Guitar Friendly Jazz Ballads

[Gareth]

I want to make a list here of ballads that work well for a chord/melody guitar arrangement.

I'll kick off with:

• In a Sentimental Mood (transposed to Am)
• Summertime
• My Funny Valentine
• Round Midnight

[m78w]

Stella By Starlight
Moonlight in Vermont
Yesterdays
Days of Wine and Roses
Georgia
Body and Soul

MW

[JohnW400]

Ruby My Dear
Two Lonely People
In a Sentimental Way
You Don't Know What Love Is
Angel Eyes
Naima

[Goofsus4]

Wha? No "Misty?"

Maybe it's not a "ballad?" I just think of a ballad as a song that is generally played slowly, with feeling, and that's Misty.

I can even do a good job with Misty, so it has to be pretty easy to work with.

Or...maybe I am just the GREATEST JAZZ GUITARIST OF OUR TIME????

Hmmm...gonna go with the first thought, I think.

[derek]

Somewhere Over The Rainbow
My Favorite Things
When You Wish Upon A Star
Call Me
The Look Of Love

[MagnusTorfi]

darn that dream

[montgomerwes]

Blue in green
Some day my prince will come
Moonlight serenade
What's new?
Come sunday
Tenderly

[DMatthewsBand07]

Misty
Easy to Love
Could It Be You

any Jobim bossa novas are great for chord melody

[Ornithologist]

I would add Prelude To A Kiss.

[Earl]

You Stepped Out Of A Dream

I'll Remember April

Speak Low

Willow Weep For Me

[gstarfire]

How about:

A Foggy Day
My One and Only Love
A Day in a Life of a Fool (Black Orpheus)
Autumn in New York

gstarfire

[patskywriter]

the very first one i learned was "don't blame me," which because of its simple melody and 'convenient' chord changes, was relatively easy to figure out.

[backliner]

"Here's That Rainy Day," lays well enough on the guitar that even I can play it.

[backliner]

"Satin Doll," is another that lays well on the neck, but in starting with Am (bass note A on the sixth string), vs Dm. At least I find it easier that way.

[steev]

How about "Darn That Dream"? I'm working on it at the moment and it comes across very well on guitar.

[Earl]

All the above tunes are great standards. What's fun is to improvise on the melody and thus create new and interesting choruses.

Earl of Soco

[jayv999]

The Nearness of You
Danny Boy
Polka dots and Moonbeams

[RonD]

Someone to Watch Over Me
When Sunny Gets Blue

[markf]

soul eyes

[wizard3739]

You Go To My Head (very nice in Ab)
Embraceable You
Body & Soul
The Nearness of You
Once In A While
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

These are some of my favorites.

wiz

[ronjazz]

Come Rain or Come Shine
What's New?
Don't Know Why (Norah Jones)
Nuages

[msr13]

You Go To My Head (very nice in Ab)
Embraceable You
Body & Soul
The Nearness of You
Once In A While
Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most

These are some of my favorites.

wiz

You listed my two favorites that seem pretty effortlessly fun to play--
You Go to My Head
Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most

and, I would add:
End of a Love Affair
Black Orpheus dropped to a slower tempo.

[bracer]

My Romance!

Works very well as a ballad on sologuitar!

[jazzuki]

For those interested in this style -chechout Jimmy Foster -he not only plays great 6 and 7 string but builds them as well.You'll learn a lot about this style but his 7 part series on building an archtop is great!

[wagx3]

I really want to learn:

-Stella by starlight
-Misty
-Stardust
-Summertime

But i don't have any versions of these songs with just a simple melody. I have covers of these tunes that are usually extreme variations on the melody. Can anyone recommend versions that are simple so I can absorb the melody in my head?