Jazz Standards

Stompin’ at the Savoy is a swing-era jazz standard written by alto saxophonist Edgar Sampson in 1933. It’s often credited to Benny Goodman, whose 1937 recording of the song reached number 4 on the U.S. hit charts. Stompin’ was the theme song of the Savoy Ballroom’s house band, led by Chick Webb. In this lesson,

Solar is a classic jazz standard, often associated with Miles Davis, although the song was originally composed by jazz guitarist Chuck Wayne in 1946 under the title Sonny. In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn how to: Play the melody of Solar Understand the harmony and scale options Play a solo study over the

In this lesson, you will learn how to play the classic jazz standard Stella By Starlight, written by Victor Young. Stella is one of the most popular jazz standards played today and one every jazz guitarist should have under his fingers. The harmony and melody of Stella By Starlight are derived from the soundtrack of

Unit 7 is a great jazz standard composed by bass player Sam Jones during the time he was working with Cannonball Adderley. The most famous version of Unit 7 is on Wes Montgomery’s album “Smokin’ at the Half Note”. This album, which is essential listening for any jazz guitarist, was recorded live in 1965 with

Kind of Blue, Miles Davis’ best-selling album, was released in 1959. The entire album was composed as a series of modal sketches, in which each performer was given a set of modes that defined the parameters of their improvisation. While So What is the most famous tune of the album, All Blues is definitely a

There are few tunes in the jazz repertoire that strike fear in the heart of players such as the John Coltrane tune “Giant Steps,” which can be a challenge from both a soloing and comping perspective. When guitarists first begin to explore John Coltrane’s Giant Steps changes, this series of chords can seem like an

There Will Never Be Another You is one of my favorite jazz standards. I love the melody and the chord changes are easy, but not too easy to improvise over. The song was first recorded in 1942 by clarinetist Woody Herman but wasn’t very well known until Chet Baker recorded his vocal rendition in 1954.

In this jazz guitar lesson, you will learn how to play Misty, a great and fun-to-play jazz ballad written by Errol Garner.

You will learn a chord melody arrangement and how to solo over Misty’s chords (backing tracks included).

All The Things You Are is another essential jazz standard and one that is often played by beginning jazz musicians, although it has a fairly complex harmony.

In this lesson, you will analyze the harmony of All The Things, learn a chord melody arrangement and a solo study.

Summertime is another one of those popular jazz standards that every jazz player needs to know.

In this lesson, you will learn a chord/melody arrangement of Summertime. You will also learn to improvise over the chord changes and learn a few soloing concepts.

When learning jazz guitar, the blues is an essential topic that any guitarist should tackle. But, how do you move beyond the standard 12-bar form? One of the tunes that get called at jam sessions and is blues related (but not 12-bar), is Watermelon Man. Watermelon Man, a jazz funk classic written by Herbie Hancock who

The Chicken is a cool jazz funk standard composed by Pee Wee Ellis, saxophonist and member of James Brown’s band in the 60s. The Chicken first appeared as a B-side of a 1969 James Brown single called The Popcorn but was later made famous by Jaco Pastorius, who made it his signature song. The chicken