Contemporary Jazz Standards

[PauFerro]

If a publisher was to put together a book of contemporary jazz standards, realizing that most of the gigging jazz world seems to be stuck on the really old standards, what would a contemporary jazz standards list look like? I think the focus should be on songs that are fairly short and don't require hours of rehearsal -- those are the songs that get played a lot in the old book of standards like the real book in my 10 years of gigging experience. The song should be free of critical orchestrations and should be playable by weekend warriors....

I have a few suggestions

Pat Metheny:
James
Song for Bilbao
Phase Dance
Jaco
Every Summer Night
Follow Me
Spring Ain't Here
River Quay
A Night Away
John McKee
Take Another Look

Spyro Gyra
Morning Dance
Shaker Song
Percolator
Catching the Sun
Here Again
It Doesn't Matter
You Can Count On Me

Boney James (list a few)
The Total Experience
After the Rain

Euge Groove (list a few)

Yellow Jackets (list a few)

Weather Report
Black Market
Birdland

Kenny G (do we dare)
Sax O Loco
Silhouette
Songbird
Midnight Motion
G Bop

Dave Koz
Together Again
Honeydipped
All I See is You
The Bright Side

Mindi Abair
Flirt
True Blue

Grover Washington Junior
Winelight
Just the Two of Us
Mr. Magic
Soulful Strut
Let It Flow

Rippingtons
Curves Ahead
Wednesdays Child
Love Notes
Los Cabos
High Roller

Tom Scott
Rock Island Rocket
Tom Cat
Keep on Doing It

R&B.Jazz Rock Favorites
September (Earth Wind and Fire)
Same Ole Love (Anita Baker)
Peg (Steely Dan)
I Wish (Stevie Wonder)
Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Go To Be Real (Cheryl Lynn)
Evil Ways
Europa


What are your thoughts?

 

[Ryan in PDX]

I like this idea and think it's worth some discussion.

But... How are we defining "contemporary" here? The 70s tunes you've listed predate the parents of today's new college grads.

 

[PauFerro]

Here is how artificial intelligence defines it:

A good working definition of contemporary jazz is:


Contemporary jazz is a broad style of modern jazz that developed mainly from the 1970s onward, blending elements of traditional jazz with influences from funk, rock, R&B, pop, and world music.


It often features:

• Electric instruments & synthesizers (alongside acoustic ones).
• Strong grooves or backbeats, sometimes borrowing from funk or pop.
• Accessible melodies and harmonies compared to more abstract jazz forms.
• Improvisation, still central, but often within more structured or groove-based frameworks.
• Smooth jazz crossover on the more commercial side, and fusion on the more adventurous side.

So you can think of “contemporary jazz” as an umbrella term covering jazz fusion, smooth jazz, modern mainstream jazz, and other innovative hybrids that reflect the sounds of the late 20th and 21st centuries.

****
This means Tom Scott's work would seem to apply since it was a 70's phenomenon.

 

[JonathanPDX]

These feel like very different lists to me. I can't think of any gigs I've been on that called out pop tunes like Superstition or Just the Two of Us but were also down to play Weather Report or The Rippingtons. Smooth jazz, fusion, R&B/pop,

If you want "modern" (IE songs that are not 30+ years old) you probably want to look at people like Norah Jones, Diana Krall, maybe even arrangements by Postmodern Jukebox to give you some material that someone under the age of 35 would actually recognize.

For older smooth jazz you're missing Benson, and songs like Affirmation and Breezin' would totally fit this list. Herbie Hancock, Brecker Brothers, Mavin Gaye, etc. fall into this category if you're going all the way back to the 70's, though "songs from the last 50 years" is only contemporary in the sense that it came after World War II.

Before going too far I'd want to really narrow in on the type of gig/songs and era to be covered, otherwise it's just a list of random songs you thought of that are loosely jazz-ish.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

I’m not going to get into the whole definition of “contemporary” thing, just list a few I would pick.

Strasbourg St. Denis by Roy Hargrove (RIP)

There are actually some cool instrumental jazz versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. Robert Glasper, Brad Mehldau (one version with Joshua Redman), The Bad Plus, and Chad LB to name a few.

Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones

Ship to Shore by Joshua Redman

I could go on, but it’s 6 a.m. and I haven’t gone to bed yet. If I think of more, I’ll post them. Though I would like to point out many standards didn’t start out as jazz tunes. Many were just considered popular songs of their day or were taken from Broadway musicals. There’s no reason that can't happen now.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Kyle Eastwood has several tunes that a trio or quartet can play. Try Garaj Mahal as well.

 

[Altitude]

I think most of the songs in the real book were popular music at one time; average people recognized them. That presents an issue these days as music appreciation is much more compartmentalized than it once was.

But -

I asked ChatGPT to list the 25 most recognizable songs of the last 30 years in the sense that an average person would have heard them. Here is the list it returned:

- **Smells Like Teen Spirit** – Nirvana
- **My Heart Will Go On** – Celine Dion
- **Macarena** – Los Del Rio
- **Gangnam Style** – PSY
- **Hey Ya!** – Outkast
- **Seven Nation Army** – The White Stripes
- **Mr. Brightside** – The Killers
- **All Star** – Smash Mouth
- **Blinding Lights** – The Weeknd
- **Shape of You** – Ed Sheeran
- **Uptown Funk** – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
- **Rolling in the Deep** – Adele
- **Hips Don’t Lie** – Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean
- **Sorry** – Justin Bieber
- **Happy** – Pharrell Williams
- **All I Want for Christmas Is You** – Mariah Carey
- **Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)** – Beyoncé
- **Baby One More Time** – Britney Spears
- **I Gotta Feeling** – Black Eyed Peas
- **Old Town Road** – Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
- **Lose Yourself** – Eminem
- **Despacito** – Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee (and Justin Bieber)
- **Rolling in the Deep** – Adele
- **Firework** – Katy Perry
- **Hey There Delilah** – Plain White T’s

I don’t assert these are the _best_ songs, just the ones most people know.

 

[DanAdams]

It seems like Soundgarden's Black hole sun has fully reached jazz standard status.

 

[lordradish]

Ya lost me with Kenny G. Much this stuff is smooth jazz territory, and likely nothing I'd ever want to play at jazz jam, let alone even listen to. No Kamasi Washington? Norah Jones? Joshua Redman? Roy Hargrove? Any of the Marsalis bros? Those are the people I think of when I think of contemporary jazz.

 

[JazznFunk]

A lot of those already exist in some current Jazz 'standards' songbooks.... especially Weather Report, Spyro Gyra, etc. The 'New Real Book' by Chuck Sher had a nice selection of a lot of those tunes 25 years ago.

 

[JazznFunk]

I could go on, but it’s 6 a.m. and I haven’t gone to bed yet. If I think of more, I’ll post them. Though I would like to point out many standards didn’t start out as jazz tunes. Many were just considered popular songs of their day or were taken from Broadway musicals. There’s no reason that can't happen now.

The difference - and it's a crucial one - is that most 'popular' songs these days have minimal chordal and melodic movement to generate fertile improvisational grounds. Yes, you could argue the whole Kind Of Blue/modal jazz thing might apply in a similar fashion, but even the quality of chords being used is so minimal in many cases that improvising over a lot of popular tunes these days starts to sound REALLY BAD if you get too far 'out.' I'm firmly in the camp that - in Jazz specifically - we should all be composing and writing 'our music' because that's what Jazz really is.... a statement on the times. The ultimate 'modern jazz' composer for me, if I had to pick just one, was Wayne Shorter. A blend of functional vs. static/non-functional harmony which generated unorthodox ground for improvising, with melodies which were fresh and often angular. I don't see any pop composers, save for a few folks, writing anything that would last for 100+ years at this point, because the compositions are so throwaway in how they are put together. There's not a lot of bread on which to build a sandwich.

 

[Altitude]

The difference - and it's a crucial one - is that most 'popular' songs these days have minimal chordal and melodic movement. Yes, you could argue the whole Kind Of Blue/modal jazz thing might apply in a similar fashion, but even the quality of chords being used are so minimal in many cases that improvising over a lot of popular tunes these days starts to sound REALLY BAD if you get too far 'out.' I'm firmly in the camp that - in Jazz specifically - we should all be composing and writing 'our music' because that's what Jazz really is.... a statement on the times. I don't see any pop composers, save for a few folks, writing anything that would last for 100+ years at this point, because the compositions are so throwaway in how they are put together. There's not a lot of bread on which to build a sandwich.

Exactly the Beato point of view so many people argued against in the other thread this week, but perhaps presented from the perspective of a jazz musician.

 

[JazznFunk]

Exactly the Beato point of view so many people argued against in the other thread this week, but perhaps presented from the perspective of a jazz musician.

So are you agreeing with me, countering me, or insulting me? It's early.

Herbie Hancock did a record in the late 90s called 'The New Standard' where he covered a lot of very recent tunes in a jazz context. Whether it worked is subject to taste and interpretation. What stood out to me is how static all of the tunes sounded. It was hard to hear truly innovative improvisations over such skeletal pop/rock material, and I liked all of the tune choices.... because I liked the ORIGINAL tune to begin with by the original artist.

 

[Altitude]

No Kamasi Washington? Norah Jones? Joshua Redman? Roy Hargrove? Any of the Marsalis bros? Those are the people I think of when I think of contemporary jazz.

And it is. I listen to all those cats on the regular too, but it’s niche music for people like you and me.

When Fly Me To The Moon was new, it was vastly popular. At least by that era’s standard.

 

[Altitude]

So are you agreeing with me, countering me, or insulting me? It's early.

Agreeing.

 

[JazznFunk]

Agreeing.

Thanks... I'm only on one cup of coffee. Give me some grace.

 

[Altitude]

Herbie Hancock did a record in the late 90s called 'The New Standard' where he covered a lot of very recent tunes in a jazz context. Whether it worked is subject to taste and interpretation. What stood out to me is how static all of the tunes sounded. It was hard to hear truly innovative improvisations over such skeletal pop/rock material, and I liked all of the tune choices.... because I liked the ORIGINAL tune to begin with by the original artist.

That record was in my heavy rotation. I loved it - he did “Thieves In The Temple” from the outstanding but a bit overlooked Prince soundtrack from the Purple Rain Sequel. Whatever it was called.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I think most of the songs in the real book were popular music at one time; average people recognized them. That presents an issue these days as music appreciation is much more compartmentalized than it once was.

But -

I asked ChatGPT to list the 25 most recognizable songs of the last 30 years in the sense that an average person would have heard them. Here is the list it returned:

- **Smells Like Teen Spirit** – Nirvana
- **My Heart Will Go On** – Celine Dion
- **Macarena** – Los Del Rio
- **Gangnam Style** – PSY
- **Hey Ya!** – Outkast
- **Seven Nation Army** – The White Stripes
- **Mr. Brightside** – The Killers
- **All Star** – Smash Mouth
- **Blinding Lights** – The Weeknd
- **Shape of You** – Ed Sheeran
- **Uptown Funk** – Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
- **Rolling in the Deep** – Adele
- **Hips Don’t Lie** – Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean
- **Sorry** – Justin Bieber
- **Happy** – Pharrell Williams
- **All I Want for Christmas Is You** – Mariah Carey
- **Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)** – Beyoncé
- **Baby One More Time** – Britney Spears
- **I Gotta Feeling** – Black Eyed Peas
- **Old Town Road** – Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus
- **Lose Yourself** – Eminem
- **Despacito** – Luis Fonsi feat. Daddy Yankee (and Justin Bieber)
- **Rolling in the Deep** – Adele
- **Firework** – Katy Perry
- **Hey There Delilah** – Plain White T’s

I don’t assert these are the _best_ songs, just the ones most people know.

Now I REALLY feel OLD!

 

[biobass]

Interesting discussion. I consider myself a quasi-Jazz player. Personally, I can play Real Book dates and can improvise solos. I sub with a jazzy, funky, smooth pop oriented band with woodwinds, trumpets, keys, guitars, drum players who can all improvise well. We play many of the tunes listed on PauFerro’s list, as well as about half the tunes being originals composed by the band leader. That said, I don’t consider myself an expert jazzer.

So, let’s think about what Real Book Jazz gigs are. Generally, in my experience, they seem to be “casual” jazz dates. That doesn’t mean that there can’t be serious playing involved, it’s just that they are much more likely to be casually listened to by the audience, not a concert-like setting. Given that, I’ve long believed that as long as you give your audience a melody - let them know what song you are playing - you can then take them on a musical journey with you. That can work for many contemporary pop tunes. Think of what Vince Guaraldi was able to do with harmonically “simple” tunes, or Miles with Time After Time. I’ve written and played jazzy arrangements of Led Zepplin’s Dazed and Confused, and Kashmir that the audiences seem to appreciate. I recently attended a wedding where the “Jazz” band, all top-notch US military band musicians, played jazzy instrumental arrangements of contemporary pop, rock and country tunes, as well as songs like Superstition, Sir Duke, Beatles tunes, etc. where it worked very well. This was for the pre and post-ceremony and cocktail hour. They didn’t play dance sets.

I guess what I’m trying to get at is while I agree that a lot of contemporary, or at least pop songs written within the last 50 years, may not be as harmonically intricate as those from the heyday of the Real Book tunes, many still work as audience pleasers that can be fun and challenging to play, at least in casual situations.

 

[JazznFunk]

That record was in my heavy rotation. I loved it - he did “Thieves In The Temple” from the outstanding but a bit overlooked Prince soundtrack from the Purple Rain Sequel. Whatever it was called.

Yeah, that was a superb outlier choice. I need to pull that record out again. Thanks for the inspiration!

This thread got me thinking about a sub gig I used to do with some guys who often pulled out some interesting non-jazz tunes to cover on what was ostensibly a 'jazz in a restaurant' gig. Some really fun ones which actually worked well were 'Everybody Wants To Rule The World', 'Ring Of Fire', Come As You Are', and a handful of others I'm forgetting. Often changing the time signature or adding a quirk here or there really makes them work, as opposed to just a rote rendering. I went into full Bill Frisell/Charlie Haden mode on 'Ring Of Fire' and it was a blast. What all of those songs had was strong harmonic motion, and a melody which also had structure and movement.... it's a thing.