Chestnuts

 A chestnut is a term  a Jazz musician uses for a classic tune that has been played to death...or almost to death as the case maybe..

These old tunes become part of the players musical vocabulary and give a great platform for improvisation which is the cornerstone of what this music is all about.

One of the most played standard chestnuts is a tune called Stella by Starlight.

It is a benchmark for the Jazz player with chord changes that are challenging for the beginner....it used to give me fits as it changes key about every two bars..

But the melody is beautiful and I for one will never get sick of playing it.

Here is the recording I made today.... " The song a robin sings...."    

STELLA By STarlight

Classics...by the masters...

ELLA


and

FRANK


and

BILL EVANS TRIO....sigh


and

MILES