[Western Jazz] A Special Feature on Standard Numbers You’ve Heard at Least Once

All The Things You AreCharlie Parker

Charlie Parker – All the things you are

Born in 1939, All the Things You Are is a world-famous standard whose beautiful melody and poetic lyrics touch the heart.

Originally composed by Jerome Kern—who produced many enduring standards—for a musical, the show itself unfortunately failed to achieve commercial success.

It’s fascinating that from a musical considered a flop emerged a standard that has been loved across generations.

Beyond the sheer quality of the tune, its frequently shifting key centers and intriguing chord progression have made it a favorite among jazz musicians in many settings—piano trios, saxophonists, trumpeters, and more—resulting in numerous classic recordings.

There are too many great examples to list, but this time I’m highlighting a trumpet performance by Charlie Parker, a founder of modern jazz.

For a vocal version, I recommend the legendary jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition!

Yardbird SuiteCharlie Parker

Charlie “Bird” Parker – Yardbird Suite

Together with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, he created the “bebop style,” considered the prototype of modern jazz.

Though his life was short—just 34 years—Charlie Parker, known as “Bird,” revolutionized the jazz scene with his genius for improvisation.

Parker was not only an unparalleled player but also wrote several classic compositions.

This time, let’s introduce Yardbird Suite, which Parker composed in 1946.

Known in Japanese as “Yardbird Kumikyoku,” this piece is regarded as a quintessential bebop classic and has been covered by many artists as a jazz standard.

The title, which combines Parker’s nickname “Yardbird” with the classical music term “suite,” is quite unique, isn’t it? The piece uses the so-called 32-bar AABA form, and many people have likely tackled it as an exercise piece when practicing jazz improvisation.

Incidentally, Bob Dorough—known as a pianist and singer-songwriter—included a vocal cover of Yardbird Suite, with lyrics he wrote himself, on his 1956 album Devil May Care.

The lyrics convey profound respect for Parker, so if you’re interested, be sure to check it out!

My Favorite ThingsJohn Coltrane

My Favorite Things – John Coltrane [FULL VERSION] HQ

This “My Favorite Things” is another super-famous song that most people have probably heard at least once! Known in Japan by the title “Watashi no Okiniiri,” this classic was born as one of the numbers in the legendary musical The Sound of Music, and many people will immediately recall the memorable scene in the film version where Maria sings it.

“My Favorite Things” is also frequently covered by jazz musicians as an instrumental; perhaps the most famous version is by the giant who can be called one of the most important figures in jazz history, John Coltrane, included on his 1961 album of the same name.

It’s the best-known and most popular cover of “My Favorite Things,” and Coltrane himself reportedly loved performing it in concert.

Whether with vocals or as an instrumental, its friendly, familiar melody somehow lifts your spirits.

By the way, the main phrase of Ariana Grande’s 2019 hit “7 Rings” quotes “My Favorite Things”—you’ll recognize it when you hear it.

It’s fun to compare it with the original!

BirdlandWeather Report

Weather Report – Birdland

Weather Report, formed in 1970 around synthesizer player Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter—who shared the common background of having played with Maynard Ferguson’s band and Miles Davis’s group—is a quintessential fusion/crossover ensemble.

It goes without saying that the group’s output, born from cutting-edge sensibilities and highly free-form ensembles that transcend genre boundaries, performed by musicians of extraordinary technical ability, exerted an enormous influence on subsequent artists and bands.

Many of the masterpieces they created have become established standards; among them, Birdland—the opening track of their landmark 1977 hit album Heavy Weather—is regarded as a towering classic and a work of great importance in the history of fusion.

The impact of the late, one-of-a-kind bassist Jaco Pastorius’s playing, which makes extensive use of picking harmonics on fretless bass, is immense, and the main theme’s melody is wonderfully memorable.

In fact, the jazz vocal group The Manhattan Transfer covered it with lyrics and turned it into a hit.

Incidentally, the song’s title pays homage to the jazz club that existed in Manhattan, New York City, from 1949 to 1965, which itself was named after Charlie Parker’s nickname.

A Night in TunisiaDizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie feat. Charlie Parker – A Night In Tunisia

Also known in Japan by the title “Tunisian Night,” A Night in Tunisia is a tune co-written by the famed jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and pianist Frank Paparelli.

It’s said to have been composed in 1942, though some sources place it in 1943 or 1944.

Gillespie was a key figure in bebop—the prototype of modern jazz—and many jazz artists quickly adopted the piece into their live repertoires as a standout of the new generation of jazz.

By the 1950s, it had already secured its status as a standard.

The song’s structure—combining an Afro-beat section characteristic of Gillespie, who also helped bring Latin jazz to wider recognition, with a classic four-beat jazz section—is irresistibly cool and stylish.

Lyrics were later added, and the piece has continued to be loved as a vocal song as well.

Notably, Chaka Khan wrote her own lyrics and remade it as a funk version under the title And The Melody Still Lingers On (A Night in Tunisia), even recording it with composer Gillespie himself.

It’s included on her 1981 album What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me, so be sure to check that out too!

Fly Me To The MoonFrank Sinatra

Fly Me To The Moon (2008 Remastered)

For those who first encountered this song not as a jazz standard but as the ending theme of the acclaimed anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion—actually, I’m one of them—it might be quite common among a certain generation in Japan.

“Fly Me to the Moon” is a renowned classic that has been passed down as a global jazz standard, and in Japan it has repeatedly been used in TV dramas and commercials, including the aforementioned Evangelion.

By the way, did you know that “Fly Me to the Moon” originally began as a song called “In Other Words,” written by American lyricist-composer Bart Howard in 1954? Its rhythm was in 3/4 time, arranged differently from the current version, and the first recorded vocalist was Kaye Ballard, who released it on record in 1954.

After various twists and turns, the title “Fly Me to the Moon” became established; in 1962, composer-arranger Joe Harnell adapted it in a bossa nova style, and two years later Frank Sinatra’s rendition became a major hit, leading to the version we know today.

Time After TimeMiles Davis

MILES DAVIS – Time After Time

When we hear the term “standard number,” we tend to picture songs born before the war or in the ’50s and ’60s.

However, the piece introduced here is a gem of a standard that emerged in the 1980s.

“Time After Time,” included on American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper’s blockbuster 1983 album She’s So Unusual—she’s also widely known as a great admirer of Japan—is a quintessential ’80s ballad that remains beloved even now, in the 2020s.

It’s been used countless times in commercials, and even younger music fans can instantly recognize it when they hear its wistful melody.

In fact, “Time After Time” has also become a standard in the jazz world, continually covered by many artists.

A direct catalyst was none other than the emperor of jazz, Miles Davis, who recorded an instrumental version in 1984, shortly after the song’s release, and issued it as a single the following year, in 1985.

After that, it became a recurring feature in Miles’s live performances.

Of course, beyond jazz, it’s an eternal ballad that continues to be covered across genres.

Be sure to enjoy both the original version and Miles’s cover!