Episode 96, Songs with a Story Behind Them (Part 1)

Welcome to a series of “Discovering Jazz” episodes about compositions that jazz musicians play that seem to have an interesting story.

So what’s an example of an ‘interesting story’?. How about this one? Today when a new jazz musician to a band or jam session is being ‘tested’ for his or her chops, somebody will yell out “Giant Steps”—-a great tune to test to see if the musician knows it and can keep up. But before Giant Steps, what tune was most commonly used for those kind of ‘tests’?

(Listen to this program and you’ll find out).

For the first one, I play Scotch and Soda, another tune called Scotch and Soda, All the Things You Are, Autumn Leaves, Goodbye Porkpie Hat, and three versions of that ‘test the musician’ tune: one medium speed, one really slow, and one of them at 306 beats per minute.

The recordings you’ll hear are by Charlie Barnet (two), Gene Harris Quartet, The Kingston Trio, very early Frank Sinatra, Brad Mehldau Trio, Laila Biali, Rashaan Roland Kirk, and a British folk group called Pentangle.