'Classic' Jazz standard help.

[nonohmic]

All,

Can you direct me to the most 'classic' recordings of the following standards;

Autumn Leaves
Stella by Starlight
All the things you are

There are so many options on Spotify it's hard to tell, but looking for As close to the composer as possible, with the chord changes and melody clearly outlined. Simple solos appreciated, but not essential. Many thanks!

 

[Malcolm35]

I found the Hal Leonard - The Easy Fake Book, 100 songs in C with Melody, lyrics and simplified chords shown has become my standby for bass and keyboard.

Standard notation for the melody and chord name for the harmony.

Autumn Leaves on page 23.
Stella by starlight on page 168
All the things you are is not in this fake book, but there are 98 more "standards" waiting for you. All in the key of C.

Happy trails.

 

[AGCurry]

Almost all jazz "standards" were popular (not jazz) music before they swung and became jazz. "Closest to what the composer" intended will not be jazzy. For example, "All the Things You Are" has been recorded dozens if not hundreds of times, but it was originally written for a Broadway musical in 1939. Here's Jo Stafford singing it.

 

[JTE]

"As close to the composer as possible, with the chord changes and melody clearly outlined. Simple solos appreciated, but not essential. Many thanks!

Sounds like a very old TB thread (or maybe even older from The Bottom Line forum) on "how to really learn a tune".

The OP is looking for straightforward recordings of the SONG, not jazz performances I think.

So, search for vocal renditions not jazz soloists. Maybe look the song up in Wikipedia and see who made early recordings of it, then chase those down.

 

[nonohmic]

Almost all jazz "standards" were popular (not jazz) music before they swung and became jazz. "Closest to what the composer" intended will not be jazzy. For example, "All the Things You Are" has been recorded dozens if not hundreds of times, but it was originally written for a Broadway musical in 1939. Here's Jo Stafford singing it.

Thanks so perhaps my question is a little misguided.

what's a good recording of this tune you can recommend for an intermediate player trying to transcribe solos by ear?

I just finished miles solo on freddie freeloader, trying to find something a little more challenging, but not ridiculous.

 

[nonohmic]

Sounds like a very old TB thread (or maybe even older from The Bottom Line forum) on "how to really learn a tune".

The OP is looking for straightforward recordings of the SONG, not jazz performances I think.

So, search for vocal renditions not jazz soloists. Maybe bloom the song up in Wikipedia and see who made early recordings of it, then chase those down.

Yep was just reading that thread started in 2007!

 

[12BitSlab]

All,

Can you direct me to the most 'classic' recordings of the following standards;

Autumn Leaves
Stella by Starlight
All the things you are

There are so many options on Spotify it's hard to tell, but looking for As close to the composer as possible, with the chord changes and melody clearly outlined. Simple solos appreciated, but not essential. Many thanks!

Almost all fake books, iReal Pro, etc. use Miles’ version of Stella for changes. If you want to transcribe solos, you may as well use the likely used changes.

 

[Papageno]

Autumn Leaves: Cannonball Aderley (Something Else) with Miles Davis (Sam Jones on bass).

 

[Malcolm35]

Almost all jazz "standards" were popular (not jazz) music before they swung and became jazz. (/QUOTE]
.... before they swung and became jazz. Let's talk about swing. I came over from country 4/4 time and never understood how to swing or get that fiddle swing feel.

My theory study tells me to swing from a 1 and 3 beat to a 2 and 4 will get me Texas swing. Is that all?

Thanks.

 

[AGCurry]

My theory study tells me to swing from a 1 and 3 beat to a 2 and 4 will get me Texas swing. Is that all?

No, and it's not a good way to think about swing.

1. The bassist by him/herself can't really make a rhythm section swing (although he can prevent it). Swing requires the whole rhythm section.
2. Swing can happen in 2/4 or 2/2 as well as in 4/4.
3. When you say "Texas swing" I am assuming you mean the "Ray Price shuffle," as he and his band (Cherokee Cowboys) were the most-well-known progenitors of four-to-the-bar bass in C&W music. There is no emphasis of the upbeats (2 & 4) in the bass lines.
4. Many people (maybe a majority) of people mistakenly think that Swing involves an emphasis on upbeats. No. Listen to early Count Basie and note that Jo Jones often only used the high-hat cymbals to swing, and the snare for accents. An even better example might be Django Reinhardt with the Hot Club of Paris; the rhythm guitar played quarter notes without emphasizing the upbeats. Swing means that the rhythmic pulse is divisible by 3 as well as by 2. Swing can happen without any emphasis on upbeats.

Heavier emphasis on upbeats really became more prevalent in early rhythm and blues, but even then, the bassist does not emphasize upbeats. That job belongs to the drums, piano, and/or guitar.