What are the most popular jazz songs?

What are some nice Jazz songs - I'm new to Jazz?

• I really like Jazz style, but I just don't know of any Jazz style songs. I like the cool big band jazz and calm jazz styles.

• Answer:

  The best jazz songs were performed by many many different artists. While songs like Take Five and Jeru are definitely classics, they aren't part of the standard jazz repertoire. Look for songs like The Autumn Leaves, There Will Never Be Another You, All The Things You Are, What Is This Thing Called Love and Body & Soul. Most of the composers of the jazz standards lived in the 30s-50s, and either wrote for Broadway musicals or their own big bands. Look for composers like Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and George Gershwin. Those three alone wrote some of the best-known jazz tunes. Then try to get a bunch of different versions of those songs so you can hear the different renditions. Get recordings by both singers (Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole) and instrumentalists (Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Keith Jarrett, etc...) Enjoy!