List of 1940s jazz standards

Jazz standards are musical compositions that are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz artists as part of the genre's musical repertoire. This list includes tunes written in the 1940s that are considered standards by at least one major fake book publication or reference work.

Duke Ellington was one of the most influential jazz composers. His numerous standards include "Sophisticated Lady" (1933), "In a Sentimental Mood" (1935), "Cotton Tail" (1940), and "Satin Doll" (1953).

The swing era lasted until the mid-1940s, and produced popular tunes such as Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" (1940) and Billy Strayhorn's "Take the 'A' Train" (1941). When the big bands struggled to keep going during World War II, a shift was happening in jazz in favor of smaller groups. Some swing era musicians, like Louis Jordan, later found popularity in a new kind of music, called "rhythm and blues", that would evolve into rock and roll in the 1950s.[1]

Bebop emerged in the early 1940s, led by Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and others. It appealed to a more specialized audience than earlier forms of jazz, with sophisticated harmonies, fast tempos, and often virtuoso musicianship. Bebop musicians often used 1930s standards, especially those from Broadway musicals, as part of their repertoire.[2] Among standards written by bebop musicians are Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts" (1941) and "A Night in Tunisia" (1942), Parker's "Anthropology" (1946), "Yardbird Suite" (1946) and "Scrapple from the Apple" (1947), and Monk's "'Round Midnight" (1944), which is currently the most recorded jazz standard composed by a jazz musician.[3]

1940

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Trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie was one of the leading figures of bebop. Standards composed by him include "A Night in Tunisia" (1942), "Woody N' You" (1942), and "Groovin' High" (1944).

1941

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I Hear A Rhapsody” written by George Fragos, Jack Baker, and Dick Gasparre.

1942

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1943

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1944

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Thelonious Monk composed the most popular standard written by a jazz musician, "'Round Midnight" (1944). His other standards include "Well, You Needn't" (1944), "Straight, No Chaser" (1951) and "Blue Monk" (1954).

1945

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1946

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1947

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1948

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1949

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Jazz History (1940s)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  2. ^ "Jazz History: The Standards (1940s)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
  3. ^ a b "'Round Midnight". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  4. ^ "After Hours". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  5. ^ "All Too Soon". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  6. ^ Crouch 2007, p. 122
  7. ^ Büchmann-Møller 2006, p. 123
  8. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 90.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Listed in The Real Jazz Book
  10. ^ a b "Cottontail". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  11. ^ "Do Nothin' till You Hear from Me". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  12. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 107.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Listed in New Real Book, Volume I.
  14. ^ "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  15. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 122.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag Listed in The Real Vocal Book.
  17. ^ "How High the Moon". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  18. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 180.
  19. ^ "In a Mellotone". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  20. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 206.
  21. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 170.
  22. ^ "Polka Dots and Moonbeams". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  23. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 318.
  24. ^ "You Stepped Out of a Dream". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  25. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 423.
  26. ^ "Brazil". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  27. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 60.
  28. ^ "Chelsea Bridge". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  29. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 76.
  30. ^ "Flamingo". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  31. ^ The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 105.
  32. ^ "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  33. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 187.
  34. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 153
  35. ^ "I'll Remember April". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  36. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 197,
  37. ^ "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Jim)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  38. ^ The Real Book Vol. VI, p 218.
  39. ^ "Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  40. ^ "Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  41. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 225.
  42. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 194.
  43. ^ "Salt Peanuts". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  44. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 340.
  45. ^ "Take the "A" Train". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  46. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 398.
  47. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 447.
  48. ^ Herzhaft et al. 1997, p. 281
  49. ^ "You Don't Know What Love Is". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  50. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 459.
  51. ^ "C Jam Blues". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  52. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 74
  53. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 132.
  54. ^ "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  55. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 255.
  56. ^ "Night in Tunisia". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  57. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 302.
  58. ^ "Perdido". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  59. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 311.
  60. ^ The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 287.
  61. ^ "Skylark". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  62. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 356.
  63. ^ "There Will Never Be Another You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  64. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 407.
  65. ^ "Things Ain't What They Used to Be". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  66. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 401
  67. ^ "I Wish You Love". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  68. ^ "Woody'n You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  69. ^ The Real Book, p. ?
  70. ^ The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 436.
  71. ^ Visser, Joop (2000). The Woody Herman Story liner notes. Kent, England: Proper. pp. 19–21.
  72. ^ "Harlem Nocturne". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  73. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 140.
  74. ^ The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 127.
  75. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 351.
  76. ^ Wilson, Jeremy; Tyle, Chris; McElrath, K.J. "Star Eyes". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved October 16, 2013.
  77. ^ "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  78. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 393.
  79. ^ "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  80. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 113.
  81. ^ "Groovin' High". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  82. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 166.
  83. ^ Burlingame, Sandra. "I Fall in Love Too Easily". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  84. ^ "I Should Care". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  85. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 194.
  86. ^ "It Could Happen to You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  87. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 204.
  88. ^ "Long Ago (And Far Away)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  89. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 251.
  90. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 345.
  91. ^ "Well You Needn't". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  92. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 435.
  93. ^ "Billie's Bounce". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  94. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 44.
  95. ^ "Everything But You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  96. ^ "Hot House". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  97. ^ "I'm Just a Lucky So and So". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  98. ^ "It Might as Well Be Spring". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  99. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 205
  100. ^ "Laura". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  101. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 212.
  102. ^ "Now's the Time". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  103. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 293.
  104. ^ "Since I Fell for You". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  105. ^ "I'll Close My Eyes". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  106. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 178.
  107. ^ "Angel Eyes". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  108. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 28.
  109. ^ "Anthropology". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  110. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 29.
  111. ^ "Come Rain or Come Shine". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  112. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 88.
  113. ^ "Confirmation". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  114. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 87.
  115. ^ "Day Dream". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  116. ^ The Real Book, Volume III, p. 91.
  117. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 101.
  118. ^ "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  119. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 108.
  120. ^ "If You Could See Me Now". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  121. ^ "Nobody Else But Me". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  122. ^ "Ornithology". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  123. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 317.
  124. ^ "Stella by Starlight". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  125. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 382.
  126. ^ "Tenderly". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  127. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 389.
  128. ^ "The Things We Did Last Summer". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  129. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 394.
  130. ^ "Yardbird Suite". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  131. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 433.
  132. ^ "Autumn Leaves (Les Feuilles Mortes)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  133. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 39.
  134. ^ "But Beautiful". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  135. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 62.
  136. ^ "Donna Lee". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  137. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 123.
  138. ^ "In Walked Bud". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  139. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 200.
  140. ^ "Lady Bird". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  141. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 235.
  142. ^ "Nature Boy". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  143. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 284.
  144. ^ "On Green Dolphin Street". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  145. ^ The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 273.
  146. ^ Randel, Don Michael (1996). The Harvard biographical dictionary of music. Harvard University Press. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-674-37299-3. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  147. ^ Gioia, Ted (May 9, 2011). The History of Jazz. Oxford University Press. p. 214. ISBN 978-0-19-539970-7. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  148. ^ Yanow, Scott (2005). Jazz: a regional exploration. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 133. ISBN 978-0-313-32871-8. Retrieved February 2, 2012.
  149. ^ "Scrapple from the Apple". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  150. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 351.
  151. ^ Leppanen, Rick. "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Honeysuckle Rose)". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved January 8, 2010.
  152. ^ "Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals (Detour Ahead)". www.jazzstandards.com. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  153. ^ "Four Brothers". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  154. ^ The Real Book, Volume II, p. 138.
  155. ^ "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  156. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 301.
  157. ^ "Lush Life". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved February 20, 2009.
  158. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 258.
  159. ^ "My Foolish Heart". JazzStandards.com. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  160. ^ The Real Book, Volume I, p. 286.

Bibliography

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Reference works

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Fake books

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