5 Must-Know Jazz Intros
Learning Focus
Music Style
Free Lessons
Get free weekly lessons, practice tips, and downloadable resources to your inbox!
Have you ever noticed that most of the lead sheets that you find in fake books don’t contain any intros? However, for a handful of jazz standards, there are some rather iconic introductions that you really should know, even if they’re hard to find in print. In today’s Quick Tip on 5 Must Know Jazz Intros, John Proulx shows you the best way to start off some of your favorite jazz standards, including the following:
- #1: “Take the ‘A’ Train”
- #2: “All the Things You Are”
- #3: “Satin Doll”
- #4: “In a Mellow Tone”
- #5: “Unforgettable”
This lesson is perfect for jazz piano students who want to perform popular jazz standards with timeless elegance. Moreover, today’s lesson material will appeal to anyone with an interest or curiosity for jazz arranging.
Due to publishers restrictions, the lesson sheet for today’s Quick Tip is available through our partners at MusicNotes.com and it does not contain the intro for “Unforgettable.” However, the featured Quick Tip tutorial for today’s lesson contains note-for-note demonstrations of all five of these classic jazz piano intros.
Jazz Intro #1: “Take the ‘A’ Train”
Composer: Billy Strayhorn
Date: 1941
Common Key: C Major
Technique: Whole Tone Scale
Duke Ellington
“Take the “A’ Train” (1941)
“Take the ‘A’ Train” was composed in 1939 by Billy Strayhorn, a composer, pianist and collaborator with the Duke Ellington Orchestra for over 30 years. The song was first recorded by Ellington and his Orchestra in 1941. Ironically, Strayhorn initially discarded the manuscript for “Take the ‘A’ Train” out of concern that it was too similar to the style of Fletcher Henderson, an Ellington rival. However, according to biographer Stuart Nicholson, Duke’s son Mercer Ellington retrieved Strayhorn’s manuscript from the waste basket, thus preserving the tune.¹
“Take the ‘A’ Train” follows a typical 32-bar AABA form , except that the original recording features the iconic 4-bar piano intro that John Proulx demonstrates in today’s lesson. The melody of this introduction is highly recognizable in part for its prominent usage of the whole tone scale. Subsequent recordings of “Take the ‘A’ Train” often omit Ellington’s original piano intro, while others quote and expand upon it, as in Ella Fitzgerald‘s 1957 recording.
Jazz Intro #2: “All the Things You Are”
Composer: Jerome Kern
Date: 1939
Common Key: A♭ Major
Techniques: Altered Dominants Chords
Dizzy Gillespie
“All the Things You Are” (1945)
American composer Jerome Kern wrote the jazz standard “All the Things You Are” in 1939 for the Broadway musical Very Warm for May. Although the show received mixed reviews and had a short run on Broadway, Kern’s “All the Things You Are” developed a legacy of its own as an enduring jazz standard. In fact, the tune is cherished by jazz musicians for the plentiful improvisatory possibilities presented by its chord changes.²
Although the intro to “All the Things You Are” that John demonstrates in today’s Quick Tip is commonly used in modern performances, it is not part of Kern’s original work. Instead, it comes from a 1945 recording by Dizzy Gillespie with Charlie Parker (embedded above). This intro makes use of dominant ♯9 chords over a rhythmically distinctive bass line. According to jazz historian and music critic Ted Gioia, this intro is likely a intended as a parody of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 3, No. 2.
🌟 Learn to play “All the Things You Are” (Intermediate, Advanced) on piano.
Jazz Intro #3: “Satin Doll”
Composer: Duke Ellington
Date: 1953
Common Key: C Major
Technique: Dominant Pedal
Duke Ellington
“Satin Doll” (1953)
Duke Ellington composed “Satin Doll” in 1953 at a time when the popularity of swing music was in decline. Nevertheless, the charming melody and danceable beat of “Satin Doll” carried it to #27 on the U.S. pop charts and established the tune as a beloved jazz standard.³ Even though Billy Strayhorn had initially penned lyrics for “Satin Doll,” his lyrics were not considered commercially viable.⁴ As a result, Johnny Mercer wrote new lyrics for the tune in the late 1950s.
The intro for “Satin Doll” features cutesy melodic fragments played in the upper register of the piano over a dominant pedal. A dominant pedal is a harmonic technique that features persistent repetitions of 5th scale tone of the key in the lower register while various chord changes occur above it.
Jazz Intro #4: “In a Mellow Tone”
Composer: Duke Ellington
Date: 1943
Common Key: A♭ Major
Technique: Sidestepping
Duke Ellington
“In a Mellow Tone” (1940)
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 catchy piano intro to “In a Mellow Tone” features syncopated dominant 7th chords which move chromatically in parallel motion—a jazz piano performance technique known as sidestepping.
Jazz Intro #5: “Unforgettable”
Composer: Irving Gordon
Date: 1951
Key: F Major
Technique: Block Chords
Nat King Cole
“Unforgettable” (1954)
“Unforgettable” was composed in 1951 by Irving Gordon and recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. In 1991, Cole’s daughter Natalie Cole released a Grammy Award winning virtual duet of the tune that featured her father’s voice with the aid of digital technology. Additionally, Nat King Cole also recorded a non-orchestrated trio version of “Unforgettable” in 1952 which wasn’t released until 1998 with the deluxe edition re-issue of his 1952 album Penthouse Serenade.
The instantly recognizable piano intro for “Unforgettable” features an elegant quotation of the melody harmonized with block chords.
🌟 For a deep dive on jazz piano block chords, visit our Early Advanced Piano Foundations – Level 7 Learning Track.
Conclusion
We hope you have enjoyed today’s Quick Tip on 5 Must Know Jazz Intros. Studying theses classic piano introductions will not only help you prepare to perform these tunes on a gig. In addition, a careful consideration of the arranging techniques represented in these introductions will increase your effectiveness in composing your own jazz piano intros.
To help you in your jazz piano journey, be sure to check out the following PWJ resources:
Courses
- Jazz Intro and Outro Runs (Int/Adv)
- Jazz Swing Rhythm Essentials (Beg, Int/Adv)
- Jazz Ballad Challenge (Int, Adv)
- 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
- 10 Jazz Swing Songs You Should Know on Piano (Int)
- 10 Jazz Ballads You Should Know (Int)
- 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)
- Improvise a Solo Over Any Jazz Standard on Piano (Int/Adv)
Jazz Swing Learning Tracks
Jazz Ballad 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 Wilson, Jeremy. “Take the ‘A’ Train (1941).” JazzStandards.com.
² Gioia Ted. The Jazz Standards : A Guide to the Repertoire. Second ed. Oxford University Press 2012, p. 15–17.
³ Ibid, p. 358–360.
⁴ Wilson, Jeremy. “Satin Doll (1953).” 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
If you want to play amazing piano chords with a professional sound, then you have to think like a pro when it comes to chords shapes.
Learn to play Rogers & Hart's jazz standard "Blue Moon" from a lead sheet using beginner jazz piano chord voicings that convey a pro sound.
Ever experienced a rut in your jazz journey? This hands-on lesson will help you find joy in playing fun jazz piano lines like Oscar Peterson!
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!
