Songs & Goals for Intermediate Combos
Song Selection Criteria
- Limited to one or two key centers (or tonalities) within a song
- Up to 5 or 6 key centers/tonal centers
- Time signatures other than 4/4 encouraged (3/4 is highly encouraged)
- SOME adventurous harmony is encouraged (diminished 7ths, altered dominants, augmented 7ths)
- Faster harmonic motion with few key changes
- More key changes with slower harmonic motion
- (Avoid fast harmonic motion with frequent key changes)
- Most genres and feels are encouraged (including ballads), at least one standard is recommended
- Jazz blues’ progressions should include II Vs and/or secondary dominant
- Longer forms, intros, outros, etc.. are encouraged
- Student originals and original arrangements are always encouraged
Examples:
|
Song Title
|
Style
|
Composer
|
Model Recordings
|
| Angel Eyes | Ballad | Matt Dennis |
|
| Body And Soul | Ballad | Johnny Green |
|
| In A Sentimental Mood | Ballad | Duke Ellington |
|
| Lament | Ballad | J.J. Johnson |
|
| Mood Indigo | Ballad | Duke Ellington |
|
| My Foolish Heart | Ballad | Washington & Young |
|
| My Funny Valentine | Ballad | Rodgers & Hart |
|
| Peace | Ballad | Horace Silver |
|
| Polka Dots And Moonbeams | Ballad | Burke & Huesen |
|
| Prelude To A Kiss | Ballad | Duke Ellington |
|
| Skylark | Ballad | Hoagy Carmichael |
|
| Soul Eyes | Ballad | Mal Waldron |
|
| Stairway To The Stars | Ballad | Malneck, Parish, Signorelli |
|
| Summertime | Ballad | George Gershwin |
|
| What's New | Ballad | Bob Haggart |
|
| When Sunny Gets Blue | Ballad | Segal & Fisher |
|
| When You Wish Upon A Star | Ballad | Harline & Washington |
|
| Yesterdays | Ballad | Jerome Kern |
|
| A Child Is Born | Ballad 3/4 | Thad Jones |
|
| Bags Groove | Blues | Milt Jackson |
|
| Billie's Bounce | Blues | Charlie Parker |
|
| Blue 'N' Boogie | Blues | Charlie Parker |
|
| Blue 7 | Blues | Sonny Rollins |
|
| Blue Monk | Blues | Thelonious Monk |
|
| Blue Train | Blues | John Coltrane |
|
| Blues For Gene | Blues | Milt Jackson |
|
| Blues In The Closet | Blues | Oscar Pettiford |
|
| Blues Walk | Blues | Clifford Brown |
|
| C Jam Blues | Blues | Duke Ellington |
|
| Centerpiece | Blues | Edison & Tennyson |
|
| Dejection Blues | Blues | Milt Jackson |
|
| Doodlin' | Blues | Horace Silver |
|
| Freddy Freeloader | Blues | Miles Davis |
|
| Groove Blues | Blues | Steve Turre |
|
| Hey Now | Blues | Red Garland |
|
| Miss Jackie's Delight | Blues | Gene Wright |
|
| Misterioso | Blues | Thelonious Monk |
|
| No Name Blues | Blues | Bud Powell |
|
| Now's The Time | Blues | Charlie Parker |
|
| One For Daddy-O | Blues | Nat Adderley |
|
| Raise Four | Blues | Thelonious Monk |
|
| Sandu | Blues | Clifford Brown |
|
| Sonnymoon For Two | Blues | Sonny Rollins |
|
| Straight No Chaser | Blues | Thelonious Monk |
|
| Tenor Madness | Blues | Sonny Rollins |
|
| The Blues Walk | Blues | Clifford Brown |
|
| Things Ain't What They Used To Be | Blues | Duke Ellington |
|
| Trane's Slow Blues | Blues | John Coltrane |
|
| Walkin' | Blues | Carpenter & Ammons |
|
| West Coast Blues | Blues | Wes Montgomery |
|
| Black Orpheus | Bossa Nova | Luiz Bonfa |
|
| Gentle Rain | Bossa Nova | Luiz Bonfa |
|
| One Note Samba | Bossa Nova | Antonio Carlos Jobim |
|
| Wave | Bossa Nova | Antonio Carlos Jobim |
|
| Chitlins Con Carne | Funky | Kenny Burrell |
|
| Blue Bossa | Latin | Kenny Dorham |
|
| Recorda Me | Latin | Joe Henderson |
|
| Salt Song | Latin | Milton Nascimento |
|
| Senor Blues | Latin | Horace Silver |
|
| Song For My Father | Latin | Horace Silver |
|
| Summer Samba | Latin | Marcos Valle |
|
| Afternoon In Paris | Med Swing | John Lewis |
|
| All Of Me | Med Swing | Marks & Simmons |
|
| Autumn Leaves | Med Swing | Johnny Mercer |
|
| Beautiful Love | Med Swing | King, Young, Alstyne & Gillespie |
|
| Bernie's Tune | Med Swing | Bernard Miller |
|
| Birk's Works | Med Swing | Dizzy Gillespie |
|
| But Not For Me | Med Swing | George & Ira Gershwin |
|
| Bye Bye Blackbird | Med Swing | Ray Henderson |
|
| Four | Med Swing | Miles Davis |
|
| Green Chimneys | Med Swing | Thelonious Monk |
|
| Have You Met Miss Jones | Med Swing | Rodgers & Hart |
|
| How High The Moon | Med Swing | Morgan Lewis |
|
| In A Mellow Tone | Med Swing | Duke Ellington |
|
| In Walked Bud | Med Swing | Thelonious Monk |
|
| It Don't Mean A Thing | Med Swing | Duke Ellington |
|
| Killer Joe | Med Swing | Benny Golson |
|
| Lady Bird | Med Swing | Tad Dameron |
|
| Like Someone In Love | Med Swing | Van Heusen & Burke |
|
| Lullaby Of Birdland | Med Swing | George Shearing |
|
| Mellow Minor | Med Swing | McCoy Tyner |
|
| My Romance | Med Swing | Rodgers & Hart |
|
| Nutty | Med Swing | Thelonious Monk |
|
| Perdido | Med Swing | Juan Tizol |
|
| Satin Doll | Med Swing | Duke Ellington |
|
| So What | Med Swing | Miles Davis |
|
| Softly As In A Morning Sunrise | Med Swing | Romberg & Hammerstein |
|
| Solar | Med Swing | Miles Davis |
|
| Star Eyes | Med Swing | Don Raye & Gene de Paul |
|
| Stolen Moments | Med Swing | Oliver Nelson |
|
| Sugar | Med Swing | Stanley Turrentine |
|
| Sweet And Lovely | Med Swing | Arnheim, Daniels & Tobias |
|
| Take The "A" Train | Med Swing | Billy Strayhorn |
|
| The Preacher | Med Swing | Horace Silver |
|
| There Will Never Be Another You | Med Swing | Harry Warren |
|
| They Can't Take That Away From Me | Med Swing | Gershwin & Gershwin |
|
| Tune Up | Med Swing | Eddie Vinson |
|
| Well You Needn't | Med Swing | Thelonious Monk |
|
| What Is This Thing Called Love | Med Swing | Cole Porter |
|
| When Lights Are Low | Med Swing | Benny Carter |
|
| Work Song | Med Swing | Nat Adderley |
|
| You And The Night And The Music | Med Swing | Dietz & Schwartz |
|
| Little Sunflower | Straight 8th | Freddie Hubbard |
|
| All Blues | Various | Miles Davis |
|
| I'll Be Seeing You | Various | Kahal & Fain |
|
| Night And Day | Various | Cole Porter |
|
| On Green Dolphin Street | Various | Kaper & Washington |
|
| Once In a While | Various | Michael Edward |
|
| Speak Low | Various | Kurt Weill |
|
| Bluesette | Waltz | Toots Thielemans |
|
| Someday My Prince Will Come | Waltz | Churchill & Morey |
|
Goals For All Instruments
- Learn two songs per quarter, preferably at least one song learned aurally
- Discuss the music being learned, its composer(s) and performers, and their musical and life experiences
- Play in sync rhythmically is a primary goal at all time
- Demonstrate clear melodic phrasing - question and answer - singability - space
- Can clearly articulate harmonic movement with melodic improvisation (targeting 3rds and 7ths of chords)
- Form and chord progression of all tunes in repertoire memorized
- Has control and awareness of dynamic levels in the context of the ensemble and as a soloist, in terms of balancing instruments and shaping arrangement
- Continue developing swing and straight 8th feels through the class repertoire
- Awareness of “Do” (the root of a song’s key) at all times in all tunes in the repertoire
Goals By Instrument
Drums
- Heavy triplet feel in the swing groove
- Active on the ride symbol, more than quarter notes, improvised
- Active snare which is improvised and reactive
- Comfortable with swing, shuffle, bossa, 6/8 afro-cuban, ECM (straight 8ths) feels
- Experience playing fills to mark the form and solos
- Texture changes based on song form and solo order
- Melodies (chord changes if possible) to all tunes memorized
- Ability to keep form while soloing, and quote melody clearly
- Ability to play clear phrases while soloing and cue band in/out
- Can keep form and tempo when playing combo repertoire unaccompanied, for comping and for soloing
Bass
- Walking lines include some 8th notes and triplets
- Walking lines include chromatics and longer arcs
- Basslines not always starting chords on the root
- Comfortable with swing, shuffle, bossa, 6/8 afro-cuban, ECM (straight 8ths) feels
- Can play the melody to all songs in combo repertoire
- Can use stepwise motion through scales/tonalities for improvisation purposes (melodies and bass lines using major and minor 2nd intervals)
- Can arpeggiate the changes of all combo tunes in time
- Can keep form and tempo when playing combo repertoire unaccompanied, for bass lines and for soloing
Guitar
- Has at least two or three voicings for every chord in every tune being played (shells, rootless, different registers) to allow for smooth voice leading
- Can add 9ths and 13ths to most chord voicings
- One octave arpeggios of all 7th chords starting from any string
- Can play the melody to all songs in combo repertoire
- Can use scales/tonalities (not just chord tones) for improvising melodies and can use a variety of rhythms/subdivisions
- Can clearly articulate harmonic movement with melodic improvisation (targeting 3rds and 7ths of chords)
- Can keep form and tempo when playing combo repertoire unaccompanied, for comping and for soloing
Piano
- Can play II V I left hand rootless voicings in all keys
- Can use 9ths and 13ths in most chord voicings
- Knowledge of all chords by notes (vs. hand positions) - can arpeggiate all 7th chord types across keyboard
- Can use two-handed chord voicings with minimal doubling (e.g. drop 2 voicings)
- Can play the melody to all songs in combo repertoire
- Can use scales/tonalities (not just chord tones) for improvising melodies and can use a variety of rhythms/subdivisions
- Can clearly articulate harmonic movement with melodic improvisation (targeting 3rds and 7ths of chords)
- Can keep form and tempo when playing combo repertoire unaccompanied, for comping and for soloing
Melody Instrument
- Has all melodies memorized for combo repertoire
- Has changes to combo repertoire memorized and can play arpeggios for all chords in time
- Can use scales/tonalities (not just chord tones) for improvising melodies and can use a variety of rhythms/subdivisions
- Can clearly articulate harmonic movement with melodic improvisation (targeting 3rds and 7ths of chords), when playing unaccompanied
- Can play with clearly defined rhythmic styles including swing, latin, and rock/funk
- Can access the upper and lower register of the instrument when appropriate
- Can play with accurate intonation and pitch control
You can learn more about Jazz Night School levels by reviewing our Student Skill Levels Matrix.