9 *Must-Know* Jazz Songs for Drummers

[@8020drummer]

Guys - solar is 12 bars, not 8. Have I mentioned that you should NEVER trust me about ANYTHING? 🤣🤣

[@diabedics]

Mr The 80/20 Drummer how could you lie to me??? jk love the vid, i need motivation to actually learn standards instead of fusion all day every day - nothing bad about fusion ;) still love it

[@bmodextreme]

8 bars of 6/4

[@AngelWest58]

@@diabedics Do a vid on " Trading 6's "

[@evankravitz5346]

its RECORDAME

[@AngelWest58]

And All The Things You Are is 36 bars not 40. Drummers... :)

[@caffeineadvocate]

I'm that guy who, no matter for how many years I've spent playing standards, still has to ask, "Could you just .. sing the first few notes real quick? .. Oh, right! Got it."

[@8020drummer]

The next level with that is "yea I know it" [madly fakes it for the first 8 bars]

[@eugeniofioriti]

Lol! I work with that drummer on a weekly basis, which makes it pretty annoying to sing him the first notes of the tune each rehearsal.

[@darkpassenger1980]

I swear I'm the same way!

[@neilhiggins1755]

As soon as I saw the title of this I shouted Autumn Leaves. As a gigging jazz drummer I swear I once went a whole year and played Autumn Leaves on every gig. Swung, samba, bossa, ballad. I'm sure I've played it in 5/4 too.

[@8020drummer]

Autumn Leaves in 5/4? Literally kill me 🤣

[@garydonnelly100]

Reggae??? :)

[@dreammachine86]

As someone with virtually no jazz experience this is really handy to get an idea of what 'popular' jazz sounds like on drums. I've just applied for a music course (foundation degree...so one level below a proper degree). I have to send an audition video of 3 pieces in the next 4 weeks. Ideally they want to see some contrasting styles. I mainly play rock, metal and pop stuff but also like playing to electronic stuff like trip hop. And outside of kit I've played some Samba. But for jazz I really don't know much more than a few of the common patterns. I can choose 3 different styles from my audition from the stuff I'm comfortable with, but thought it would show some initiative if I learned a jazz song for one of them. What I'd like to know is, once I've chosen a piece are they usually played almost identically to the original recording i.e. every bass drum and ghost notes between the ride are the same. Or is it more common to just get the style right...i.e. just play the standard jazz swing pattern and making sure I match the overall style like fast swing/broken swing but apart from that I can improvise my own comping/ghost notes and just need to worry about making sure my fills are in the right place. I suppose getting a copy of the Real Book would be helpful but it's not full drumkit scores but just general figures right?

[@jcbozich]

Johnathan Kreisberg-Stella by Starlight (Smalls Club) is my go to Stella feel.

[@arciopunk]

16:25 : Recorda-Me? Yeah, I Think ;)

[@danielondrums7646]

Yeah totally!

[@garysmith3173]

Perfect drumming and most importantly you’ve perfected the cool jazz face. But beautiful.

[@yodathehutt1557]

My man! Great video dude, I'm not that well versed in jazz but from watching your channel I've learned quite a bit. Keep the videos coming 😎🤙

[@legacyShredder1]

Hey man I just want to say thanks. I've been a professional musician for 20 years, and about three years ago I decided I needed to develop drum and percussion skills. Outside of knowing musical rhythms needed for every instrument I had the skill level below that of a newborn baby on the drums. Now, because of you and others like you, I have another skill set added to my trade that allowed me to expand my services as well as creativity for clients and my own personal music. Thanks, man. (I will note that I've put in well over 10,000 hours of drumming practice not including countless hours of study in these three years, but I couldn't have made it this far on my own regardless of hours put in.)

[@mikedaknight8854]

For many drummers all jazz is advanced.

[@cx777o]

Thanks for the suggestions! Comes at the right time for me

[@coovgroove715]

Don’t know if this is still the case now, but when I first started playing jam sessions 30 years ago, Monk’s “Well You Needn’t” was guaranteed to be called.

[@8020drummer]

Monk is underrepresented, and hence always welcome. I went through a huge monk phase. Monk's dream, epistrophy, boo boo's birthday, so much good

[@geakan9604]

This song got handed out for my all state jazz band, and i had no ides what i second line groove was...one might call this: an issue.

[@drakausdromgatti58]

I am intermediate...starting to hit advanced metal drummer and a noob jazz drummer. I need to broaden my abilities or lack there of.

[@yodathehutt1557]

I feel ya I'm kinda in the same spot. I really have been learning from this channel. I've been tackling the stuff I never bothered to learn. And it really does help your playing alot more when you start incorporating other rhythms and patterns. Cheers bro 🤘😎🤘

[@JonahtheDrummer]

Jazz is great to help all styles it will really make you a creative and diverse drummer

[@yodathehutt1557]

@@JonahtheDrummer I agree, also the progressive metal jazz fusionish whatever you wanna call it djent stuff.

[@nilsandersson5069]

Aloha I appreciate your music taste thanks for sharing 🌈

[@BenjaminGoude]

Funny. All I heard growing up was people asking me to play Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird. I play guitar though

[@mikedaknight8854]

In the UK its usually "do you know any stone roses" or "play wonderwall". Certainly not much of a jazz scene in this country

[@boujeemelon7305]

@@mikedaknight8854​​⁠London has a really cool jazz/jazz fusion scene! People like Yussef Dayes, Nubya Garcia, and more. I’m a yankee.

[@sigmacentauri6191]

Thanks for making this video… good encouragement to stay on the scene…

[@brucelogan]

Hey Nate, Excellent video. Keep up the most relevant content.

[@JesseGuo]

What about a video on how to learn(or fake through lol) latin tunes

[@alighieroalighieri404]

The drummer on Joe Henderson's Inner Urge should be Elvin Jones. Great video!

[@angelic_slayer]

Guitarist here - baubles bangles and beads - Wes Montgomery. Yay

[@exquisitecorpse4917]

Good tips! I've just been throwing on Monk's Dream, Time Out, or random Ellington concerts and trying to keep up. Tried Mingus..........one does not simply Mingus.

[@gregdankert]

Solar = just about every Jazz-n-Brunch I ever went to below 23rd

[@blackrichard1029]

Enjoyable vid! Even if I'm nowhere near there and don't live in NYC (thank the gods). :) I'll have to watch more. (Although, since I'm too [something] and time signatures confuse me, calling out what the time is would be great!)

[@Rogersdrumvideos]

Joshua is the tune that kicked my ass when called. I deserved it.

[@Sterlingstix]

Yes sir!!! Joshua is the REAL one for advanced players. And since l’m on the topic of Victor Feldman, add “Seven Steps To Heaven” too.

[@roberthorvath9371]

absolutely loved this one! cheers Nate!

[@sergshef]

If you looking at lead sheet Solar is 12 bar form not 8 but thanks for video, it’s good anyway!

[@8020drummer]

Have I mentioned the importance of never trusting me ever 🤣. (In all seriousness, good catch. I need a disclaimer next to any proclamation I make.)

[@tristanmouw9077]

One of the first things that I learned during my first jam session of music school was to learn my standards. During that time I felt like an idiot because I had no idea what “Red Clay” and “Minority” were.

[@cam0cazi]

dude the playing!!

[@garydonnelly100]

Ah yes, Stablemates! I play with a reading band that pulled that out in 2019. The leader is the trumpet player and arranger and everything in the book has a slightly different twist. This one absolutely ripped me a new one since he added some stuff in the second A section and, since it's already hard enough to support the soloists, imagine having to solo over this naked...just drums. No bass or piano marking the beginning of sections (these guys are merciless). Typically, they will end up giving me three full choruses and while it seemed they were not listening to any of the rambling crap I was playing (lubing their valves and slides, stepping outside for a smoke, taking a nap), miraculously, they nailed the top of the head right where they were supposed to. We had this tune in our weekly rotation for a few weeks and got it to a place where we actually took it out on a couple gigs. So, now that we're all vaccinated we're getting back to weekly get togethers later this month and the leader has a whole new book of stuff he's arranged so I'm looking forward to it. I talked to him last summer and requested that he do an arrangement of Upper Manhattan Medical Group (Strayhorn). I'm looking forward to seeing the chart for that.

[@eliborg]

is Eye Of The Hurricane ever called at jam sessions? I know it isn't a standard but it's popular enough, is it though? lol

[@benfox8709]

Great video as always. I know this is off topic but when you improvise with new material to get it in to your vocabulary like the gadd stuff you put out, how long would you improvise until you leave it and let it come naturally when soloing? Also how can you stop yourself from playing the same things? Stay safe!

[@davidgomersall7185]

Still the coolest channel theme music ever... when we getting the transcription? 😎

[@noahrobb9135]

hey nate i’m goin to my first ever jam in a week me bein a teen i don’t know much on the standards but do you think they’d call stuff like Freddie Freeloader, So What, Take Five, Moanin’, and stuff like that. Sorry if this is a really dumb question. I just don’t know what they might call besides autumn leaves and some of the stuff you mentioned. Thanks, Noah

[@billsmith1957]

Hey Nate how about 'Oleo' or 'Cherokee'?

[@garydonnelly100]

I walked away from jam sessions for some time after having to play Cherokee for like, 25 minutes with five horn players wanking chorus after chorus then thinking it was a great idea to have the bass player solo then want to trade 4's for like a millennium.

[@jorymil]

Solar - 12 bars All the Things You Are - 36 bars

[@jimfarey]

Keep digging

[@jackbyrnesbass]

Stella isnt really AABA tho. First 16 always thought of as 1 thing, the b section with the doubled harmonic rhythm then the last 8 is kind of similar to the first 8 but circle progression to the tonic

[@eugeniofioriti]

AABA'

[@jackbyrnesbass]

@@eugeniofioriti second group of 8 bars isnt the same as the first 8. So, ABCA'

[@eugeniofioriti]

@@jackbyrnesbass agree

[@AngelWest58]

Absolutely

[@eugeniofioriti]

​@@AngelWest58 It could be that way. If I choose to be guided by the melody, imo it could be either: 1) A = 8 bars | B = 8 bars | C = 8 bars | A' = 8 bars -> ABCA' 2) A = 16 bars | B = 8 bars | A' = 8 bars -> ABA'

[@JohnnyHands]

Your pronunciation of "Solar", so-LAHR? Accent on the second syllable? Is that right? If so, I did not know that (my jazz knowledge is weak.)

[@8020drummer]

yea that's how I've heard it pronounced in these here parts :P

[@funkman0811]

Interesting These would not be my choice for 9 songs of jazz maybe just 3 of them How about Naima Coltrane Song for my father Horace silver Killer Joe Benny Golson Poinciana Ahmad Jamal Round Midnight Man there's so many but these are in my opinion are a must for drummers

[@marcosmilito2806]

What is the version of the First All The things? 9:33

[@8020drummer]

Mehldau art of the trio volume 4, live at the vanguard

[@AngelWest58]

The 36 bar version. lol

[@max.t957]

Where do you find your sheet music?

[@8020drummer]

??

[@max.t957]

Or do you just play along with the songs without sheet music to go along with the song.

[@brianhotaling5849]

If Ornithology is How High Moon, then which Parker tune is based on Cherokee?

[@zaydnawaz2403]

Ko-Ko!

[@jorymil]

Ko-ko

[@carlupthegrove262]

I'm not a NY guy I'm a West Coast guy but I would have expected Jazz Crimes and Footprints to have made the list

[@AngelWest58]

Jazz Crimes? whaaaaat

[@memathews]

Yep, West Coast here too, Footprints is a definite.

[@JonahtheDrummer]

I called stablemates and autumn leaves

[@robertscorey1369]

Always Be sure To dedicate Windows to Bill Gates and Your Peeps at Microsoft.

[@BenjaminGoude]

I didn't know Autumn Leaves was a jazz song. Before this, I'd only heard Andrea Bocelli's french version

[@macvoutie]

Actually any song can be a "jazz song". It's not the song ...it's how you play it.

[@8020drummer]

Yea - besides the instrumental originals, like Inner Urge or Windows, most "standards" were just "songs" until jazz musicians decide to improvise over them.

[@macvoutie]

It's even possible to take a tune like "Somewhere Out There" and ....well maybe not.

[@aidanschram9652]

@@macvoutie Like Billy Boy

[@mphase7575]

Is giant steps still called a lot?

[@8020drummer]

Not as much. In my day at least it was seen as solid, but kinda gouache

[@AngelWest58]

@@8020drummer gouache?

[@AngelWest58]

it was NEVER called alot -at least not in LA. Talking 1970's 1980's and 1990's

[@billyrhythm]

@@AngelWest58 no one wants to solo over the changes, so it doesn't get called.

[@AngelWest58]

@@billyrhythm read: no one can solo over the changes, so it doesn't get called

[@allocca7]

Recorda-me!

[@mrtyreus0]

Nica's Dream Unity Eternal Triangle If I Were a Bell Impressions/ So What Inner Urge Minority

[@AngelWest58]

All The ThingsYou Are is 36 measures

[@AngelWest58]

but everyone here is in de nile

[@acidreflux7449]

Liked 'cause of the wii music

[@mrtyreus0]

Before starting the video: Please tell me Take Five isn't on the list.

[@AngelWest58]

Drummers talking standards. Cute!

[@8020drummer]

Where were you when they were pillorying me for saying buddy rich wasn’t the only jazz drummer. Jonny come lately 🤣. But better late than never

[@AngelWest58]

hmmm ... Man that sounds rough - did they forget about Gene Krupa?? Everyone knows there were TWO jazz drummers. Sheesh... that pillory is no joke .. #beenthere next: All the Things You Is - 40 bars? 36 bars? 34? We attempt to unravel the mystery...

[@kriscargo4117]

Transelet indonesia plia

[@lukasjouck5070]

Did he just say that Solar is 12 bars?

[@greggreg8625]

finaly

[@scottwrona7824]

11:21

[@scottwrona7824]

12:00

[@richieboy6825]

Beginner

[@nathanwolf5066]

Not to be that guy, but Solar has a 12 bar form. Great lesson otherwise

[@tallikimanimusic7127]

Jazz robots ;)

[@memereference2545]

OK, so what happens if you call "All the things you could be by now if Sigmund Freud's wife was your mother"?

[@8020drummer]

Your bandmates remind you they first heard that joke in undergrad in the '60s 😉

[@memereference2545]

@@8020drummer Not a joke, it's an Charles Mingus tune: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nnvIkI2ie6hjbpY

[@8020drummer]

@@memereference2545 that doesn’t mean it’s not a joke 😉

[@memereference2545]

@@8020drummer So much interesting music from the jazz era- like the Mingus tune- but guys like you want to score cheap points and keep flogging the dead horse tunes. No wonder jazz is a walking corpse.

[@kennethtaylor964]

Sorry, the Rumba you are denigrating is a legitimate form from the 30s. Look into who was leading the rumba craze at the time.

[@sigmacentauri6191]

Rumba? Roomba? Cultural appropriation? lol there is no original thought. All ideas are appropriated!

[@8020drummer]

True. But there’s “rumba” as, say, the munequitos play it, then there’s the “rhumba”. Both great, both valid ;)

[@sigmacentauri6191]

Really like your channel by the way… good motivation to go pro… By the way@@8020drummer there’s an indie record Label out of Phoenix by this same 80/20 name. Just curious why you call yourself that…

[@8020drummer]

@@sigmacentauri6191 search a video called how I learned to stop sucking at drums, where I explain the origin of the name. Spoiler alert: it’s definitely not my original concept

[@mrtyreus0]

Surprised All the Things isn't in the beginner category. Not because it's a beginner tune, it isn't. That said, from my experience, the expectation was that everyone knows it. That said, many didn't. Train wreck ensues.