Hi all,
I’m new to this site and enjoying the beginners curriculum and would like to start digging deep into learning some standards.
Does anyone have a spotify playlist of the songs showcased on this site? I’ve tried compiling my own but a search for “Just Friends” results in multiple tracks - none of which are the jazz standard I’m looking for,
If not, a recommended listening list detailing the artist and album for each of the songs would be a big help. Apologies if this has already been covered in another post.
One of our students compiled this awesome playlist:
That playlist contains almost 2500 tunes starting with some of the earliest jazz and coming all the way to more modern styles and artists.
I’d recommend browsing through that playlist until you find some records or artists that you like. Then try to dedicate some time each day just to listening. Listening is an essential part of our development as jazz musicians. Also check out Tuomo’s transcriptions exercises which will prepare you for transcribing from records on Spotify:
A Tip For Searching For Records On Spotify:
When I’m searching for songs on spotify, I type the jazz standard name, and then put the following words on the end as examples:
“Just Friends Jazz”
“Just Friends Solo Piano”
“Just Friends Jazz Piano”
“Just Friends Trio”
This often brings up completely different sets of songs for the same tune.
I’d recommend searching like this for all jazz standards you are working on Yurik, and perhaps create a playlist for each song containing your favourite versions.
I just searched for “Just Friends Jazz” and there’s lots of results:
Remember to listen to the vocal versions to learn the lyrics. You can also get lots of inspiration from other instrumentalists as well as piano players.
“Just Friends” is often played at medium/up tempos, and so you will find many faster versions on Spotify. We approached the tune as a ballad so that we could focus on the harmony and the movement in the 251 progressions.
Also be aware that you will find recordings in different keys than the key we covered it in.
There is a list I found which contains many of the tunes, it is called ‘pianogroove jazz’. I hope it helps, there a few Bill Evans’ tunes on the list. Anyone not familiar with Spotify it is under the playlists part.
