10 Jazz Swing Songs You Should Know on Piano
Learning Focus
Music Style
Free Lessons
Get free weekly lessons, practice tips, and downloadable resources to your inbox!
Jazz swing songs provide the perfect atmosphere for any occasion in which you want to people to have a good time. In today’s Quick Tip, 10 Jazz Swing Songs You Should Know on Piano, John Proulx shares ten of the most recognizable and most requested swing songs. If you’re looking to expand your piano repertoire, then you’ll definitely want to consider some of the classic swing standards in this list. You’ll discover:
Top Ten Jazz Swing Songs to Learn
Here is an overview of the standards on John’s list of jazz swing songs to learn. You can click directly on each song title to learn about the composer, lyricist, date and common key for each song. In addition, we’ve selected a sample piano recording of each tune.
As you listen to each of these classic swing standards, perhaps you’ll find one that you’d like to learn of the piano. Afterward, we’ll discuss some important techniques for playing jazz swing songs on piano.
Due to publisher’s restrictions, the lesson sheet PDF with the lead sheet excerpts that appear in John’s featured tutorial is available through our partners at MusicNotes.com. However, PWJ members can download the backing track excerpts from the bottom of this page after logging in with their membership. For backing tracks containing the complete song form, please visit the PWJ courses that correspond to the given tunes (links embedded throughout.)
#1: “Autumn Leaves”
Composer: Joseph Kosma
Lyricist: Jacques Prévert, Johnny Mercer
Date: 1945
Common Keys: G Minor, E Minor
Form: AABC
Wynton Kelly
“Autumn Leaves” (1961)
In 1945, Hungarian composer Joseph Kosma wrote “Les Feuilles Mortes” with French lyricist Jacques Prévert. Later, in 1950, American lyricist and singer Johnny Mercer penned English lyrics for the tune which is now more commonly known as “Autumn Leaves.” In 1955, the tune gained widespread popularity when pop pianist Roger Williams turned the song into a #1 Billboard hit!¹ However, since Williams’ version blends pop, jazz and classical characteristics, jazz piano students are more likely to gravitate toward recordings by Wynton Kelly (above), Bill Evans, McCoy Tyner or Keith Jarrett.
🌟 Learn to play “Autumn Leaves” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#2: “Fly Me to the Moon”
Composer: Bart Howard
Lyricist: Bart Howard
Date: 1954
Common Key: C Major
Form: ABAC
Kenny Barron
“Fly Me to the Moon” (2013)
The 1954 jazz standard “Fly Me to the Moon” (previously titled “In Other Words”) by Bart Howard opens with a cycle of 5ths progression. The song was famously recorded in 1964 by Frank Sinatra and Count Basie and His Orchestra with an arrangement by Quincy Jones. This version is often associated with NASA’s Apollo Space Program and was even included on Apollo Ⅹ and Apollo ⅩⅠ mixtapes that the astronauts played in space.² ³ Another fun fact about “Fly Me to the Moon” is that the song was originally written in 3/4. For example, check out the Roy Haynes Quartet jazz waltz version from 1962.
🌟 Learn to play “Fly Me to the Moon” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#3: “All of Me”
Composer: Gerald Marks & Seymour Simons
Lyricist: Gerald Marks & Seymour Simons
Date: 1931
Common Key: C Major
Form: ABAC
Oscar Peterson
“All of Me” (1959)
“All of Me” was originally written and composed by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons in 1931. Some of the most popular and well known recordings of “All of Me” are vocal renditions by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. However, jazz piano students will especially love Oscar Peterson’s irresistible trio version (above).
#4: “The Way You Look Tonight”
Composer: Jerome Kern
Lyricist: Dorothy Fields
Date: 1936
Common Key: F Major
Form: AABA’
Barry Harris
“The Way You Look Tonight” (1962)
Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields’ “The Way You Look Tonight” was first introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film, Swing Time. Interestingly, the film version moves at about 80–85 BMP, a murky “no man’s land” between ballad tempo and swing tempo in jazz music. On the other hand, Billie Holiday and Teddy Wilson’s version from the same year moves at a more typical “medium-up swing” tempo of about 162 BPM. For a really brisk rendition, check out Bill Charlap’s performance that moves at well over 300 BPM!
🌟 Learn to play “The Way You Look Tonight” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#5: “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”
Composer: Duke Ellington
Lyricist: Bob Russell
Date: 1940
Key: C Major
Form: AABA
Beegie Adair
“Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” (2002)
Duke Ellington first composed and recorded the swing song “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” in 1940 under the title “Never No Lament.” Later, in 1942, lyricist Bob Russell added the lyrics and the tune inherited its now familiar name. However, as jazz historian and music critic Ted Gioia points out, some listeners make the assumption that the song is named after its opening lyrics, which are “Missed the Saturday dance;” however, these lyrics are also commonly misheard by audiences. Therefore, if someone asked you to play “Mister Saturday Dance,” just go with it!⁴
#6: “In a Mellow Tone”
Composer: Duke Ellington
Lyricist: Milt Gabler
Date: 1940
Common Key: A♭ Major
Form: ABAC
Oscar Peterson
“In a Mellow Tone” (1968)
In 1940, Duke Ellington premiered the medium swing song “In a Mellow Tone” (sometimes spelled as “In a Mellotone”). The composition is based on the chord changes from the 1917 tune “Rose Room” by Art Hickman and Harry Williams. The lyrics were added at a later date and are credited to record producer Milt Gabler.
#7: “Heart and Soul”
Composer: Hoagy Carmichael
Lyricist: Frank Loesser
Date: 1938
Common Key: F Major
Form: AABA’
Bud Powell
“Heart and Soul” (1956)
“Heart and Soul” was written in 1938 by composer Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Frank Loesser. The tune was premiered the same year with a recording by Larry Clinton & his Orchestra, which appeared in the Paramount Pictures film A Song is Born. Ongoing popularity of “Heart and Soul” has almost certainly been fueled by its frequent reappearances in TV and film. The Cleftones hit version was featured in the 1973 classic film American Graffiti. A decade later, the Cleftones version also appeared in the 1985 comedy Mischief.
Beyond its appearance on soundtracks, “Heart and Soul” has also often been included in TV and film as part of the on-camera story performed by the actual characters. Such examples are included the 1998 film Big, the sitcom Frasier and the Netflix series Lucifer. Despite all its associations with popular culture, jazz pianists have also recorded swing versions of “Heart and Soul” including Hank Jones, Cedar Walton and Bud Powell (above).
🌟 Learn to play “Heart and Soul” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#8: “It Had To Be You”
Composer: Isham Jones
Lyricist: Gus Kahn
Date: 1924
Common Key: F Major, G Major
Form: ABAC
Art Tatum
“It Had To Be You” (1939)
“It Had To Be You” is a classic jazz swing song written in 1924 by songwriter Isham Jones and lyricist Gus Kahn. The tune become widely known to the public after versions by both Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick, Jr. appeared in the 1989 film When Harry Met Sally.
🌟 Learn to play “It Had To Be You” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#9: “Blue Skies”
Composer: Irving Berlin
Lyricist: Irving Berlin
Date: 1926
Common Key: E♭ Major or F Major
Form: AABA
Bill Charlap
“Blue Skies” (2001)
The jazz standard “Blue Skies” was composed in 1926 by Irving Berlin and premiered in the Rodgers and Hart musical Betsy. Even though Betsy only enjoyed a one-month run on Broadway, Berlin’s “Blue Skies” quickly found additional performance horizons. In 1927, Al Jolson sang “Blue Skies” in The Jazz Singer, the first feature-length motion picture with audible dialogue.² About a decade later, “Blue Skies” appeared in the Best-Picture-nominated film Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938). In 1946, Berlin’s hit song became the title song for the Hollywood movie musical Blue Skies, starting Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The A section is based on The Sentimental Progression, a common chord progression in jazz and pop music.
🌟 Learn to play “Blue Skies” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
#10: “Blue Moon”
Composer: Richard Rodgers
Lyricist: Lorenz Hart
Date: 1934
Common Key: E♭ Major
Form: AABA
Wynton Kelly
“Blue Moon” (1951)
“Blue Moon,” by American songwriting duo Rogers and Hart, is a jazz standard with an unlikely origin. The tune was originally named “Prayer” when it was first composed in 1934 for the MGM film Hollywood Party. However, the scene featuring the song was cut from the film. The duo then reworked the tune as “The Bad in Every Man!” for a different 1934 MGM film, Manhattan Melodrama. Afterward, in the same year, music publisher Jack Robbins, promised to lavishly promote the song if Hart would rework the lyrics a third time to have broader commercial appeal. Thus, “Blue Moon” was born. In fact, in its final form, “Blue Moon” was Rodgers and Hart’s only hit song not associated with a Broadway show or a Hollywood film.⁶
🌟 Learn to play “Blue Moon” (Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
Essential Piano Techniques for Swing Songs
Now that we’ve identified ten of the most popular swing songs, let’s consider which jazz piano techniques are necessary for learning to play these swing standards. In this section, we’ve identified essential jazz piano skills for students of all levels along with related PWJ resources where you can brush up on these techniques.
Beginner Jazz Piano Skills for Swing Songs
7th chords: four-note chords that are built from the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th tones of a parent scale. Unlike classical music, which is primarily based on 3-note chords called triads, swing songs are based on chords containing 4 notes or more. Therefore, it’s imperative that beginner jazz piano students learn to master major 7th, dominant 7th, minor 7th, half-diminished and diminished 7th chords.
Chord shells: a minimalistic voicing system that is accessible for beginners but also used by pros when playing swing songs. Chord shells use just 2 or 3 notes to imply a tune’s harmony with maximum efficiency.
Parent scales: a harmonic framework that allows jazz musicians to improvise with just one scale over multiple chords from a common key.
Intermediate Jazz Piano Skills for Swing Songs
Chord extensions: additional color notes that can be added to 7th chords to provide more complex harmonic sounds.
Chord alterations: tension notes added to chords that result in rich and complex jazz harmonies. There are four potential alterations to choose from: the♭9, ♯9, ♯11 and ♭13. In simple terms, a chord alteration is a chord extension with an accidental. Alterations are most commonly used on dominant chords.
Rootless voicings: a stylized chord sound popularized by jazz pianists in the mid-to-late 1950s. If you are an intermediate piano student, rootless voicings will help you include beautiful harmonic colors in your left hand for a truly professional sound.
Comping: a jazz term the meaning both to “accompany” and to “compliment” a soloist. Intermediate jazz piano students should beginning developing a repository of swing rhythms and jazz voicings that they can use to play behind a soloist on swing songs.
Advanced Jazz Piano Skills for Swing Songs
Melodic ornamentation: an interpretive technique that draws on common, vocal-like gestures such as neighbor notes, slides, turns and rhythmic displacement.
Improvisation: a performance technique in which a soloist displays creative, spontaneous melodic expression that draws on both their individual personality and an internal storehouse of common melodic patterns.
Two-hand voicings: interpreting chord symbols with one of several voicing techniques that require both hands, such as guide tones, block chords, drop 2 voicings, quartal voicings or spread voicings.
Two-feel bass line: a bass line that primarily emphasized beats 1 and 3, which produces an open and relaxed feel.
Walking bass line: a bass line that outlines a chord progression with continuous quarter-note movement and occasional 8th-notes to heighten the swing. Walking bass lines on piano are especially common for solo playing on swing songs and in duo settings with a vocalist or other instrumentalist.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed today’s Quick Tip on 10 Jazz Swing Songs You Should Know on Piano. Hopefully, you have picked out which of these popular swing standards you’d like to learn next.
To help you in your jazz piano journey, be sure to check out the following PWJ resources:
Courses
- Diatonic 7th Chords Exercises (Int)
- 2-5-1 7th Chords Exercises (Int)
- Play Piano Lead Sheets with 7th Chords (Int)
- Play Piano Lead Sheets with Shells & Guide Tones (Int)
- Play Piano Lead Sheets with Rootless Voicings (Int)
- Play Piano Lead Sheets with Extensions & Alterations (Int/Adv)
- 32 Colorful Jazz Endings (Int)
Quick Tips
- Jazz Piano 1-Year Practice Plan (Beg–Adv)
- Guide Tones (Piano): The Complete Guide (Beg/Int)
- Chord Extensions – The Complete Guide (Int)
- Rootless Voicings for Piano: The Complete Guide (Int)
- Jazz Articulation with Ghost Notes (Int)
- Scales for Improv on 7th Chords (Int, Adv)
- Improvise a Solo Over Any Jazz Standard on Piano (Int/Adv)
Jazz Swing Learning Tracks
Soloing in Styles Learning Tracks
Thanks for learning with us today! We’ll see you next time.
Would you like to comment on this lesson?
Visit this Quick Tip on YouTube
¹ “Autumn Leaves” Roger Williams Music, rogerwilliamsmusic.com.
² McGlynn, Larry. “Music to the Moon: The Apollo X Music Tape.” Lunar Collections, 13 Apr. 2006.
³ Kamp, David. “Music on the Moon: Meet Mickey Kapp, Master of Apollo 11’s Astro-Mixtapes.” Vanity Fair, 14 Dec. 2018.
⁴ Gioia Ted. The Jazz Standards : A Guide to the Repertoire. Second ed. Oxford University Press 2012, p 90–92.
⁵ “The Jazz Singer.” IMDb.com.
⁶ Wilson, Jeremy. “Blue Moon (1934).” JazzStandards.com.
Writer
Michael LaDisa
Michael LaDisa graduated from the University of North Texas with a major in Music Theory & Composition. He lives in Chicago where he operates a private teaching studio and performs regularly as a solo pianist. His educational work with students has been featured on WGN-TV Evening News, Fox 32 Good Day,...
More Free Lessons
You learned the blues scale…now what? Why not master blues scales on piano in 8 steps with Jonny's complete blues scale guide for beginners.
Expand your familiarity and proficiency playing various chord qualities with these essential piano chords practice exercises for all levels.
In this lesson on how to compose a melody, John Proulx employs a simple, 10-Step guide to demonstrate the creative process for writing an original song.
Looking for downloads?
Subscribe to a membership plan for full access to this Quick Tip's sheet music and backing tracks!
Join Us
Get instant access to this Quick Tip and other member features with a PWJ membership!
Guided Learning Tracks
View guided learning tracks for all music styles and skill levels
Progress Tracking
Complete lessons and courses as you track your learning progress
Downloadable Resources
Download Sheet Music and Backing Tracks
Community Forums
Engage with other PWJ members in our member-only community forums
Become a better piano player today. Try us out completely free for 14 days!
