Suggest recordings of these jazz standards, please

[elros]

Hi,

Assume that I know nothing about jazz. And I have no-one to practice with. And I need to learn these three jazz standards so I can be as prepared as possible to play them with a band that knows them.... what recordings can you suggest for me to listen to, to learn?

The tunes are:

All The Things You Are (Kern)
Falling Grace (Swallow)
My Funny Valentine (Rodgers/Hart)

I have a Sonny Rollins recording of All The Things You Are, from the album "A Night at the Village Vanguard".
And I have a Miles Davis recording of My Funny Valentine, from the album "'58 Miles: Featuring Stella by Starlight".
But I find that these (well, mostly the Miles Davis one) are too advanced for me (they wander too far from the RealBook charts) to learn the basic tune..... so I'd need some more recordings. It'd be nice if they're available on the iTMS here in Norway (but I don't expect you to be able to check that for me, of course). And it'd be nice if they have a clean and simple bass line, too.

I've found some MIDI files of All The Things You Are and of My Funny Valentine, that helps a lot too, but I haven't found any of the Steve Swallow tune, alas.....

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[WillBuckingham]

I think the most well-known recording of "All the Things You Are" is from "Live at Massey Hall" (Charlie Paker[listed as Charlie Chan], Dizzie Gillespie, Max Roach, Charlie Mingus, and -can't think of the keyboard player right now.)

That was the last recording of Bird before his death and one of my favorite albums. Check out the intro and closing vamp: "Db7 to C7", a lot of people will call the tune by playing that lick.

Good luck!

[stretchcat]

There's a nice version of "Falling Grace" on Lyle Mays' Fictionary recording froma few years back with Marc Johnson and Jack DeJohnette.

[Don't_Fret]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

I think the most well-known recording of "All the Things You Are" is from "Live at Massey Hall" (Charlie Paker[listed as Charlie Chan], Dizzie Gillespie, Max Roach, Charlie Mingus, and -can't think of the keyboard player right now.)

That was the last recording of Bird before his death and one of my favorite albums. Check out the intro and closing vamp: "Db7 to C7", a lot of people will call the tune by playing that lick.

Good luck!

Bud Powell on keys.

[elros]

Thanks for the suggestions!

I got the following recordings off of iTMS:

Name - Artist - Album
All the Things You Are - Sonny Rollins - A Night at the Village Vanguard
My Funny Valentine - Miles Davis - '58 Miles: Featuring Stella by Starlight
My Funny Valentine - Chet Baker - My Funny Valentine
Falling Grace - Bob Patin - In a Mind's Eye
Falling Grace - Lyle Mays - Fictionary
Falling Grace - Greg Hyslop - Greg Hyslop Trio
All the Things You Are - Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook
All the Things You Are - The Oscar Peterson Trio - Another Day
All the Things You Are - Bud Powell - A Tribute To Cannonball

I like them all - but the two vocal versions are most enlightening: I can much easier relate to the form and the melody after hearing them! Wish I found a vocal version of Falling Grace. But I don't think there is one? Doesn't Steve Swallow write mostly instrumental stuff? Great tune, BTW. I love jazz.

[WillBuckingham]

Or . . . don't take my advice.

[elros]

Originally Posted by WillBuckingham

Or . . . don't take my advice.

Sorry, I couldn't find the Live at Massey Hall album on iTMS Norway.... The intro vamp you mentioned is on the Bud Powell version, though. Good thing to know.

[WillBuckingham]

Cool, I was just feeling a little bit sassy. If you do ever want to start a jazz cd collection, that would be a good place to start. The name on the cover is actually "The Quintet"/"Jazz at Massey Hall".

Good luck,

Will

[RHFusillo]

"Falling Grace" is on Paris Encounter by Gary Burton with Stephane Grappelli. It's a nice record that also features Swallow's "Eiderdown" and his Gibson EB-2 through an overdriven amp.

For one of the odder recordings of "All the Things," check out "All the Things You Could Be by Now if Sigmund Freud's Wife Was Your Mother," on Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.

[Jazzosaurus]

There excists a live recording of Jaco Pastorius
and Pat Metheny playing "All The Things You Are",
and it's essential. They absolutely rip through
the whole song. You can find it(and lots of
other rare Jaco-material) on the
brilliant release "Portrait Of Jaco - The Early Years",
which can only be bought from this site:

www.cdbaby.com

[RHFusillo]

Originally Posted by Jazzosaurus

There exists a live recording of Jaco Pastorius and Pat Metheny playing "All The Things You Are",
and it's essential.

The sound you hear is me kicking myself for not going to hear them play (with Bob Moses) at Michael's Pub in Boston during the Fall of 1975.