The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire

Writing about music has memorably been compared to “dancing about architecture.” But Ted Gioia — jazz pianist, educator, historian, and critic — manages to write with expert knowledge, balanced judgment, and accessible prose. In this fascinating reference work he offers 2-page profiles of 250 jazz Standards, summarizing their backstories and indicating why both improvising musicians and appreciative listeners have favored and returned to them over the decades. Can one wish for more? Well, how about additional — and more sustained — analysis? This long-time jazz fan fantasizes that Gioia, having assembled a promising database, might take the next step: Consolidating his intriguing insights — now scattered throughout the book — and synthesizing them into an explicit theory or model of how a good tune becomes a Jazz Standard and how the Jazz Canon evolves over time. Pursuing that next step — in a future 3rd edition or in a potential book-length treatment of its own — might boost this work from valuable reference guide to classic status, achieving for jazz some of what Alec Wilder’s “American Popular Song” (1972) accomplished 50 years go for the Great American Songbook of Broadway and Tin Pan Alley Tunes.

This is certainly not a book to read cover to cover like a novel, but it's a great way to expand your knowledge of jazz. If you are into the "American Songbook," either in its original form or its bebop afterlife (or both!) this book gives you great little essays on pretty much any song you ever wondered about. A bit about the composers, the history of the song, and a list of iconic versions. I like to read an essay or two before bed. My favorite weird discovery so far: "Spring Will Really Hang You Up the Most" was written in response to a joke challenge to produce a takeoff on T.S. Eliot's line "April is the Cruelest Month" in stereotypical beatnik slang. And it ended up a gorgeous song. This is a massive doorstop of a book (I think I've only once gone to look for a song and not found it included). You will connect many dots. My only quibble: if there's ever a third edition, the list of versions to listen to at the end probably should be reformatted to make it easier to find specific tracks on streaming music. I know, streaming... but it's how most of us listen these days.

Huge music fan, jazz neophyte. Using Ted's book to build a standards playlist with 2-7 performances of each standard based on his recs.This book is to jazz tunes what Bill James Baseball Abstract is to baseball players. A starting point and a reference guide.Easy five starsThe one thing I'd like that isn't included is the original record label listed for each track in the "reccomended versions" sections.

Great reference to varied recordings of the songs.

I bought the first edition and just sprung for the updated second edition, too. Ted Gioia is a very knowledgeable and thoughtful writer about American music, and this book is an outstanding collection of pieces about the jazz standards. You could make the list longer, and maybe suggest a different selection here and there, but this is a very smart and reliable resource.

A superb book to have for the musician who wants to understand where standard came from espcially before the Real Book editions.

Mr. Gioia’s book is a delight to read and a very useful source of information. Of course, not all of the jazz standards are covered here, but the essential ones are, with an excellent list of versions.

I like to reference this book when I am learning a new song to play or when I am listening to a song.