Looking for chill -- not cheezy -- songs

[stink_zone]

First of all, I gotta say I'm quite appreciative for this AAJ spot here. I looked all over the web for a good jazz forum and this was all I could find.

Anyway, I am quite familiar with jazz and other types of music, but I'm looking for in-between-the-cracks type stuff.

I'm looking for mellow/chill jazz, but absolutely no smooth or cheeze whiz muzak. The type of shit a thug uses to soothe his soul. I'm looking for specific songs, not albums. I know this is a lot to ask, but I think this could be a very handy list for people (myself included). It is easy to find good hard stuff and big band, ensemble recordings, but the mellow stuff is always tucked away.

Here is a list of some of my own favorites, to give you an idea of the ballpark...

Jimmy Smith "Why Was I Born"
John Coltrane "Favorite Things"
Yusef Lateef [Eastern Sounds]
Miles Davis "Bye Bye Blackbird"
Pharoahe Sanders "The Creator..."

It seems like guitarists and keys players might have more downtempo tunes because of their volume. Maybe that is a good place to start. The time period I enjoy is definitely 1950s through early 1970s, though I'm definitely down for new and old stuff. I know this is a broad question, but if we stick to specific songs -- as opposed to artists or albums -- I think we can narrow it down to at least a few hundred, right?

Thanks... I'm happy to provide recommendations for reggae, funk, soul, and hip hop if anyone so desires.

peace....

[Phil Kelly]

Originally posted by stink_zone

It seems like guitarists and keys players might have more downtempo tunes because of their volume. Maybe that is a good place to start. The time period I enjoy is definitely 1950s through early 1970s, though I'm definitely down for new and old stuff.

peace....


All of Bill Evans
Miles Davis/ Gil Evans: Porgy and Bess
Oregon
A buncha ECM stuff ..

for starters

[Quatermass]

I'd recommend the following for chilled out/mellow moods;

Dexter Gordon: Manha de Carnival (Morning of the Carnival) (on
Gettin' Around I think
Al Di Meola/John Mclaughlin/Paco de Lucia: Friday Night in San Francisco
Pat Metheny: One Quiet Night
Martin Taylor: Solo
George Shearing: The Shearing Piano

[SatinDoll]

"Like Someone In Love". Many good versions of that song: Art Blakey "At Bohemia", Bud Powell played it often, Dexter too.

[Jim R]

Originally posted by stink_zone
I'm looking for specific songs, not albums.

There's WAY more than a few hundred, if you want to talk about individual recordings of each song, from the past several decades. Anyway, I happen to have some tunes (most, but not all of them typically played at slower tempos) saved in a word processing doc. I've noted composers on some, but haven't gotten around to finishing. So, FWIW...

a foggy day (Gershwin)
a portrait of jennie
a time for us
a time for love
all of you (Porter)
all the things you are (Kern)
almost like being in love
alone together
angel eyes (Matt Dennis)
april in paris
autumn in new york (Vernon Duke)
autumn leaves
autumn nocturne
beautiful love
bewitched, bothered and bewildered
blame it on my youth
blue gardenia
blue skies (Berlin)
bluesette (Toots Thielmans)
body and soul
but beautiful
but not for me (Gershwin)
bye bye blackbird
change partners
cherokee (Ray Noble)
close your eyes
come rain or come shine
corcovado (Jobim)
dancing in the dark
darn that dream
deep in a dream of you
don’t take your love from me
don’t worry about me
early autumn
east of the sun
easy living
easy to love (Porter)
embraceable you (Gershwin)
every time we say goodbye
everything happens to me
falling in love with love
fly me to the moon
for all we know
for heaven’s sake
ghost of a chance
god bless the child
gone with the wind
goodbye
have you met miss jones
here’s that rainy day
how beautiful is night
how deep is the ocean (Berlin)
how high the moon
how long has this been going on (Gershwin)
I can’t get started
I concentrate on you (Porter)
I could write a book
I didn’t know what time it was
I fall in love too easily
I get along without you very well
I hear a rhapsody
I hear music
I love you (Porter)
I remember you
I see your face before me
I should care
I thought about you
I want to talk about you
I wish I knew
If ever I would leave you
If I had you
If I love again
If I should lose you
If I were a bell
I’ll be around
I’ll close my eyes
I’ll never be the same
I’ll remember april
I’ll take romance
Ill wind (Harold Arlen)
I’m glad there is you
I’m old fashioned
Imagination (Van Heusen)
In your own sweet way (Brubeck)
Indian summer
Invitation (Kaper)
Isn’t it romantic
It could happen to you
It had to be you
It might as well be spring
It never entered my mind
It’s always you
It’s easy to remember
It’s you or no one
I’ve got the world on a string (Arlen)
I’ve got you under my skin (Porter)
I’ve grown accustomed to her face
I’ve never been in love before
jitterbug waltz (Fats Waller)
just friends
just one of those things (Porter)
last night when we were young
laura
li’l darlin’ (Hefti)
like someone in love
little girl blue (Rodgers)
long ago and far away
look for the silver lining
love walked in
make someone happy
moon river (Mancini)
moonlight becomes you
moonlight in vermont
more than you know
my buddy
my favorite things (Rodgers)
my funny valentine (Rodgers)
my heart stood still
my ideal
my old flame
my one and only love
my shining hour (Arlen)
my ship
namely you
nancy (with the laughing face)
nature boy (Ahbez)
never let me go
never never land
nice work if you can get it
night and day
old devil moon
on a clear day
on green dolphin street
on the street where you live
on the sunny side of the street
once in a while
our love is here to stay (Gershwin)
out of nowhere
people will say we’re in love (Rodgers)
poinciana
polka dots and moonbeams
secret love
september in the rain
september song
skylark
smile (Chaplin)
softly as in a morning sunrise
some other spring
some other time (Bernstein)
someday my prince will come
someone to watch over me (Gershwin)
sometime ago (S. Mihanovich)
sometimes I’m happy
soon (Gershwin)
speak low (Weill)
spring can really hang you up the most
spring is here (Rodgers)
spring will be a little late this year
stairway to the stars
star eyes
stardust
stay as sweet as you are
stella by starlight
stranger in paradise
stranger on the shore
street of dreams
sweet lorraine
s’wonderful (Gershwin)
tenderly
that old feeling
that’s all
the best thing for you
the boy (girl) next door
the days of wine and roses (Mancini)
the end of a love affair
the good life
the man I love (Gershwin)
the masquerade is over
the more I see you
the nearness of you
the night has a thousand eyes
the second time around
the shadow of your smile (Mandel)
the song is you
the summer knows
the things we did last summer
the touch of your lips
the very thought of you
the way you look tonight
then I’ll be tired of you
there is no greater love
there will never be another you
these foolish things
they can’t take that away from me (Gershwin)
they didn’t believe me
they say it’s wonderful
this can’t be love
thou swell
three little words
‘til there was you (Wilson)
time after time
too late now
too marvelous for words
violets for your furs
watch what happens
weaver of dreams
we'll be together again
what a wonderful world
what are you doing the rest of your life
what is there to say
what is this thing called love (Porter)
what'll I do
what's new
when I fall in love
when your lover has gone
where are you
where or when
while we’re young
who can I turn to
why do I love you (Kern)
will you still be mine
witchcraft
without a song
wonderful, wonderful
yesterdays (Kern)
you are too beautiful
you don’t know what love is
you made me love you
you stepped out of a dream
you’d be so nice to come home to
you’ve changed
yours is my heart alone


Jazz Standards:
a child is born (Thad Jones)
a waltz for debby (Bill Evans)
blue bossa (Kenny Dorham)
ceora (Lee Morgan)
con alma (Dizzy Gillespie)
detour ahead (Ellis/?)
doxy (Sonny Rollins)
firm roots (Cedar Walton)
goodbye pork-pie hat (Charles Mingus)
I remember Clifford (Benny Golson)
If you could see me now (Tadd Dameron)
In your own sweet way (Dave Brubeck)
joy spring (Clifford Brown)
lament (J. J. Johnson)
line for lyons (Gerry Mulligan)
midnight sun
misty (Errol Garner)
nica’s dream (Horace Silver)
on a misty night (Dameron)
ruby my dear (Thelonious Monk)
soul eyes (Mal Waldron)
up jumped spring (Freddie Hubbard)
when lights are low (Benny Carter)



The King & I (Rodgers/Hammerstein):
i have dreamed,something wonderful,getting to know you,my lord and master,hello young lovers,i whistle a happy tune,we kiss in a shadow,shall we dance

Ellington/Strayhorn: day dream,take the a train,i didn't know about you,do nothing till you hear from me, solitude,satin doll,sophisticated lady,just squeeze me,azure,i let a song go out of my heart,in a sentimental mood,don't get around much anymore, prelude to a kiss,mood indigo,lush life,all too soon,i got it bad,chelsea bridge,passion flower,something to live for,a flower is a lovesome thing

Jobim:
a felicidade
agua de beber
aguas de março (waters of march)
amor em paz (once i loved)
bonita
brigas nunca mais
caminhos cruzados
chega de saudade (no more blues)
chovendo na roseira (double rainbow)
corcovado (quiet nights...)
correnteza
desafinado
dindi
discussao
ela e carioca
esperança perdida (i was just one more for you)
este seu olhar
estrada branca (this happy madness)
estrada do sol
falando de amor
fotografia
garota de ipanema
insensatez (how insensitive)
inutil paisagem (useless landscape; if you never come to me)
janelas abertas
luiza
meditaçao (meditation)
modinha
o grande amor
o morro nao tem vez (favela)
olha maria (amparo)
olha pro ceu (look to the sky)
outra vez
passarim
pato preto
por causa de voce (don’t ever go away)
por toda minha vida
retrato em branco e preto (zingaro; portrait in black & white)
sabia (i’ll go back)
samba de uma nota so (one note samba)
samba do aviao (song of the jet)
se todos fossem iguais a voce (someone to light up my life)
sem voce
so danço samba
so em teus braços
so tinha de ser com voce
surfboard
triste
vivo sonhando (dreamer)
voce vai ver
wave

[stink_zone]

I'm busy digging through the recommendations and will definitely get back with some picks. I checked out the AAJ FAQs, which were also helpful.

Thanks especially to Jim, as I am definitely looking for individual songs. Though I did check out Bill Evans, and the Al Di Meola/John Mclaughlin/Paco de Lucia stuff and these were both direct hits.

That said, I still haven't found anything on par with Yusef Lateef's classic material, which is funny since it was one of the very first jazz albums I ever bought, back in the early 1990s.

Still diggin...
Still dreamin...

[soshigaya]

Jim R

A great list you compiled. You forgot�@�@
�fSpring Will Be A Little Late This Year�B

[Jim R]

Originally posted by soshigaya
Jim R

A great list you compiled. You forgot?@?@
?fSpring Will Be A Little Late This Year?B

Hi soshigaya,

Thanks for pointing that out. I'll add it to the list above. My list is one I assembled of songs that I'm more or less familiar with, and may eventually want to learn to play (I'm a guitarist). I've heard of "Spring will be a little late this year", but I'm not yet very familiar with it. No doubt there are many other fine tunes that I didn't include (probably even some that I do know, but just forgot about). Thanks again. :)

[3pointdeli]

nels cline singers "slipped away", the last song on thier cd "instrumentals".

[soshigaya]

Jim R
Gershwin's ' Isn't It A Pity' is another beautiful song that deserves a place on your splendid list.
Helen Merrills' versions of both are recommended.

[Tenorman]

Jim R - Good Grief

I was going to suggest that a complete list of Julie London's output would keep Stink-Zone going for a while, but after that list, I'll keep quiet!!