The Jazz Real Book

“For All We Know”and Dave Brubeck (120)  “For All We Know” is a reflective ballad that has become a lasting part of the American Songbook and the jazz repertoire. Written in 1934 by composer J. Fred Coots with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis, the song first gained popularity through dance-band recordings such as Hal Kemp’s version featuring Skinnay Ennis. Its melody is graceful and understated, built on a...

Steve Wilson is one of the most respected alto saxophonists and multi-instrumentalists in modern jazz, known for his warm tone, lyrical phrasing, and deep command of the bebop and post-bop traditions. Emerging from Virginia, Wilson gained early recognition after moving to New York in the late 1980s. He has performed and recorded with an impressive range of artists including Chick Corea, Dave Holla...

Herbie Hancock-Speak Like A Child (Blue Note Records)  Released Summer of 1968  Speak Like a Child is one of the more lyrical and introspective recordings in the catalog of Herbie Hancock. Released on Blue Note Records in 1968, the album reflects Hancock’s growing interest in subtle orchestration and melodic simplicity following the more harmonically dense work of his earlier recordings. Rather th...

“Footprints,” composed by Wayne Shorter, first appeared on Adam’s Apple (1966) but became widely known through its performance on Miles Smiles by Miles Davis. The piece is a haunting minor blues that blends traditional structure with modern harmonic color. Often played in C minor, the tune uses a distinctive bass ostinato that outlines a 12-bar blues form while introducing subtle modal movement. O...

“Follow Your Heart” and John McLaughlin (118) “Follow Your Heart” is a reflective composition by guitarist John McLaughlin that appears on his 1971 album My Goal's Beyond. The piece reveals a quieter and more introspective side of McLaughlin, arriving just before the explosive fusion period that would define the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Rather than emphasizing speed or dense harmonic movement, th...

German-born bassist and composer Martin Wind has built an extensive résumé as both a sideman and bandleader, performing with artists such as Buddy DeFranco, Pat Metheny, and Clark Terry. With more than twenty recordings as a leader or co-leader, Wind has remained an active presence on the international jazz scene. His newest release, September (2026, Laika Records), features his Gravity Trio with...

“502” Blues and Jimmy Rowles (117)  “502 Blues (Drinkin’ and Drivin’)” is a composition by pianist and songwriter Jimmy Rowles that stands as a clever example of his harmonic imagination. Despite the title, the piece is not a traditional blues. Instead, it unfolds as a 32-bar tune in 3/4 with subtle structural variations and a melody that feels almost folk-like in its directness while still contai...

Simon Mogul is a young American jazz tenor saxophonist emerging from the New York jazz scene. In his mid-20s, Mogul has quickly developed a reputation as a technically strong and expressive improviser rooted in the post-bop tradition while remaining open to contemporary influences. Active on the New York circuit, he has performed at leading venues including Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland, Minton’s Pla...

"500 Miles High" and Return to Forever  “500 Miles High,” composed by Chick Corea with lyrics by Neville Potter, is one of the defining works of Return to Forever and a centerpiece of Light as a Feather (1973). Built on an 18-measure form with a 9-bar coda, the tune features spacious melodic phrasing, subtle rhythmic mirroring, and Corea’s characteristic use of upper extensions that crea...

Joe Lovano stands among the most respected saxophonists in modern jazz. Born in Cleveland in 1952, he emerged in the late 1970s and quickly became known for his powerful tenor sound, deep knowledge of the tradition, and adventurous improvisational language. Over the decades Lovano has worked with a remarkable list of artists including Woody Herman, Paul Motian, McCoy Tyner, Dave Holland, and John...

“A Fine Romance” and Marian McPartland (115)  “A Fine Romance,” composed by Jerome Kern with lyrics by Dorothy Fields in 1936, quickly became one of the most enduring standards to emerge from the film Swing Time , where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Built on a clear 32-bar A–A′ structure, the tune balances melodic simplicity with subtle sophistication. Kern’s writing combine...

“Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum” and Rudy Van Gelder (114)  “Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum,” the second track on Speak No Evil , captures both the compositional imagination of Wayne Shorter and the unmistakable sonic clarity of engineer Rudy Van Gelder. The tune unfolds over a relaxed swing feel following a brief piano introduction by Herbie Hancock, after which the syncopated melody is stated with striking precision. Van Gelder’...

We're Only in It for the Money by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention (with Guest Steve DeLuca)    A 30 Albums For 30 Years Special! Release Date- March 4, 1969 - We're Only in It for the Money by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention stands as one of the most daring and influential records of the late 1960s. Arriving at the height of the psychedelic era, the album sharply critiqued both t...

Saxophonist Kirk Whalum continues to affirm his place as one of contemporary jazz’s most expressive voices. A Grammy Award winner whose career spans more than four decades, Whalum has seamlessly blended jazz, gospel, R&B, and soul while collaborating with artists ranging from Whitney Houston to Luther Vandross. He is perhaps best known to mainstream audiences for his iconic, improvised saxopho...

“Falling In Love With Love” and Helen Merrill (113)  “Falling in Love with Love,” by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart from the Broadway musical The Boys from Syracuse, is a waltz in B♭ major built on a clear 64–bar A–A’ form. Its melody is strikingly simple—largely stepwise and sustained—yet its arching ascents and descents give it expressive shape. The harmony relies on logical ii–V progressions a...

Steve Tibbetts (born 1954, Madison, Wisconsin) is an American guitarist and composer whose music blends jazz fusion, ambient soundscapes, experimental techniques, and global influences. Treating the recording studio as a compositional tool, he layers loops, field recordings, and highly textured guitar tones to create immersive sonic environments. A longtime collaborator with percussionist Marc And...

“ Falling Grace” and John Scofield (112)  “Falling Grace,” composed by Steve Swallow and first recorded by Gary Burton in 1966, is a structurally modern jazz standard built on lyrical melody and elegant, bass-directed harmony. Its unusual 14-bar A and 10-bar B form is unified by sustained opening tones, recurring triplet figures, and carefully balanced chord tones and extensions. The harmony is de...

Thelonious Monk -Underground Released May 1968  Released in May 1968 on Columbia Records and produced by Teo Macero, Underground captures Monk with his longtime quartet: Charlie Rouse (tenor saxophone), Larry Gales (bass), and Ben Riley (drums), plus a vocal cameo from Jon Hendricks on “In Walked Bud.” The record balances new compositions like “Green Chimneys” and “Boo Boo’s Birthday” with revisit...

Björn Meyer is a Swedish six-string bassist and composer born in Stockholm in 1965, known for his expansive approach to the electric bass across jazz, ambient, and world music contexts. After early studies in piano and trumpet—and even playing guitar in punk bands—he turned to bass at 18, becoming a professional musician in 1989 before relocating to Switzerland in 1996. Meyer has collaborated wide...

“Fall” and Miles Davis’ Nefertiti ( 111)  Standards Rating 4, Difficulty Rating 6  “Fall,” written by Wayne Shorter, is a 16-bar composition featured on Nefertiti ( 1968) by Miles Davis. The melody is marked by its openness and its emphasis on upper extensions—13ths, 11ths, and altered tones—rather than simple chord tones, creating an atmosphere of suspended harmony and emotional ambiguity. The mi...

“E.S.P.” and Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet (110) Standards Rating 5, Difficulty Rating 7  “E.S.P.” stands as a defining statement of Miles Davis’ Second Great Quintet, featuring Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams. Written by Shorter, the tune captures the group’s concept of “time, no changes,” where pulse remains steady but harmony feels fluid and constantly shifting....

Few Of A Kind is a boundary-blurring chamber ensemble bringing together five fearless musicians from strikingly different musical worlds, united by a shared spirit of curiosity and collaboration. Fronted by acclaimed singer-songwriter Vienna Teng alongside violinist and vocalist Ben Russell, the group blends lyrical storytelling with improvisation and the tonal richness of contemporary classical m...

“Equipoise”and Stanley Cowell  (109)  Standards Rating 3, Difficulty Rating 7  “Equipoise”  is a perfect title for Stanley Cowell’s composition—everything about the piece feels balanced, even while the harmony and rhythm are in constant motion. Set in F♯ minor with a medium, quasi-Latin groove, the tune blends space, syncopation, and subtle tension. Its unusual 28-bar AAB form and shifting root mo...

Soulive is a genre-blurring powerhouse that sits at the crossroads of funk, soul, jazz, and hip-hop, built around the deep musical chemistry of guitarist Eric Krasno, drummer Alan Evans, and organist Neal Evans. Formed in the late 1990s, the band made a bold statement early on by embracing the classic organ-trio format—Hammond B-3, guitar, and drums—while pushing it into thoroughly modern territor...

Equinox and Bassist Steve Davis  (108)  Standards Rating 7, Difficulty Rating 3  “Equinox” is a brooding minor-blues jazz standard composed by John Coltrane, first recorded in 1960 and released on Coltrane’s Sound in 1964. Built on a slow, hypnotic 12-bar minor blues groove, the piece stands out in Coltrane’s oeuvre for its earthy spiritual depth, reflecting his deep connection to the blues tradit...