Songs from 1926 to 1959

Ballads through the years

These 52 songs are the ones jazz players mostly play slow. They are written between 1926 and 1959, some for Broadway shows and films, others by jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Thelonious Monk, Benny Golson and John Coltrane. Below, each decade names some of the recordings, from singers with orchestras in the 1930s to Keith Jarrett's trio, Joe Pass on guitar and Samara Joy.

Through the years

1920s
The oldest song here, Someone to Watch Over Me, comes from George and Ira Gershwin in 1926. Gertrude Lawrence introduces it in the show Oh, Kay! and records it weeks later, the first recording of the song. It was written as a fast number, but she sings it at a medium tempo with only piano behind her.
Gertrude Lawrence Someone to Watch Over Me · 1926
1930s
Twenty-five of the 52 songs are written in the 1930s, in Broadway shows and films and by Duke Ellington, and orchestras make many of the first records. Ellington records Mood Indigo, Solitude and Prelude to a Kiss, and Louis Armstrong makes the first jazz Body and Soul in 1930. Billie Holiday sings Easy Living with Teddy Wilson in 1937, and Coleman Hawkins's 1939 record of Body and Soul turns it into a jazz standard.
Louis Armstrong and His Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra Body and Soul · 1930 Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1930 Ethel Waters with orchestra Don't Blame Me · 1933 Paul Whiteman Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1933 Duke Ellington Sophisticated Lady · 1933 Art Tatum Sophisticated Lady · 1933 Richard Himber and His Orchestra, vocal by Joey Nash Autumn in New York · 1934 Duke Ellington and His Orchestra with Ivie Anderson My Old Flame · 1934
12 more
Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Solitude · 1934 Benny Goodman Trio Body and Soul · 1935 Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra In a Sentimental Mood · 1935 Teddy Wilson Easy Living · 1937 Bunny Berigan I Can't Get Started · 1937 Billie Holiday I Can't Get Started · 1938 Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra Prelude to a Kiss · 1938 Walter Huston September Song · 1938 Bob Crosby What's New? · 1938 Larry Clinton You Go to My Head · 1938 Coleman Hawkins Body and Soul · 1939 Bing Crosby with John Scott Trotter What's New? · 1939
1940s
Singers and players share the slow songs. Frank Sinatra sings them with Axel Stordahl's orchestra, and Sarah Vaughan sings Lover Man with Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. Charlie Parker's quintet records Embraceable You and Don't Blame Me in 1947, and Thelonious Monk records his own 'Round Midnight and Ruby, My Dear that year. Eighteen more songs are written in the decade.
Billie Holiday Body and Soul · 1940 Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra, vocal by Herb Jeffries Flamingo · 1940 Frank Sinatra with Tommy Dorsey Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1940 Glenn Miller The Nearness of You · 1940 Tommy Dorsey Everything Happens to Me · 1941 Billie Holiday I Cover the Waterfront · 1941 Louis Armstrong I Cover the Waterfront · 1941 Gene Krupa and His Orchestra with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge Skylark · 1941
39 more
Ella Fitzgerald You Don't Know What Love Is · 1941 The King Cole Trio Don't Blame Me · 1944 Billie Holiday and Eddie Heywood Embraceable You · 1944 Billie Holiday Lover Man · 1944 Margaret Whiting with Billy Butterfield Moonlight in Vermont · 1944 Billie Holiday and Eddie Heywood My Old Flame · 1944 Cootie Williams 'Round Midnight · 1944 Dizzy Gillespie Sextet with Charlie Parker All the Things You Are · 1945 Dizzy Gillespie Sextet I Can't Get Started · 1945 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl I Should Care · 1945 Woody Herman Laura · 1945 Sarah Vaughan with Dizzy Gillespie Lover Man · 1945 Don Byas Quartet Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1945 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl Someone to Watch Over Me · 1945 Frank Sinatra You Go to My Head · 1945 Margaret Whiting Come Rain or Come Shine · 1946 Sarah Vaughan If You Could See Me Now · 1946 Charlie Parker Quintet Lover Man · 1946 Dizzy Gillespie Sextet 'Round Midnight · 1946 Frank Sinatra with Axel Stordahl Time After Time · 1946 Charlie Parker Quintet All the Things You Are · 1947 Bing Crosby with Victor Young But Beautiful · 1947 Charlie Parker Don't Blame Me · 1947 Charlie Parker Quintet Embraceable You · 1947 Bud Powell Trio Everything Happens to Me · 1947 George Shearing Have You Met Miss Jones · 1947 Bud Powell Trio I Should Care · 1947 Charlie Parker My Old Flame · 1947 Thelonious Monk Quintet 'Round Midnight · 1947 Thelonious Monk Trio Ruby, My Dear · 1947 Sarah Vaughan Tenderly · 1947 Thelonious Monk Quartet with Kenny 'Pancho' Hagood I Should Care · 1948 Charlie Parker with Strings Everything Happens to Me · 1949 The King Cole Trio For All We Know · 1949 Art Tatum I Cover the Waterfront · 1949 Nat King Cole Lush Life · 1949 Erroll Garner September Song · 1949 Coleman Hawkins and His Rhythm Sophisticated Lady · 1949 Sarah Vaughan with Joe Lipman The Nearness of You · 1949
1950s
Records get longer and the groups smaller. Ellington stretches Sophisticated Lady past eleven minutes on his first LP, Sonny Rollins plays Solitude with only bass and drums, and Chet Baker and Gerry Mulligan play without a piano. Clifford Brown plays with strings, and Miles Davis records Easy Living in 1955. Eight songs are written, the last three in 1959: Blue in Green, Dindi and Coltrane's Naima.
Red Norvo Trio Have You Met Miss Jones · 1950 Charlie Parker with strings Laura · 1950 Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1950 Billy Eckstine My Foolish Heart · 1950 Duke Ellington Sophisticated Lady · 1950 Earl Bostic Flamingo · 1951 Oscar Peterson The Nearness of You · 1951 Billie Holiday Autumn in New York · 1952
160 more
Charlie Parker with Joe Lippman's Orchestra Autumn in New York · 1952 Stan Getz Body and Soul · 1952 Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio I Can't Get Started · 1952 Don Byas Quartet Laura · 1952 Johnny Smith Quintet featuring Stan Getz Moonlight in Vermont · 1952 Sidney Bechet with Claude Luter et son orchestre September Song · 1952 Billie Holiday Solitude · 1952 Billie Holiday Tenderly · 1952 Johnny Smith Quintet Tenderly · 1952 Billie Holiday These Foolish Things · 1952 Lester Young with the Oscar Peterson Trio These Foolish Things · 1952 Art Pepper Quartet These Foolish Things · 1952 Jeri Southern with Victor Young When I Fall in Love · 1952 Doris Day with the Norman Luboff Choir When I Fall in Love · 1952 Billie Holiday You Go to My Head · 1952 Oscar Peterson Trio You Go to My Head · 1952 Clifford Brown Sextet Easy Living · 1953 The Dave Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond For All We Know · 1953 Art Tatum Have You Met Miss Jones · 1953 Stan Getz Quintet Have You Met Miss Jones · 1953 Gerry Mulligan Quartet I Can't Get Started · 1953 Sonny Rollins with the Modern Jazz Quartet In a Sentimental Mood · 1953 Duke Ellington In a Sentimental Mood · 1953 Gerry Mulligan Quartet Moonlight in Vermont · 1953 Frank Sinatra My Funny Valentine · 1953 Gerry Mulligan Quartet My Funny Valentine · 1953 Gerry Mulligan Quartet with Chet Baker My Old Flame · 1953 Frank Sinatra with Nelson Riddle's orchestra My One and Only Love · 1953 Charlie Parker Old Folks · 1953 Bud Powell Trio Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1953 Duke Ellington Prelude to a Kiss · 1953 Oscar Peterson Trio Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1953 Nat King Cole Tenderly · 1953 Ben Webster Tenderly · 1953 The Stan Getz Quintet The Nearness of You · 1953 Lee Konitz with the Gerry Mulligan Quartet These Foolish Things · 1953 Lou Donaldson - Clifford Brown Quintet You Go to My Head · 1953 The Oscar Peterson Trio Don't Blame Me · 1954 Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown Sextet Embraceable You · 1954 Stan Getz Quintet Flamingo · 1954 Sarah Vaughan Lover Man · 1954 Erroll Garner Trio Misty · 1954 Chet Baker My Funny Valentine · 1954 Sarah Vaughan Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1954 Stan Getz Quintet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1954 Sarah Vaughan Prelude to a Kiss · 1954 Ben Webster Prelude to a Kiss · 1954 Thelonious Monk Quintet Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1954 Clifford Brown & Max Roach Quintet These Foolish Things · 1954 Chet Baker Quartet Time After Time · 1954 J.J. Johnson Quartet Time After Time · 1954 Miles Davis All Stars You Don't Know What Love Is · 1954 Hampton Hawes Trio Easy Living · 1955 Miles Davis Quintet Easy Living · 1955 Stan Getz Quartet Everything Happens to Me · 1955 Erroll Garner I Cover the Waterfront · 1955 Milt Jackson Quartet I Should Care · 1955 Clifford Brown and Max Roach Quintet with Neal Hefti Orchestra Laura · 1955 Frank Sinatra Mood Indigo · 1955 Thelonious Monk Mood Indigo · 1955 Dinah Washington My Old Flame · 1955 Clifford Brown with Strings Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1955 Thelonious Monk Trio Solitude · 1955 Chet Baker Someone to Watch Over Me · 1955 Thelonious Monk Trio Sophisticated Lady · 1955 Dexter Gordon Quintet Tenderly · 1955 Chet Baker Quartet Tenderly · 1955 Milt Jackson The Nearness of You · 1955 Hampton Hawes Trio These Foolish Things · 1955 Chet Baker Quartet These Foolish Things · 1955 Clifford Brown with Strings What's New? · 1955 Art Tatum and Ben Webster All the Things You Are · 1956 Sonny Criss Quintet Easy Living · 1956 Bill Evans Trio Easy Living · 1956 The Oscar Peterson Trio Flamingo · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald Have You Met Miss Jones · 1956 Chet Baker and Crew I Can't Get Started · 1956 The Bud Powell Trio I Cover the Waterfront · 1956 Hank Mobley Quintet I Should Care · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald In a Sentimental Mood · 1956 Teddy Charles Quartet Laura · 1956 Jimmy Smith Trio Moonlight in Vermont · 1956 Art Tatum and Ben Webster My One and Only Love · 1956 Sarah Vaughan Old Folks · 1956 Miles Davis Quintet 'Round Midnight · 1956 Kenny Drew Trio Ruby, My Dear · 1956 Sarah Vaughan with Hal Mooney September Song · 1956 Hoagy Carmichael with the Pacific Jazzmen Skylark · 1956 John Lewis with Jim Hall, Percy Heath and Chico Hamilton Skylark · 1956 Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong The Nearness of You · 1956 Nat King Cole with Gordon Jenkins When I Fall in Love · 1956 Miles Davis Quintet When I Fall in Love · 1956 Sonny Rollins You Don't Know What Love Is · 1956 Ray Bryant Trio Angel Eyes · 1957 Frank Sinatra, arranged and conducted by Billy May Autumn in New York · 1957 Kenny Dorham But Beautiful · 1957 Bud Powell Don't Blame Me · 1957 Charles Mingus Sextet Flamingo · 1957 Sonny Rollins Trio I Can't Get Started · 1957 Sarah Vaughan I Cover the Waterfront · 1957 Lee Morgan I Remember Clifford · 1957 Carmen McRae I Remember Clifford · 1957 The Dizzy Gillespie Band at Newport I Remember Clifford · 1957 Thelonious Monk I Should Care · 1957 Gil Evans If You Could See Me Now · 1957 Coleman Hawkins Septet Laura · 1957 Ella Fitzgerald Lush Life · 1957 Nina Simone Mood Indigo · 1957 Billie Holiday Moonlight in Vermont · 1957 Stan Getz and J.J. Johnson My Funny Valentine · 1957 Kenny Dorham My Old Flame · 1957 Horace Silver Quintet My One and Only Love · 1957 Lou Donaldson Quintet Old Folks · 1957 Thelonious Monk 'Round Midnight · 1957 Thelonious Monk Quartet Ruby, My Dear · 1957 Sarah Vaughan with the Count Basie Orchestra Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1957 Sonny Rollins Solitude · 1957 Duke Ellington Solitude · 1957 Clifford Jordan Sophisticated Lady · 1957 Stan Getz Quartet Time After Time · 1957 Jackie McLean Quartet What's New? · 1957 Frank Sinatra Angel Eyes · 1958 Stan Getz and Chet Baker Autumn in New York · 1958 The Ahmad Jamal Trio Autumn in New York · 1958 Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis But Beautiful · 1958 Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Come Rain or Come Shine · 1958 Chet Baker Quartet Everything Happens to Me · 1958 Jimmy Smith Flamingo · 1958 Carmen McRae Flamingo · 1958 Stan Getz and Cal Tjader For All We Know · 1958 Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis For All We Know · 1958 John Coltrane Lush Life · 1958 Sarah Vaughan Misty · 1958 Ahmad Jamal Trio Moonlight in Vermont · 1958 Chet Baker Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1958 Carmen McRae with Ralph Burns Skylark · 1958 Bill Evans Trio Tenderly · 1958 John Coltrane Quartet Time After Time · 1958 Billie Holiday with Ray Ellis You Don't Know What Love Is · 1958 Ahmad Jamal Trio You Don't Know What Love Is · 1958 George Russell Autumn in New York · 1959 Miles Davis Blue in Green · 1959 Bill Evans Trio Blue in Green · 1959 Ray Charles Come Rain or Come Shine · 1959 Bill Evans Trio Come Rain or Come Shine · 1959 Sylvia Telles Dindi · 1959 Thelonious Monk Everything Happens to Me · 1959 The Paul Desmond Quartet For All We Know · 1959 Frank Sinatra Here's That Rainy Day · 1959 The Sonny Stitt Quartet I Cover the Waterfront · 1959 Yusef Lateef If You Could See Me Now · 1959 Erroll Garner Misty · 1959 John Coltrane Naima · 1959 Kenny Dorham Old Folks · 1959 Wes Montgomery and the Eddie Higgins Trio Prelude to a Kiss · 1959 Wes Montgomery Trio 'Round Midnight · 1959 Thelonious Monk Ruby, My Dear · 1959 Wes Montgomery and the Eddie Higgins Trio Ruby, My Dear · 1959 Chet Baker with Fifty Italian Strings When I Fall in Love · 1959 Bill Evans Trio When I Fall in Love · 1959
1960s
Ballads get longer and looser. John Coltrane takes Body and Soul far faster than a ballad in 1960, then records the album Ballads in 1962 and Johnny Hartman sings Lush Life with Coltrane's quartet in 1963. Miles Davis's quintet stretches My Funny Valentine to fifteen minutes live in 1964, Ornette Coleman records Embraceable You, and Duke Ellington records Mood Indigo with Louis Armstrong and In a Sentimental Mood with Coltrane.
Gene Ammons Quintet Angel Eyes · 1960 John Coltrane Body and Soul · 1960 Freddie Hubbard But Beautiful · 1960 The Barry Harris Trio Don't Blame Me · 1960 Ornette Coleman Quartet Embraceable You · 1960 Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet I Remember Clifford · 1960 The Modern Jazz Quartet I Remember Clifford · 1960 Tommy Flanagan Trio In a Sentimental Mood · 1960
89 more
Ella Fitzgerald Misty · 1960 Wes Montgomery Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1960 Ella Fitzgerald September Song · 1960 Red Garland The Nearness of You · 1960 Red Garland These Foolish Things · 1960 The Tommy Flanagan Trio You Go to My Head · 1960 Ahmad Jamal Trio Angel Eyes · 1961 Frank Sinatra Come Rain or Come Shine · 1961 Wynton Kelly Trio Come Rain or Come Shine · 1961 Oscar Peterson Trio I Remember Clifford · 1961 Paul Desmond with Jim Hall and strings I Should Care · 1961 Billy Strayhorn Lush Life · 1961 Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington Mood Indigo · 1961 Bill Evans Trio My Foolish Heart · 1961 Miles Davis Sextet Old Folks · 1961 Gene Ammons Someone to Watch Over Me · 1961 Sarah Vaughan Sophisticated Lady · 1961 The Red Garland Trio What's New? · 1961 Sarah Vaughan with Count Basie You Go to My Head · 1961 Paul Desmond and Gerry Mulligan All the Things You Are · 1962 The Dave Brubeck Quartet Angel Eyes · 1962 Thelonious Monk Body and Soul · 1962 Wes Montgomery Quintet Come Rain or Come Shine · 1962 McCoy Tyner Trio Have You Met Miss Jones · 1962 The Oscar Peterson Trio with the Ernie Wilkins Big Band Here's That Rainy Day · 1962 Bill Evans Trio I Should Care · 1962 The Bill Evans Trio If You Could See Me Now · 1962 Duke Ellington & John Coltrane In a Sentimental Mood · 1962 Duke Ellington and Coleman Hawkins Mood Indigo · 1962 Bill Evans and Jim Hall My Funny Valentine · 1962 Grant Green My One and Only Love · 1962 Bill Evans Trio Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1962 Johnny Hodges Prelude to a Kiss · 1962 Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers Skylark · 1962 Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and Max Roach Solitude · 1962 John Coltrane Quartet What's New? · 1962 John Coltrane Quartet You Don't Know What Love Is · 1962 Bill Evans Quintet You Go to My Head · 1962 Ella Fitzgerald All the Things You Are · 1963 Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins All the Things You Are · 1963 Bill Evans Autumn in New York · 1963 Thelonious Monk Don't Blame Me · 1963 Bill Evans Trio Everything Happens to Me · 1963 Grant Green For All We Know · 1963 Bud Powell Trio I Can't Get Started · 1963 Sonny Rollins and Coleman Hawkins Lover Man · 1963 John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman Lush Life · 1963 Charles Mingus Mood Indigo · 1963 Oscar Peterson Trio with Nelson Riddle's Orchestra My Foolish Heart · 1963 John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman My One and Only Love · 1963 John Coltrane Quartet Naima · 1963 Etta Jones Old Folks · 1963 Paul Desmond - Jim Hall Quartet Polka Dots and Moonbeams · 1963 The Art Farmer Quartet featuring Jim Hall What's New? · 1963 Paul Desmond featuring Jim Hall Angel Eyes · 1964 Stan Getz and Bill Evans But Beautiful · 1964 Paul Desmond Easy Living · 1964 The Oscar Peterson Trio Have You Met Miss Jones · 1964 Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle Laura · 1964 Miles Davis Quintet My Funny Valentine · 1964 Sonny Rollins My One and Only Love · 1964 Oscar Peterson Trio My One and Only Love · 1964 Archie Shepp Naima · 1964 Ella Fitzgerald with Nelson Riddle Skylark · 1964 Ben Webster Someone to Watch Over Me · 1964 Grant Green You Don't Know What Love Is · 1964 Astrud Gilberto Dindi · 1965 Sonny Rollins Quartet Everything Happens to Me · 1965 Wes Montgomery with the Don Sebesky Orchestra Here's That Rainy Day · 1965 Paul Desmond – Jim Hall Quartet Here's That Rainy Day · 1965 Wes Montgomery and the Wynton Kelly Trio If You Could See Me Now · 1965 Wes Montgomery with the Wynton Kelly Trio Misty · 1965 Oscar Peterson Trio Misty · 1965 Richard "Groove" Holmes Misty · 1965 Frank Sinatra September Song · 1965 Bill Evans Trio Laura · 1966 John Coltrane Naima · 1966 Zoot Sims with Gary McFarland Orchestra September Song · 1966 Ella Fitzgerald with Marty Paich Time After Time · 1966 Bill Evans Trio Blue in Green · 1967 Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim Dindi · 1967 Elvin Jones & Richard Davis Here's That Rainy Day · 1967 Bill Evans Trio Embraceable You · 1968 Bill Evans Here's That Rainy Day · 1968 Oscar Peterson Someone to Watch Over Me · 1968 George Benson What's New? · 1968 Wayne Shorter Dindi · 1969 Nancy Wilson Prelude to a Kiss · 1969 James Brown with the Louie Bellson Orchestra September Song · 1969
1970s
The songs get stripped down or stretched out. Joe Pass plays Have You Met Miss Jones and Lush Life alone on guitar, and McCoy Tyner plays Naima alone in Tokyo in 1972. Jim Hall and Ron Carter play Prelude to a Kiss as a guitar and bass duo, Dexter Gordon plays Misty in Copenhagen in 1975, and Willie Nelson records Moonlight in Vermont in 1977.
Joe Pass I Cover the Waterfront · 1970 Dexter Gordon If You Could See Me Now · 1970 John McLaughlin Blue in Green · 1971 Oscar Peterson and Milt Jackson When I Fall in Love · 1971 McCoy Tyner Naima · 1972 Jim Hall and Ron Carter Prelude to a Kiss · 1972 Joe Pass Have You Met Miss Jones · 1973 Joe Pass Here's That Rainy Day · 1973
21 more
Joe Pass Lush Life · 1973 Duke Jordan Trio My Old Flame · 1973 Joe Pass Solitude · 1974 Joe Pass Sophisticated Lady · 1974 Tony Bennett and Bill Evans But Beautiful · 1975 Zoot Sims Embraceable You · 1975 Barry Harris If You Could See Me Now · 1975 Dexter Gordon Quartet Misty · 1975 Tony Bennett & Bill Evans My Foolish Heart · 1975 Stan Getz and Jimmie Rowles Skylark · 1975 Zoot Sims Someone to Watch Over Me · 1975 Pat Martino I Remember Clifford · 1976 Archie Shepp Trio Solitude · 1976 McCoy Tyner Lush Life · 1977 Willie Nelson Moonlight in Vermont · 1977 Archie Shepp Quartet Flamingo · 1978 Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Lover Man · 1978 John McLaughlin My Foolish Heart · 1978 Dexter Gordon Quartet Ruby, My Dear · 1978 Bill Watrous Quintet with Art Pepper Angel Eyes · 1979 Bill Evans For All We Know · 1979
1980s
Keith Jarrett's trio plays the slow songs live, opening Still Live with My Funny Valentine in Munich in 1986 and a double album with Lover Man in Cologne in 1989. Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass record Easy Living as a duo, Cassandra Wilson sings her own words to Blue in Green on her first album, and the 1985 film Round Midnight has Dexter Gordon record the title tune during the shoot.
Joe Pass Embraceable You · 1981 Emily Remler In a Sentimental Mood · 1981 Tommy Flanagan Naima · 1982 Tommy Flanagan, Ron Carter and Tony Williams Angel Eyes · 1983 Joe Henderson All the Things You Are · 1985 Cassandra Wilson Blue in Green · 1985 Dexter Gordon 'Round Midnight · 1985 Fred Hersch with Charlie Haden and Joey Baron Blue in Green · 1986
16 more
Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass Easy Living · 1986 Chet Baker Quartet Here's That Rainy Day · 1986 Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass Moonlight in Vermont · 1986 Chet Baker My Foolish Heart · 1986 Keith Jarrett Trio My Funny Valentine · 1986 Keith Jarrett Trio When I Fall in Love · 1986 Shirley Horn Dindi · 1987 Charlie Haden Quartet West Blue in Green · 1988 McCoy Tyner Don't Blame Me · 1988 Carmen McRae 'Round Midnight · 1988 Carmen McRae Ruby, My Dear · 1988 Eliane Elias Dindi · 1989 Keith Jarrett Trio Lover Man · 1989 Keith Jarrett Trio Old Folks · 1989 Pat Metheny Trio Old Folks · 1989 Keith Jarrett Trio Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1989
1990s
Younger players take the songs on, and live takes run long. Joshua Redman's quartet plays My One and Only Love for eleven minutes at the Village Vanguard in 1995, and Keith Jarrett's trio takes You Don't Know What Love Is to almost thirteen. Joe Henderson's Lush Life wins a Grammy in 1992, Chick Corea plays But Beautiful alone in Yokohama, and Brad Mehldau's trio bends All the Things You Are in 1999.
Pharoah Sanders Quartet The Nearness of You · 1990 Stan Getz and Kenny Barron I Remember Clifford · 1991 Joe Henderson Lush Life · 1991 Sonny Rollins Someone to Watch Over Me · 1991 The Benny Green Trio Time After Time · 1991 Archie Shepp Quartet Smoke Gets in Your Eyes · 1992 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Paul Motian You Don't Know What Love Is · 1992 Keith Jarrett Trio Skylark · 1994
6 more
Joshua Redman Quartet My One and Only Love · 1995 Lee Konitz & The Brazilian Band Dindi · 1996 Jane Ira Bloom Quartet Time After Time · 1997 Brad Mehldau Trio All the Things You Are · 1999 Chick Corea But Beautiful · 1999 Joe Lovano Nonet If You Could See Me Now · 1999
2000s
Duets and tributes. In March 2007 Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden record For All We Know, My Old Flame and Everything Happens to Me as piano and bass duets. Kurt Elling sings Lush Life and My One and Only Love at Lincoln Center in 2009 to honor the 1963 Coltrane and Hartman record, and Dee Dee Bridgewater sings Lover Man on a Billie Holiday tribute album.
Jane Monheit Dindi · 2000 Ahmad Jamal My Foolish Heart · 2000 Karrin Allyson Naima · 2000 Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock & Jack DeJohnette My Foolish Heart · 2001 Michael Brecker Naima · 2001 McCoy Tyner Come Rain or Come Shine · 2003 Keith Jarrett and Charlie Haden For All We Know · 2007 Sonny Rollins In a Sentimental Mood · 2007
2 more
Keith Jarrett / Charlie Haden My Old Flame · 2007 Dee Dee Bridgewater Lover Man · 2009
2010s
Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse sing Body and Soul in March 2011, her last recording. Carla Bley arranges Blue in Green for a big band that year, and in 2015 Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison play it with electronics. Joey Alexander plays In a Sentimental Mood with Chris Potter on bass clarinet, and Brian Landrus and Fred Hersch close an album with Ruby, My Dear in 2019.
Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse Body and Soul · 2011 Jack DeJohnette, Ravi Coltrane and Matthew Garrison Blue in Green · 2015 Brian Landrus and Fred Hersch Ruby, My Dear · 2019
2020s
The slow songs keep coming. Samara Joy records But Beautiful with guitarist Pasquale Grasso in October 2020 and sings Misty on Linger Awhile in 2022. Fred Hersch, Drew Gress and Joey Baron play Embraceable You in 2024, Pat Metheny plays Everything Happens to Me on guitar, and Emmet Cohen records My Funny Valentine in 2025 with Ron Carter and George Coleman.
Samara Joy with Pasquale Grasso But Beautiful · 2020 Fred Hersch, Drew Gress and Joey Baron Embraceable You · 2024 Emmet Cohen with Ron Carter and George Coleman My Funny Valentine · 2025

Through the years

The tunes