Advanced Combo Songs & Goals

Song Selection Criteria 

• Any song is acceptable
• We encourage:
• Complex and/or faster moving harmony
• Time signatures other than 4/4 encouraged, particularly 5 and 7 based meters
• Less frequently played composers or tunes
• Student originals, transcriptions, and arrangements
• Non-traditional forms and jazz subgenres

Examples:

Song Title	Style	Composer	Model Recordings
A Night In Tunisia	Afro-Cuban	Dizzy Gillespie	Dizzy Gillespie - The Quintet: Jazz at Massey Hall
Cubano Chant	Afro-Cuban	Ray Bryant	Art Blakey - Drum Suite
Juju	Afro-Cuban	Wayne Shorter	Wayne Shorter - Juju
Ask Me Now	Ballad	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music Vol. 2
But Beautiful	Ballad	Burke & Van Huesen	Bill Evans & Tony Bennett - The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album Freddie Hubbard - Open Sesame
Chelsea Bridge	Ballad	Billy Strayhorn	Ben Webster - Classic Jazz: Jazz Greats Keith Jarrett - Whisper Not (Live in Paris 1999)
Django	Ballad	John Lewis	Modern Jazz Quartet - Django
Everything Happens to Me	Ballad	Matt Dennis & Tom Adair	Thelonious Monk - Solo Monk
Goodbye Pork Pie Hat	Ballad	Charles Mingus	Charles Mingus - Ah Um
Here's That Rainy Day	Ballad	Jim Van Heusen	Stan Getz - Getz/Gilberto No.2 (Live)
I Remember Clifford	Ballad	Benny Golson	Art Blakey - This is Jazz #28
Isfahan	Ballad	Billy Strayhorn	Warren Vache - My Shining Hour Joe Henderson - Lush Life
Naima	Ballad	John Coltrane	John Coltrane - Giant Steps
Round Midnight	Ballad	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Monk's Greatest Hits Thelonious Monk - Norway Live 1966
Soultrane	Ballad	Tadd Dameron	John Coltrane - Mating Call
The Peacocks	Ballad	Jimmy Rowles	Stan Getz - The Peacocks
Theme For Ernie	Ballad	Fred Lacy	John Coltrane - Soultrane
Anthropology	Bebop	Charlie Parker	Charlie Parker - The Genius of Charlie Parker Anthropology - Charlie Parker
Confirmation	Bebop	Charlie Parker	Charlie Parker - The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
Freight Trane	Bebop	Tommy Flanagan	Kenny Burrell and John Coltrane
Groovin' High	Bebop	Dizzy Gillespie	Charlie Parker - The Complete Live Performances On Savoy Cannonball Adderley - Things Are Getting Better
Ornithology	Bebop	Charlie Parker	Ornithology - The Complete Savoy & Dial Master Tkes
Bessie's Blues	Blues	John Coltrane	John Coltrane - Crescent
Blues Five Spot	Blues	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Thelonious in Action
Blues For Alice	Blues	Charlie Parker	Charlie Parker - The Complete Charlie Parker on Verve
Blues March	Blues	Benny Golson	Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
Laird Baird	Blues	Charlie Parker	Charlie Parker Quintet - Charlie Parker Plays The Blues
Black Eyes	Bossa Nova	Wayne Shorter	Chet Baker - Live at Chateauvallan Chet Baker - Broken Wing
Chega De Saudade	Bossa Nova	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Dizzy Gillespie - The Girl from Ipanema
Corcovado	Bossa Nova	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Stan Getz - Getz/Gilberto
Girl From Ipanema	Bossa Nova	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Stan Getz - Getz/Gilberto
How Insensitive	Bossa Nova	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Stan Getz - All Of You
Meditation	Bossa Nova	Antônio Carlos Jobim	Astrud Gilberto - The Astrud Gilberto Album
Pensativa	Bossa Nova	Claire Fischer	Bill Evans - Crosscurrants
St. Thomas	Calypso	Traditional	Sonny Rollins - Saxophone Colossus
Afro Blue	Latin 6/8	Mongo Santamaria	John Coltrane - The Very Best of John Coltrane
A Foggy Day	Med Swing	George Gershwin	Cannonball Adderley - Cannonball En Route
Alone Together	Med Swing	Dietz & Schwartz	Sonny Rollins - The Freelance Years
Along Came Betty	Med Swing	Benny Golson	Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Moanin'
April In Paris	Med Swing	Vernon Duke	Thad Jones - The Magnificent Thad Jones Thelonious Monk - The Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1
Beatrice	Med Swing	Sam Rivers	Stan Getz: Bossas and Ballads The Lost Sessions
Bemsha Swing	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Thelonious Monk's Greatest Hits
Bright Mississippi	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream
Dolphin Dance	Med Swing	Herbie Hancock	Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Doxy	Med Swing	Sonny Rollins	Miles Davis - The Best of Miles Davis
Evidence	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Live at The It Club
Falling In Love With Love	Med Swing	Rodgers & Hart	Kenny Dorham - Jazz Contrasts Hank Mobley - Hank Mobley
Footprints	Med Swing	Wayne Shorter	Wayne Shorter - Footprints
I Mean You	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Mulligan Meets Monk
I Should Care	Med Swing	Cahn, Stordahl, Weston	Bill Evans - How My Heart Sings! Modern Jazz Quartet - 1963 Monterey Jazz Fest.
I'm Old Fashioned	Med Swing	Mercer & Kern	John Coltrane - Blue Train
If I Were A Bell	Med Swing	Frank Loesser	Miles Davis - Relaxin'
It Could Happen To You	Med Swing	Burke & Van Heusen	Miles Davis - Relaxin'
It's You Or No One	Med Swing	Cahn & Styne	Dexter Gordon - Doin' Allright
Jordu	Med Swing	Duke Jordan	Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Joy Spring	Med Swing	Clifford Brown	Clifford Brown and Max Roach
Moanin'	Med Swing	Bobby Timmons	Art Blakey - Moanin'
Monk's Dream	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - Monk's Dream
Nardis	Med Swing	Davis & Evans	Bill Evans Trio - Explorations
Oleo	Med Swing	Sonny Rollins	Miles Davis - Bag's Groove Miles Davis: My Funny Valentine Miles Davis: The Best of Miles Davis
One By One	Med Swing	Wayne Shorter	Art Blakey & Jazz Messengers - Ugetsu
Pannonica	Med Swing	Thelonious Monk	Thelonious Monk - The Colombia Years '62-'68 Thelonious Monk - Brilliant Corners
Pent-Up House	Med Swing	Sonny Rollins	Sonny Rollins - Sonny Rollins Plus 4
Stablemates	Med Swing	Benny Golson	Jackie McLean - Swing Swang Swingin' Miles Davis - The legendary Prestige Quintet Disc 1 Miles Davis - The New Miles Davis Quintet
There Is No Greater Love	Med Swing	Symes & Jones	Gene Ammons & Sonny Stitt - Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago 1961
Witch Hunt	Med Swing	Wayne Shorter	Wayne Shorter - Speak No Evil
You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To	Med Swing	Cole Porter	Art Pepper - Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section
Cantaloupe Island	Other	Herbie Hancock	Herbie Hancock - Cantaloupe Island
Maiden Voyage	Straight 8th	Herbie Hancock	Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Una Mas	Straight 8ths	Kenny Dorham	Kenny Dorham - Una Mas
All The Things You Are	Various	Kern & Hammerstein	Grant Green: Standards
Nica's Dream	Various	Horace Silver	Horace Silver - Horace-Scope
Woody 'N You	Various	Dizzy Gillespie	Miles Davis - The Complete Blue Note Sessions Miles Davis - Vol. 1 (RVG Edition Remastered) Roy Eldridge & Dizzy Gillespie - Roy and Diz Dizzy Gillespie - Complete RCA Victor Recordings
Alice In Wonderland	Waltz	Sammy Fain	Bill Evans - The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961 Oscar Peterson - The Way I Really Play
Little B's Poem	Waltz	Bobby Hutcherson	Bobby Hutcherson - Components
Up Jumped Spring	Waltz	Freddie Hubbard	Freddie Hubbard - Backlash

Goals For All Instruments

• Discuss the music being learned, its composer(s) and performers, and their musical and life experiences
• Study and emulate the great players of the music, both in technique and concept 
• Is actively listening, transcribing, and internalizing the sound of the jazz tradition beyond the lead sheet
• Can demonstrate clear mastery of the harmonic material through improvisation and creative interpretation 
• Form, chord progression, and melody of all tunes in repertoire memorized
• Is developing and using their “voice”—their unique sound and/or approach to the music and their instrument
• Is further refining command of swing, and other common jazz styles and feels
• Is gaining experience with complex rhythmic feels and/or meters through repertoire

Goals By Instrument

Drums

• Comfort with feels for all common jazz subgenres including afro cuban and brazilian basics
• Experience with odd time signatures 
• Ability to improvise clearly and keep a song’s form, while unaccompanied
• Never get lost in song form
• Able to be the leader in spontaneously affecting shape and arrangement of performances 
• Ability to read rhythmic figures and learn new grooves quickly 
• Experience with brushes and hand percussion

Bass

• Improvised walking lines which prioritize line shape over roots 
• Use of triplet, offbeats, and 8th notes in walking lines
• Afro-cuban, Brazilian standard lines (Tumbao, 6/8, Bossa, Samba) 
• Experience with odd time signatures 
• Can clearly articulate harmonic movement with melodic improvisation (targeting 3rds and 7ths of chords), when playing unaccompanied
• Very comfortable in the upper register of the instrument
• Two octave scales and arpeggios in time over all tunes in the repertoire 
• Can play melodies to all tunes in the repertoire

Guitar

• Multiple rootless voicings across all strings 
• Melody memorized for all tunes in repertoire 
• Soloing with phrases which sound musical, use the harmony, and show compositional ability
• Can construct constant 8th note melodies reflective of harmonic content
• Experience with odd time signatures 
• Chord extensions, alterations, and substitutions improvised in real time
• Experience improvising endings and intros
• Solo guitar techniques

Piano

• Standard rootless and two-handed voicings 
• Creative voicings which use extensions and partial chords
• Experience with odd time signatures
• Soloing with phrases which sound musical, use the harmony, and show compositional ability 
• Can construct constant 8th note melodies reflective of harmonic content
• Chord extensions, alterations, and substitutions improvised in real time
• Experience improvising endings and intros
• Solo piano techniques

Melody Instrument

• Soloing with phrases which sound musical, use the harmony, and show compositional ability 
• Can construct constant 8th note melodies reflective of harmonic content
• Fluid, natural, idiomatic articulations
• Experience with odd time signatures
• Command of intonation across full range of instrument
• Developing command of various sound production techniques, timbres, vibrato, mutes, doubles, etc.