Jazz standard Totally Explained

Everything about Jazz Standards totally explained

A jazz standard is a jazz tune that's held in continuing esteem and which is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians as part of the jazz musical repertoire. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be "jazz standards" changes over time. Moreover, there are different jazz standards for the different musical styles and subgenres that make up jazz, such as swing, bebop, and fusion. In many cases, songs that have become jazz standards were not originally composed by a jazz musician. Instead, they were used as the foundation for jazz arrangements, reharmonization, or improvisation by jazz performers or composers. Nevertheless, the songs commonly included in jazz fake books (books containing the melodies and chords to jazz songs) and those that have been widely recorded are a rough guide to the list of jazz standards.
Many jazz standards have a long history, and they're based on old popular tunes, Broadway or musical selections, or old recordings of famous bands from the Great American Songbook. In some cases, the version of a song that becomes a jazz standard is a reharmonized or altered version of the original song. Jazz musicians also include a wide range of 1950s and 1960s Bebop and Hard Bop tunes in their standards.
The development of a repertoire of jazz standards has created a shortlist of songs that are widely known by jazz musicians from different countries and jazz subgenre traditions. This shortlist makes it easier for jazz musicians to flesh out their song list for performances, or improvise over in familiar chord changes during jam sessions with musicians that they've just met. As well, the jazz standard repertoire is often performed by "working musicians" who play in bars, lounges, and supper clubs.

Standards from different eras

Well-known standards from the Dixieland era, such as "Basin Street Blues", "When the Saints Go Marching In", and "I Got Rhythm" are known even to non-jazz fans. The chord progression from "I Got Rhythm", known as "Rhythm changes", became a popular foundation for new jazz tunes in subsequent decades (for more information, see the List of Dixieland standards). "Mainstream" or "evergreen" jazz standards such as "All of Me", "My Funny Valentine", "Tea for Two" and "Stella By Starlight" are performed by jazz performers from a wide range of jazz subgenres (for more information, see the List of Mainstream jazz standards). Swing band standards include "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" and "Take the A Train" (for more information, see the List of Swing jazz standards). Bebop standards include: "Now's The Time" and "Well You Needn't" (for more information, see the List of Bebop jazz standards). Bossa Nova standards include:"Blue Bossa", "Garota de Ipanema" ("The Girl from Ipanema"), and "One Note Samba (Samba de Uma Nota Só)" (for more information, see the List of Bossa standards). Modal and Postbop standards include "Impressions", "So What", "All Blues", and "Footprints"(for more information, see the List of Modal and Post-bop jazz standards). Latin/Funk standards include "Little Sunflower" and "The Chicken" (for more information, see the List of Latin and Funk jazz standards).

Further Information

Get more info on 'Jazz Standards'.

External Link Exchanges

Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:

<a href="http://jazz_standard.totallyexplained.com">Jazz standard Totally Explained</a>

Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned.