LearnJazzPiano.com archives: 100 Greatest Standards
jazzvirtuoso -- 08/13/2005, 13:16:16 -- #17553
According To Digital Dream Door!

1. Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday/Cassandra Wilson)
  2. Summertime (Ella Fitzgerald/Nina Simone)
  3. God Bless the Child (Billie Holiday/Carmen McRae)
  4. What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong/Etta Jones)
  5. What A Difference A Day Made (Dinah Washington/Sarah Vaughan)
  6. My Funny Valentine (Sarah Vaughan/Chet Baker)
  7. Mack The Knife (Frank Sinatra/Ella Fitzgerald)
  8. Body and Soul (Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan)
  9. Someone To Watch Over Me (Blossom Dearie/Ella Fitzgerald)
10. You've Changed (Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald)
11. Lullabye of Birdland (Sarah Vaughan/Ella Fitzgerald)
12. Fine and Mellow (Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald)
13. Fever (Peggy Lee/Michael Buble)
14. The End of A Love Affair (Billie Holiday/Chaka Khan)
15. How High The Moon (Ella Fitzgerald/June Christy)
16. Don't Explain (Billie Holiday/Dinah Washington)
17. Oh Lady, Be Good! (Ella Fitzgerald/Mel Torme)
18. You Don't Know What Love Is (Billie Holiday/Dinah Washington)
19. Teach Me Tonight (Dinah Washington/Al Jarreau)
20. Stormy Weather (Lena Horne/Dinah Washington)
21. Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) (Eartha Kitt/Billie Holiday)
22. They Can't Take That Away From Me (Ella Fitzgerald/Frank Sinatra)
23. The Very Thought of  You (Billie Holiday/ Nat King Cole)
24. East of the Sun (West of the Moon) (Lee Wiley/Diana Krall)
25. I Loves You Porgy (Nina Simone/Billie Holiday)
26. Black Coffee (Peggy Lee/Sarah Vaughan)
27. (Corcovado) Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars (Sarah Vaughan/Astrud Gilberto)
28. What A Little Moonlight Can Do (Billie Holiday/Betty Carter)
29. Night and Day (Billie Holiday/Mel Torme)
30. It Don't Mean A Thing If It  Ain't Got That Swing (Ernestine Anderson/Tony Bennet)
31. Willow Weep For Me (Billie Holiday/Nina Simone)
32. I've Got You Under My Skin (Dinah Washington/Frank Sinatra)
33. Prelude To A Kiss (Sarah Vaughan/June Christy)
34. Tenderly (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong/Sarah Vaughan)
35. Like Someone In Love (Sarah Vaughan/Chet Baker)
36. Misty (Sarah Vaughan/Billy Eckstine)
37. Unforgettable (Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole/Johnny Hartman)
38. I Get Along Without You Very Well (Billie Holiday/Chet Baker)
39. Fly Me To The Moon Frank Sinatra/Astrud Gilberto)
40. Peel Me A Grape (Anita O'Day/Diana Krall)
41. Georgia On My Mind (Ray Charles/Shirley Horn)
42. Girl from Impanema (Astrud Gilberto & Antonio Carlos Jobim/Eartha Kitt)
43. My Mans Gone Now (Sarah Vaughan/Nina Simone)
44. But Beautiful (Billie Holiday/Carmen McRae)
45. Autumn Leaves (Sarah Vaughan/Eva Cassiday)
46. But Not For Me (Billie Holiday/Chris Connor)
47. Easy Living (Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan)
48. Solitude (Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald)
49. A Night In Tunisia (Ella Fitzgerald/Lamberts, Hendrick, & Ross)
50. Love Me or Leave Me (Billie Holiday/Nina Simone)
51. Blue Skies (Ella Fitzgerald/Dinah Washington)
52. My Favorite Things (Sarah Vaughan/Tony Bennett)
53. Stardust (Sarah Vaughan/Ella Fitzgerald)
54. You Belong To Me (Ella Fitzgerald/Jo Stafford)
55. Agua De Beber (Water To Drink) (Astrud Gilberto/Frank Sinatra)
56. Embraceable You (Sarah Vaughan/Etta James)57. If I Were A Bell (Dinah Washington/Ella Fitzgerald)
58. Love Letters (Diana Krall/Nat King Cole)
59. Skylark (Susannah McCorkle/Ernestine Anderson)
60. Cheek To Cheek (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong/Sarah Vaughan)
61. Something Cool (June Christy/Carol Sloane)
62. Good Morning Heartache (Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald)
63. Sophisticated Lady (Ella Fitzgerald/Billy Eckstine)
64. Poor Butterfly (Sarah Vaughan/Helen Merril)
65. 'Deed I Do (Lee Wiley/Diana Krall)
66. Time After Time (Chet Baker/Ernestine Anderson)
67. Cry Me A River (Dinah Washington/Etta James)
68. I Only Have Eyes For You (Mark Murphy/Frank Sinatra)
69. April In Paris (Sarah Vaughan/Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong)
70. Cloudburst (Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross/Jon Hendricks)
71. Dedicated To You (Sarah Vaughan/Ella Fitzgerald)
72. My Man (Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan)
73. Manhattan (Blossom Dearie/Stacy Kent)
74. Twisted (Annie Ross/Manhattan Transfer)
75. A Fine Romance (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong/Billie Holiday)
76. You Go To My Head (Billie Holiday Frank Sinatra)
77. Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong/Billie Holiday)
78. You Better Go Now (Jeri Southern/Billie Holiday)
79. 'S Wonderful (Sarah Vaughan/Ella Fitzgerald)
80. Speak Low (Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan)
81. A Tisket A Tasket (Ella Fitzgerald/Mildred Bailey)
82. All Of Me (Billie Holiday/Sarah Vaughan)
83. Straighten Up and Fly Right (Nat King Cole/Natalie Cole)
84. Them There Eyes (Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald)
85. Tell Me More, And More, And Then Some (Billie Holiday/Nina Simone)
86. You'll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini) (Ella Fitzgerald/Dee Dee Bridgewater)
87. In A Mellow Tone (Ella Fitzgerald/Johnny Mathis)
88. Our Love Is Here To Stay (Dinah Washington/Ella Fitzgerlad)
89. Violets For Your Furs (Billie Holiday/Frank Sinatra)
90. I Cover The Waterfront (Billie Holiday/Dinah Washington)
91. This Bitter Earth (Dinah Washington/Etta James)
92. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To (Helen Merril/Ella Fitzgerald)
93. Take the "A" Train (Betty Roche/Anita O'Day)
94. I Walk A Little Faster (Blossom Dearie/Tony Bennet)
95. I Could Write A Book (Dinah Washington/Betty Carter)
96. I'll Get By ( As Long As I Have You ) (Billie Holiday/ Peggy Lee)
97. Once Upon A Summertime (Blossom Dearie/Astrud Gilberto)
98. That Old Feeling (Chet Baker/Billy Eckstine)
99. Rockin Chair (Mildred Bailey/Peggy Lee)
100. The Waters of March (Agua De Marco) (Susannah McCorkle/Mark Murphy)


Do you know all of these??????

JV'

james3 -- 08/13/2005, 13:22:41 -- #17555
what is dream door?

7 -- 08/13/2005, 13:37:11 -- #17561
A much more prestigious and realistic list exists at a website called http://www.LearnJazzPiano.com

This list can be found by clicking on "Top Ten Tunes"

Rank  Votes   Tune:
1     136 Autumn Leaves (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer)
2     104 Round Midnight (Monk)
3      94 All Blues (Miles Davis)
4      91 All The Things You Are (Rogers)
5      91 A Night In Tunisia (Dizzy Gillespie)
6      81 I Got Rhythm (rhythm changes) (George Gershwin)
7      81 Misty (Erroll Garner)
8      79 Summer Time (Gershwin)
9      73 Take Five (Dave Brubeck)
10     72 Giant Steps (John Coltrane)
11     68 On Green Dolphin Street  (?)
12     65 Stella By Starlight (?)
13     62 My Funny Valentine
14     58 Blue Monk (Monk)
15     52 Body and Soul (John Green)
16     50 What Is This Thing Called Love (Cole Porter)
17     50 Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin)
18     49 Blue in Green (Miles Davis)
19     48 How High The Moon
20     45 There Will Never Be Another You (Harry Warren, Mack Gordon)
21     44 In A Sentimental Mood (Duke Ellington)
22     44 Someday My Prince Will Come
23     41 Maiden Voyage (Herbie Hancock)
24     41 Footprints (Wayne Shorter)
25     39 All of Me (Simon and Marks)
26     39 Well You Needn't (Monk)
27     38  Blues (N/A)
28     34 Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Duke Ellington)
29     33 Waltz for Debbie (Bill Evans)
30     33 Cherokee (Ray Noble)
31     31 Night and Day (Cole Porter)
32     31 Moon River (Henry Mancini)
33     29 Anthropology (rhythm changes) (Charlier Parker)
34     27 As Time Goes By (Herman Hupfeld)
35     25 Lover Man (Davis, Rameriz, Sherman)
36     24 St. Thomas (Sonny Rollins)
37     24 Just Friends (?)
38     24 Chameleon (Herbie Hancock)
39     23 Donna Lee (Parker)
40     23 Have You Met Miss Jones
41     22 Here's That Rainy day (Burke/Van Heusen)
42     20 Love For Sale (Cole Porter)
43     20 Joy Spring (Clifford Brown)
44     20 Honeysuckle Rose (Thomas "Fats" Waller, Andy Razaf)
45     19 Four (Miles Davis)
46     19 Night and Day (Cole Porter)
47     18 How Insensitive (Jobim)
48     17 Stormy Weather (Harold Arlen)
49     16 Billies Bounce (Charlie Parker)
50     15 Blues for Alice (Parker)
51     14 Chega de Saudade/No More Blues (Jobim)
52     14 In The Still of the Night (Cole Porter)
53     14 I Love You (Cole Porter)
54     13 Alone Together (Howard Dietz, Arthur Schwarz)
55     13 Satin Doll (Duke Ellington)
56     13 I'm Getting Sentimental Over You (George Bassman)
57     12 September Song (Kurt Weil)
58      9 Girl from Ipanema (Jobim)
59      9 I've Got It Bad (Duke Ellington)
60      9 Happy Birthday (unknown)
61      8 Invitation (?)
62      8 Boplicity (BeBop Lives)
63      8 Back Home in Indiana (James Hanely, Ballard McDonald)
64      8 Old Devil Moon
65      6 Ain't Misbehavin' (Fats Waller)
66      4 Cry Me a River
67      4 Days of Wine and Roses (Henry Mancini)
68      3 Corcovado (Jobim)
69      3 How Deep is the Ocean (Irving Berlin)
70      2 New York, New York
71      2 Basin Street Blues
72      2 Impressions (John Coltrane)
73       1 So What (Miles Davis)
74      1 Turn Out the Stars (Bill Evans)
75      1 SPAIN (chick corea)
76      1 love is for the very youngfrom BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (david raksin)
77      1 invitation (Jimmy  Van Hewson)
78      1 Don't get around much anymore (Duke Elington, Bob Russell)
79      1 There is No Greater Love (Marty Symes, Isham Jones)
80      1 Falling in Love with Love (Rodgers - Hart)
81      1 Georgia (Hoagy Carmichael)
82      1 Black Orpheus
83      1 Agua de Beber (Jobim)
84      0 St James Infirmary
85      0 From This Moment On (Cole Porter)
86      0 phillys twist (kenny dorham)
87      0 Out of Nowhere

Do you know any of these??????

jazzvirtuoso -- 08/13/2005, 14:13:36 -- #17563
"A much more prestigious and realistic"

Hmm.

What makes this list more prestigious?????? Defintely not because "you" say it is, while were at it its rather pompus of you to assume that anyway.

Do you know  strange fruit? Without cheating tell me what the song is about? Surely a self-chosen, self-proclaimed scholar as yourself can do this!

And if your jazz playing (i've heard it) is on par with your opinion then you've got alot to learn. :0

Btw, I know your whole list with the exception of about three of them!



JV'

Bert -- 08/13/2005, 14:38:59 -- #17564
Get a clue and try to remember were you are, JV.  It's prestigious because it's a product of this community!  We know who we are and how the songs got ranked.  Who is "digital dream door" and why/how is their list authoritative?  Certainly many of their choices seem odd.  Perhaps some further explanation would help us all understand why you thought it important to post this list rather than starting another name calling battle.

jazzvirtuoso -- 08/13/2005, 14:45:42 -- #17566
First of all if you could read you would kow that I never said that the list from digital dream door was authoritive. You and & are attackingme for no reason. I never said that their list was better or worse. Get it?

Otherwise,
Why  dont you get a clue and google digitaldream door your self and take your head out of your buttocks. I have no beef with you. So do yourself a favor and STFU.

JV'

Dr. Whack -- 08/13/2005, 15:41:45 -- #17568
For what it's worth there are 30 tunes on JV's list that I don't know or have never heard of.  

There are 10 on 7's (LJP's) that I don't know or have never heard of.

I'm wondering though, what is the point of this discussion?  And  who is digital dream door?  It would be nice to know why you think it is an important reference.  Are you saying we should know all these tunes, or feel bad if we dont?

7 -- 08/13/2005, 16:16:53 -- #17569
Strange Fruit = Lynching / Hanging

And if your jazz playing (i've heard it) is on par with your opinion then you've got alot to learn.

Good one! Keep 'em coming ... LOL

james3 -- 08/13/2005, 16:17:26 -- #17570
COOL IT!!!
   It's ridiculous to be arguing over opinions.  That what these are friends.  As much as we'd like to think so there is no definitive right or wrong.  
  Lets use this site as for what it truly is supposed to be..an opportunity to  learn from each other.  Not a forum for fighting over subjectivity.

Peace to you all,
James

james3 -- 08/13/2005, 16:18:41 -- #17571
and another thing..we should never insult anyone's playing on this site.  That's the antithesis of what Learn Jazz Piano is all about.

pphilip -- 08/13/2005, 16:22:36 -- #17572
I know Strange Fruit and I think it's an important song written by Billie Holiday.  However, I don't think that it would be appropriate for an old white guy to play and sing it in any situation.  I learned it once when I was playing in a Blues band but I wasn't the one singing it. And why are we having all this bad Karma on this wonderful site?

JHMurray -- 08/13/2005, 16:46:40 -- #17575
I wonder what criteria this Dream door list is using to define "greatest". These certainly aren't all the most commonly requested tunes, nor are they commonly called at sessions.
I'm pretty sure I can get by nicely without ever learning "A Tisket, A Tasket"

7 -- 08/14/2005, 04:12:57 -- #17581
The following is a list of the prestigious musicians that have contributed to Scot's LJP top tunes list:

Pete Christlieb
Dick Hyman
Barney Kessell
Lee Konitz
Don Lanphere
Bud Shank
Bobby Shew
Jiggs Whigham
Phil Woods
Eldee YoungYou might recognize one or two of them.

antiJV -- 08/14/2005, 11:46:36 -- #17584
ah JV you never cease to amaze me!!!  I never knew it was possible for a man to get his head so far up his arse!

Mike -- 08/14/2005, 13:21:06 -- #17585
Hm,  somehow made it thru a few thousand gigs never being embarrased that I did know Strange Fruit when it was called.  Not because I dont know it... Cause it was never called... for that matter it has never been called on a gig I was attending  never mind one I was playing at.
Actually if 7 says the list is more prestigious I for one will take his word for it ... at least over yours seeing as he has taken the time to prove and teach his rather extensive knowledge countless times while you have done this about 0 times.
   The reality is that lists like this can never be perfect for many reasons.  The definition of a "Great Standard" is not standard. Is probally the biggest flaw to the attempt of any such list.
Most called Tunes if that is what the list is shooting for....
That wont work either.  Clearly the Most called tunes are going to vary greatly in New York City and in Boston from the most called tunes
in LA.  As they are going to vary greatly in  one small town to the next.  Making it so that the LJP list is at least as good as anyone elses and seeing as it used more peoples choices from varying places
than some lists put together by one person or one narrow minded group,
It stands to  reason that the LJP list is most likely better than most,
however I will say that I could say the same of "phillys twist" on the LJP list as I can say of Strange Fruit for sure.

Jazz+ -- 08/14/2005, 15:20:46 -- #17594
You need to realize that the Digital Dream Door list is for  vocalists. Jazz pianists will generally avoid half of those tunes.

Jazz+ -- 08/14/2005, 15:26:22 -- #17595
If you remember that great jazz piano magazine call "The Piano Stylist" they published an article they made from a survey of jazz pros and educators tha cam up with this top 17 list:

17 tunes every jazz musician should know for jam  sessions:


All Blues (G)
All The Things You Are (Ab, starts on F-7)
Autumn Leaves (G-, starts on C-7)
Blue Bossa (C-)
BLUES - Major:
Billie's Bounce (F)
Blue Monk (Bb)
Straight No Chaser (F)
BLUES - Minor:
Mr. P.C. (C-)
Body and Soul (Db, starts on Eb-7)
Confirmation (F)
I Got Rhythm (Bb)
I'll Remember April (G)
Night In Tunisia (D-, starts on Eb7)
On Green Dolphin Street (Eb, sometimes played in C)
Stella By Starlight (Bb, starts on E-7 b5)
Take The A Train (C)
There Will Never Be Another You (Eb)

Dr. Whack -- 08/14/2005, 20:19:06 -- #17605
Finally someone explained what the heck dream door is:)

Q: How can you tell  a vocalist is knocking at your door?

A: She doesn't know when to come in.

CynBad -- 08/14/2005, 21:53:10 -- #17608
"Strange Fruit" wasn't written by Billie Holliday.  It was written by Abel Meeropol, possibly with some input from Billie.
I think it's strange it would be considered a standard, much less the #1 standard.

Dr. Whack:  HE doesn't know when to come in either.  Don't get me going on singers LOL  I've had to accompany too many of them.  Even the classical singers don't know when to come in, can't count, and can't seem to read music, even though it was required in school.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

Mike -- 08/14/2005, 23:07:00 -- #17611
It's funny that "Confirmation" which I certainly mean no disrespect to this incredilble tune is on the list of almost every "Serious Player".
Yet I consider myself an ok player and have definitely played many gigs where I was the weakest player with great great players all around me.
Yet out five thousand plus gigs I have done No one has ever called Confirmation on one of my gigs And of those five thousand gigs I have only played for a handful of audiences that would not have struggled to    listen to it and would not have wanted to leave given the chance.

Mike -- 08/14/2005, 23:09:45 -- #17612
So why did you ever torture us with the Dream druid list in the first place if you knew it was a Vocalist list.

Dr. Whack -- 08/14/2005, 23:45:44 -- #17615
Yeah - I definitely should have used "he/she", that joke is NOT gender specific:)

7 -- 08/15/2005, 00:51:46 -- #17620
Many prefer to use the slash form s/he to denote a person of non-specific sex - however the slash form looks and feels clumsy.

Others prefer to use "one", as in "One shouldn't wind up the drummer." - however this has a stiff formal feel to it.

The most commonly used form in modern English is the third person plural form, they, them, their to indicate an individual of non-specific sex.

Q: How can you tell that a drummer is knocking at your door?

A: The knocking speeds up and they don't know when to come in.

This form has its detractors too, but this is the current trend in modern English.

(I apologize for this boring post, but education IS my business)

Brotherdavies -- 08/15/2005, 08:31:47 -- #17628
Hi

This really is a superb site:

www.jazzstandards.com

They rank 1000 standards! The great thing is that for 150 standards they have analysis and background info.

Bro'

Dr. Whack -- 08/15/2005, 09:23:22 -- #17629
Q: How can you tell that a drummer is knocking at your door?

A: The knocking speeds up and they don't know when to come in.

You see the problem here is that we have single drummer in the question, but "they" refers to more than one (plural) - bad grammar in my opinion - and that just aint right

In the case of the original riddle, I chose "she" probably because most of the singers I've worked with have been shes:) I went for the quick punch line instead of elaborating on the grammatic possibillities - it's all in the  timing you see :)

~now this is getting a little too silly:)

JHMurray -- 08/15/2005, 10:18:02 -- #17632
Nothing like a little political correctness to ruin a joke, eh?
The version I heard goes:

Q How do you know when a singer is at her front door?
A She can't find the key and doesn't know when to come in.

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