Tunes are our shared language. One of the most beautiful and unifying aspects of jazz is this common musical familiarity that enables any group of seasoned musicians to get together and immediately start making music. I’ll cover the pros and cons of learning tunes as well as the right approach to building a solid base of tunes in your arsenal. At the end I give a list of tunes to learn, separated out by their importance based on the frequency with which they get called at sessions/gigs.
Note: If you’re just looking for a tune list, scroll to the bottom.
Why Learn Tunes?
A few of the many reasons:
- Part of being a jazz musician is being able to play over at least a handful of tunes. Some guys like Lee Konitz prefer to use the same set of a dozen tunes and explore improvisational approaches, others know thousands of tunes off the top of their head. It’s up to you and your goals.
- Some gigs require tune knowledge. Why limit your pool of gigs?
- Different tunes require different tools. Learning to navigate myriad harmonic, rhythmic, and structural intricacies of various tunes makes you a more well rounded improviser and better musician.
- Your compositional foundation comes from the tunes you have studied. You will use the melodies, forms, and harmonic standards should you choose to start composing (highly recommended!).
- Put your listening into context. Once you know a tune, listening to a recording/show of somebody playing that tune becomes far more meaningful. You will be an engaged, active listener, and you will begin to understand the choices the improviser is making
The Dark Side of Tunes
Knowing a shared set of tunes can be a crutch. An unrehearsed group of guys gets on the bandstand, takes 10 minutes between songs trying to figure out a tune to play next, then eventually agrees on something everybody knows and doesn’t consider too lame. We’re all guilty of this from time to time. Not only does this come across as extremely unprofessional, but also consider that the portion of your audience that’s not musicians is probably already a bit confused by jazz in the first place. Why further alienate them? Check out some of the veteran guys on the scene to learn how to play a pure tunes gig while still putting on a good show.
The Right Way to Learn a Tune
First, let’s cover the wrong way: open a real book, read the tune down, memorize the names of the chords and the melody, and repeat/revisit until you remember it.
Here’s a better approach: I’ll try to do this in steps, but the sequence is less important than the exploratory spirit of the process:
- Find a few seminal versions of the tune played by the masters and listen to them until you can sing along to the melody.
- What key is it in? If you notice different versions are in different keys, find more recordings and figure out the most common key. Start with that one, then after you’ve learned the tune, go back and learn it in other common keys.
- Learn the melody. It’s helpful to have a few reference recordings to figure out what’s the true melody and what’s embellishment. Learning the lyrics (when they exist) is extremely valuable.
- Figure out the form: is there a bridge? Are the phrases 8 bars long? Is there a tag? Refer to the melody for help.
- Determine the harmony. When you get stuck, go to the piano and try to figure out the changes. Start with the bass note, then figure out the quality of the chord (major/minor/etc.), then fill in the colors (is it a C7 or really C7#11?).Map it out functionally using roman numerals (2 bars on I, then it’s a ii-V to the IV, etc.).
- If you’re still stuck or not 100% sure of your findings, you can find a lead sheet in a real book or online to try to get a second opinion. Note that most of these sources have errors (except for Jamey Aebersold’s lead sheets which are very high quality), so if you disagree about a change, you may be more correct than your source lead sheet.
- Play the tune along with the recording, then a backing track if you have one), and finally with just a metronome.
Using this approach, you will find that you’ll actually remember the tune, your ear will improve, and your freedom to improvise over the changes and remember the form will improve. Later you can try to learn the tune in all 12 keys if you’re feeling ambitious.
Where Should I Start? 36 Tunes You Can’t Avoid Learning
I get this question a lot. Disclaimer – I don’t know thousands of tunes. But over the years I’ve tried to learn most of the tunes that get called frequently on gigs and sessions, added some that appear across multiple or important recordings, and rounded it out with tunes that I just like. I’ve been overwhelmed by long tune lists in the past, so started to make my own system to prioritize the tunes that are most important to learn. Here are 36 tunes that you just need to know if you want to play jazz. They’re not the 36 easiest, and there’s no significance to 36 other than that it seems like an approachable starting point.
300 Tunes – Prioritized
Starting with the 36 critical tunes above, the below tune list and attached Excel workbook are the method I use to track my own progress as well as that of my students of tackling a list of 300 tunes I put together. Yes, I’m a huge Excel geek, but let’s leave that alone for now. I honestly don’t even know every one of these tunes, but I’d like to! I break my list into 4 sub-lists:
- D-List: Don’t Know – I don’t know the tune
- C-List: Familiar – I might be able to get by playing the tune on a gig, but I’ll rely heavily on my ear.
- B-List: Proficient – I know the tune pretty well, but I have to think a little bit.
- A-List: Mastered – I know it cold, it’s a part of me.
As I learn a tune, it starts in D, then moves from C to B to A as grow more comfortable. Download the workbook, clear out the “My List” column, and fill it in for yourself to track your own progress.
Excel Workbook: Tune List Tracker
Note: Only edit the “Tunes” tab, and use it to keep track of your progress. The “Filter List” tab provides a summarized set of a specific attribute. For example, if you want to find your A and B-list critical and high priority tunes, filter for My List = A, B; Priority = 1 (Critical), 2 (High). Email me if you run into any issues.
Here’s a copy of the list for reference. Happy tune learning!
# | Name | Type | Priority |
1 | All The Things You Are | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
2 | Anthropology | Rhythm Changes | 1 (Critical) |
3 | Autumn Leaves | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
4 | Billie’s Bounce | Blues | 1 (Critical) |
5 | Blue Bossa | Latin | 1 (Critical) |
6 | Body and Soul | Ballad | 1 (Critical) |
7 | Cherokee | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
8 | Donna Lee | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
9 | Four | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
10 | Giant Steps | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
11 | Green Dolphin Street | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
12 | Groovin’ High | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
13 | Have You Met Miss Jones | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
14 | How High the Moon | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
15 | I Hear A Rhapsody | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
16 | I Love You | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
17 | I’ll Remember April | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
18 | Impressions | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
19 | Invitation | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
20 | It Could Happen To You | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
21 | Just Friends | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
22 | Lady Bird | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
23 | Mr PC | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
24 | Now’s the Time | Blues | 1 (Critical) |
25 | Oleo | Rhythm Changes | 1 (Critical) |
26 | Out of Nowhere | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
27 | Softly as in a Morning Sunrise | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
28 | Solar | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
29 | Stablemates | Jazz Standard | 1 (Critical) |
30 | Stella by Starlight | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
31 | Straight No Chaser | Blues | 1 (Critical) |
32 | Summertime | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
33 | Tenor Madness | Blues | 1 (Critical) |
34 | There is No Greater Love | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
35 | There Will Never Be Another You | Standard | 1 (Critical) |
36
|
What is this Thing Called Love
|
Standard
|
1 (Critical)
|
37 | Airegin | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
38 | All of Me | Standard | 2 (High) |
39 | Alone Together | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
40 | Along Came Betty | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
41 | Ask Me Now | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
42 | Au Privave | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
43 | Beatrice | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
44 | Blues for Alice | Blues | 2 (High) |
45 | Bolivia | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
46 | Bye Bye Blackbird | Standard | 2 (High) |
47 | C Jam Clues | Blues | 2 (High) |
48 | Caravan | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
49 | Confirmation | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
50 | Days of Wine and Roses | Standard | 2 (High) |
51 | Dolphin Dance | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
52 | Don’t Get Around Much Anymore | Standard | 2 (High) |
53 | East of the Sun | Standard | 2 (High) |
54 | In a Sentimental Mood | Ballad | 2 (High) |
55 | In Your Own Sweet Way | Standard | 2 (High) |
56 | Inner Urge | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
57 | Isfahan | Standard | 2 (High) |
58 | Joy Spring | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
59 | Lazy Bird | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
60 | Like Someone in Love | Standard | 2 (High) |
61 | Milestones (new) | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
62 | Minority | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
63 | Moment’s Notice | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
64 | Moonlight in Vermont | Ballad | 2 (High) |
65 | My One and Only Love | Ballad | 2 (High) |
66 | Nardis | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
67 | Nica’s Dream | Latin | 2 (High) |
68 | Night and Day | Standard | 2 (High) |
69 | One Finger Snap | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
70 | Pent-up House | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
71 | Recordame | Latin | 2 (High) |
72 | Rhythm-a-Ning | Rhythm Changes | 2 (High) |
73 | Round Midnight | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
74 | Scrapple from the Apple | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
75 | Serenity | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
76 | Seven Steps to Heaven | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
77 | Soul Eyes | Ballad | 2 (High) |
78 | Star Eyes | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
79 | Take the “A” Train | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
80 | The Song is You | Standard | 2 (High) |
81 | The Theme | Rhythm Changes | 2 (High) |
82 | This I Dig of You | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
83 | Tune-Up | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
84 | UMMG | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
85 | Without a Song | Standard | 2 (High) |
86 | Yardbird Suite | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
87 | Yes or No | Jazz Standard | 2 (High) |
88
|
You Stepped Out of a Dream
|
Standard
|
2 (High)
|
89 | 26-2 | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
90 | A Night in Tunisia | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
91 | All Blues | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
92 | All of You | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
93 | Angel Eyes | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
94 | Autumn in New York | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
95 | Beautiful Love | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
96 | Bemsha Swing | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
97 | Black Narcissus | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
98 | Black Nile | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
99 | Black Orpheus | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
100 | Blue Monk | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
101 | But Beautiful | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
102 | But Not for Me | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
103 | Ceora | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
104 | Cheryl | Blues | 3 (Medium) |
105 | Come Rain or Come Shine | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
106 | Con Alma | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
107 | Corcovado (Quiet Nights) | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
108 | Countdown | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
109 | Criss Cross | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
110 | Daahound | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
111 | Desafinado | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
112 | Doxy | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
113 | Easy to Love | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
114 | Embraceable You | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
115 | Epistrophy | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
116 | Equinox | Blues | 3 (Medium) |
117 | ESP | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
118 | Everything Happens to Me | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
119 | Evidence | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
120 | Falling Grace | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
121 | Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
122 | Footprints | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
123 | For All We Know | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
124 | Four In One | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
125 | Freddie Freeloader | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
126 | Freedom Jazz Dance | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
127 | Good Bait | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
128 | Goodbye Pork Pie | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
129 | Green Chimneys | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
130 | Half Nelson | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
131 | Hot House | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
132 | How Deep is the Ocean | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
133 | I Can’t Get Started | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
134 | I Could Write a Book | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
135 | I Got Rhythm | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
136 | I Mean You | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
137 | I Remember Clifford | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
138 | I Remember You | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
139 | I Should Care | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
140 | I Thought about You | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
141 | If I Were a Bell | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
142 | In Walked Bud | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
143 | Indiana | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
144 | Infant Eyes | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
145 | Isotope | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
146 | It I Should Lose You | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
147 | It’s You or No One | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
148 | Jordu | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
149 | Just in Time | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
150 | Just One of those Things | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
151 | Killer Joe | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
152 | Laura | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
153 | Let’s Cool One | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
154 | Little Sunflower | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
155 | Love for Sale | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
156 | Lullaby of Birdland | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
157 | Lush Life | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
158 | Maiden Voyage | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
159 | Milestones (Miles) | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
160 | Misty | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
161 | Monk’s Dream | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
162 | Monk’s Mood | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
163 | My Foolish Heart | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
164 | My Funny Valentine | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
165 | My Shining Hour | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
166 | My Ship | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
167 | Nefertiti | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
168 | Night Dreamer | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
169 | Old Folks | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
170 | One Note Samba | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
171 | Ornithology | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
172 | Peace | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
173 | Pensativa | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
174 | Perdido | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
175 | Polka dots and Moonbeams | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
176 | Prelude to a Kiss | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
177 | Ruby My Dear | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
178 | Salt Peanuts | Rhythm Changes | 3 (Medium) |
179 | Sandu | Blues | 3 (Medium) |
180 | Satin Doll | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
181 | Secret Love | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
182 | Skylark | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
183 | So What | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
184 | Someday my Prince will Come | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
185 | Song For My Father | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
186 | Sonnymoon for Two | Blues | 3 (Medium) |
187 | Speak Low | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
188 | Speak No Evil | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
189 | St. Thomas | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
190 | Steeplechase | Rhythm Changes | 3 (Medium) |
191 | Stompin’ at the Savoy | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
192 | Sweet Georgia Brown | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
193 | Tenderly | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
194 | The Girl From Ipanema | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
195 | The Jitterbug Waltz | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
196 | The Night Has 1000 Eyes | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
197 | The Shadow of your Smile | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
198 | The Way you Look Tonight | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
199 | These Foolish Things | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
200 | Think of One | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
201 | Up Jumped Spring | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
202 | Walkin’ | Blues | 3 (Medium) |
203 | Watermelon Man | Funk | 3 (Medium) |
204 | Wave | Latin | 3 (Medium) |
205 | Well, you Needn’t | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
206 | What’s New? | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
207 | Whisper Not | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
208 | Wild Flower | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
209 | Windows | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
210 | Witch Hunt | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
211 | Witchcraft | Standard | 3 (Medium) |
212 | Woody ‘n You | Jazz Standard | 3 (Medium) |
213 | Yesterdays | Ballad | 3 (Medium) |
214
|
You Don’t Know What Love Is
|
Ballad
|
3 (Medium)
|
215 | A Child is Born | Standard | 4 (Low) |
216 | A Day in the Life of a Fool | Standard | 4 (Low) |
217 | Afternoon in Paris | Standard | 4 (Low) |
218 | Ah-Leu-Cha | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
219 | Alice in Wonderland | Standard | 4 (Low) |
220 | All God’s Chillun | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
221 | April in Paris | Standard | 4 (Low) |
222 | Bag’s Groove | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
223 | Bernie’s Tune | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
224 | Bessie’s Blues | Blues | 4 (Low) |
225 | Blue in Green | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
226 | Bluesette | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
227 | Chelsea Bridge | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
228 | Conception | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
229 | Cousin Mary | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
230 | CTA | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
231 | Dearly Beloved | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
232 | Dig | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
233 | Don’t Blame Me | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
234 | Easy Living | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
235 | El Gaucho | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
236 | Emily | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
237 | End of a Love Affair | Standard | 4 (Low) |
238 | Georgia On My Mind | Standard | 4 (Low) |
239 | Gone with the Wind | Standard | 4 (Low) |
240 | Hackensack | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
241 | Here’s That Rainy Day | Standard | 4 (Low) |
242 | Hi-Fly | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
243 | How Insensitive | Latin | 4 (Low) |
244 | I Didn’t Know What Time it Was | Standard | 4 (Low) |
245 | I Fall in Love too Easily | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
246 | I Got it Bad and that ain’t Good | Standard | 4 (Low) |
247 | I Want to Talk about You | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
248 | I’ll Take Romance | Standard | 4 (Low) |
249 | I’m Old Fashioned | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
250 | I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
251 | If You Could See Me Now | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
252 | In A Mellowtone | Standard | 4 (Low) |
253 | Israel | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
254 | It Don’t Mean a Thing | Standard | 4 (Low) |
255 | It Might As Well Be Spring | Standard | 4 (Low) |
256 | It’s All Right with Me | Standard | 4 (Low) |
257 | Joshua | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
258 | Juju | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
259 | Lament | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
260 | Lester Leaps In | Rhythm Changes | 4 (Low) |
261 | Litha | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
262 | Long Ago and Far Away | Standard | 4 (Low) |
263 | Love Walked In | Standard | 4 (Low) |
264 | Lover | Standard | 4 (Low) |
265 | Lover Come Back to Me | Standard | 4 (Low) |
266 | Loverman | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
267 | Mack the Knife | Standard | 4 (Low) |
268 | Mahjong | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
269 | Manteca | Latin | 4 (Low) |
270 | Meditation | Latin | 4 (Low) |
271 | Misterioso | Blues | 4 (Low) |
272 | Monk’s Mood | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
273 | Mr Clean | Funk | 4 (Low) |
274 | My Romance | Standard | 4 (Low) |
275 | Naima | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
276 | On the Sunny Side of the Street | Standard | 4 (Low) |
277 | Once I Loved | Latin | 4 (Low) |
278 | Our Delight | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
279 | Our Love is Here to Stay | Standard | 4 (Low) |
280 | Over the Rainbow | Standard | 4 (Low) |
281 | Passion Dance | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
282 | Satellite | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
283 | Smoke Gets in your Eyes | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
284 | Some Other Blues | Blues | 4 (Low) |
285 | Someone to Watch Over Me | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
286 | Sophisticated Lady | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
287 | Spring Can Really Hang You Up | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
288 | Spring is Here | Standard | 4 (Low) |
289 | Stardust | Standard | 4 (Low) |
290 | Sugar | Blues | 4 (Low) |
291 | Tangerine | Standard | 4 (Low) |
292 | The Duke | Standard | 4 (Low) |
293 | Things ain’t what they used to Be | Blues | 4 (Low) |
294 | Triste | Latin | 4 (Low) |
295 | Unit Seven | Blues | 4 (Low) |
296 | Valse Hot | Jazz Standard | 4 (Low) |
297 | When I Fall in Love | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
298 | When Lights are Low | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
299 | When Sunny Gets Blue | Ballad | 4 (Low) |
300 | You’re a Weaver of Dreams | Standard | 4 (Low) |