to learn from the original recordings. You can learn it with that great interlude and also, you know, transcribe dizzy solo on this. It's like, it's so much good stuff for this tune. Yeah. Now, I'm just, I got a little bone to pick with you, though,

in terms of Latin. Isn't Tunisia technically more part of North Africa than it is Latin America? Don't take that up with me. Take it up a dis. That's all right. Okay, next, okay, since we're talking jam sessions, there is no greater love or no greater love. What is it called? I think I've blocked this one out. Okay, yeah. Now this, we're getting into the first tune that I'm going to kind of admit I don't really like, actually, but we've got to put some stuff, I mean, I shouldn't say I don't really like it. I just don't think it should be as high up on the list of a standard that you have to know. But this is, we're talking about 17 standards. Every jazz player should know, and so you got to put it in there. It's one of these, like, on your first jazz piano lesson, this is probably

what one of the tunes your teacher is going to give you to learn. You know, you're right. It's not one of my favorites either. I can't really think of a good recording of it that I like. You You know what I mean? There's no... But I mean, is there any more commonly called tune at a jam session? I can't imagine. Yeah. Okay. Oh, this next one is Misty.

Now, this was like one of the most famous tunes in the world for a few decades. It was really, really popular. And it will also get called a lot of jam sessions. It's a great ballad. It's actually a profoundly beautiful tune. It's really well-written. It's so well-crafted. The lyrics are gorgeous.

I like to play this song. Yeah, I do too. And I think, yeah. You talk about the lyrics really, I mean, we've had some great lyrical lyrics in some of these tunes, but I mean, this is the one that really is integral to it and completes the tune. It's great. Well, okay, so another ballad along those lines, and I'm going to be a little controversial here, and I'm going to say Skylark. Ooh.

Because, again, I'm kind of falling off the reservation here and saying it's one of the top 17. That's a hipster 17. It is a kind of hipster, but hey, I like it. I think it's a great tune. And, you know, your street credit will go up a little bit if you know this. And you'll just learn a lot from that kind of tune. It's a great tune. I'm going to go with another jam session favorite.

And this is kind of, I feel like it's a very modern jam session, too. All the things you are, it's so malleable as a form and just the cycle of force. It's a great tune. I have played this song a thousand times, I'm sure, and I still love playing it. I love practicing new ideas over it. It gets me through a lot. I love all the things. I mean, truly a standard if they're ever, ever one.

I mean, I got to remember. We're calling 17 standards every jazz player should. know. We didn't say the top 17 standards, but we said these are ones that everyone should know. And for sure, that's top of the list. So close up there that you should know for sure. And another great tune is Autumn Leaves. Yeah. Called a lot, recognized a lot, great standard, you know, truly a tune that, I mean, the lyrics are cool on it and stuff, but I mean, really one that instrumentally has gone a lot of different places, a lot of different great players and styles and you gotta know it. Yeah, especially if you're working on, you know, the difference

between major 251s and minor 251s. It's a great way to kind of get those things in your fingers. Go through all 12 keys? Yep. We're going to start rounding out our list here with Philonius Monk's classic Blue Monk. This is the, I believe, the second or third, second blues on our list of 17?

It doesn't matter. You've forgotten all the other ones. Yeah, we had C Jam, I think. C Jam, right. So this is equally as a standard on jam sessions. It's a very simple melody, and I encourage you to learn the melody is Monk played it because it's so swinging and soulful

and it really is a testament to the power of the blues in jazz. Yeah, and I would say that really, you know, we talked about whether or not we were going to include things that maybe some people could say aren't standards because we're not saying jazz standards. We're saying standards. But I mean, I really think that and Blue Monk and stuff should be in there.

And in fact, because this is number 17, our final one, I'm going to throw a little bit of a curveball and get a little bit regional for us here. Hey, where are we at now? Where we at? The classic WC. Handy St. Louis Blues. Represent St. Louis. Yeah, so we're going to fill that in there. And, you know, it's just a great tune.

A lot of the origins of this music, you know, spring forth from that. There's a big connection, you know, with the New Orleans players in that song and St. Louis and the Mississippi River. So you got to know it. Actually, you know, regional pride aside, it is a really, really fantastic tune. And it is a essential standard, no doubt. Absolutely. So make sure you learn all these standards and you'll hear it. That's it for today's episode of the You'll Hear It Podcast.

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