Isham Jones, music · Marty Symes, lyrics · Introduced by Isham Jones and His Orchestra in 1936
There Is No Greater Love is a 1936 song by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Marty Symes. Its has a that turns to a darker minor through a pair of that repeats. Singers, saxophonists, pianists and guitarists have recorded it since Isham Jones and His Orchestra introduced it that year.
Start with two singers, then hear a trumpet quartet and a guitar trio. The last four steps are an alto and trumpet quintet, a tenor trio without piano, two tenor saxophones and a tenor-piano duo. Each step plays the same changes a different way.
8 recordings, 1947 to 1991 · Play all 8 on YouTube ↗
Step 1 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Billie Holiday with Bob Haggart and His Orchestra · 1947
Decca single 23853
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Play the first four of the iReal chart, one per bar: , , , . Then play the recording and count the first by ear.
Step 2 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Dinah Washington with Clifford Brown · 1954 · Bebop, Vocal
“There Is No Greater Love (Live In Los Angeles, 1954)”, Dinah Jams
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Play the of the iReal chart: , , Am7♭5 D7♭9, Gm6, Am7♭5 D7♭9, Gm6, , . Then listen for the point in the recording where the bridge begins.
Step 3 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
The Miles Davis Quintet · 1955 · Bebop
Miles: The New Miles Davis Quintet
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Play the first of the iReal chart with its first ending, one per : , , , , , C7, , . Then play the recording and follow the eight bars by ear.
Step 4 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Tal Farlow · 1956 · Bebop, Cool jazz
Tal
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Play the two endings of the from the iReal chart. The first ending is , C7, , and the second ending is C7, Cm7 F7, , B♭6. Then listen for which ending the recording uses after each A.
Step 5 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Lou Donaldson Quintet · 1957 · Hard bop
Wailing with Lou
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Follow the iReal chart while the recording plays and mark where each A and starts. Then play only the first of each along with the record.
Step 6 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Sonny Rollins · 1957 · Hard bop
Way Out West
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Play only the root of each in the iReal chart's : A, D, G, A, D, G, A, D, G, C, F. Then play the recording and listen to Brown's bass under Rollins.
Step 7 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Gene Ammons and Sonny Stitt · 1961
Boss Tenors: Straight Ahead from Chicago August 1961
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Play the of the iReal chart: , , Am7♭5 D7♭9, Gm6, Am7♭5 D7♭9, Gm6, , . Then listen for each bridge in the recording and note which saxophone is playing.
Step 8 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard
Stan Getz and Kenny Barron · 1991 · Cool jazz
“(There Is) No Greater Love (Live At Jazzhus Montmartre, Copenhagen / March 3rd 1991)”, People Time
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Play the last of the iReal chart, one or two per : , , , , , , , Cm7 F7. Then listen to how the recording ends.
6 more, from 1936 to 1980. Tap a cover to play it here.
1936
Decca single 704
Isham Jones and His Orchestra introduced the song in 1936 as the B side of Decca 704, with Woody Herman singing. It reached number 20 on the pop charts in April 1936.
1961 · Cool jazz
“There Is No Greater Love (Live At The London House, Chicago, 1961)”, Something Warm
The Oscar Peterson Trio recorded the song live at the London House in Chicago on 27 July 1961, with Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums. Verve issued it on Something Warm in 1967.
1964 · Hard bop, Modal jazz
“There Is No Greater Love [2022 Remaster] (Live at Philharmonic Hall, New York, NY - February 1964)”, "Four" & More
Miles Davis plays the song in a live set at Philharmonic Hall in New York on 12 February 1964, with George Coleman, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. The track runs just over ten minutes and was first released in 1966 on "Four" & More.
1965 · Cool jazz
Baker's Holiday
Chet Baker plays flugelhorn with a ten-piece group of reeds and , recorded in New York in May or June 1965. It appears on Baker's Holiday.
1975 · Post-bop, Hard bop
Swiss Nights, Vol. 2
Dexter Gordon plays tenor saxophone at the Zurich Jazz Festival on 24 August 1975, with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Alex Riel. The track runs 15:09 on Swiss Nights, Vol. 2.
1980 · Contemporary jazz, Swing
“(There Is) No Greater Love (Live)”, Live at the Northsea Jazz Festival, 1980
Oscar Peterson, Toots Thielemans, Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen play the song live at the North Sea Jazz Festival on 13 July 1980. The track runs 8:25 and Pablo issued it in 1981.
The tune's layout, its keys and the chord chart, for anyone who wants to play along.
The has 32 in form. Each opens with , , and . The first A then continues with , C7, and , and the second A ends with C7, Cm7 F7, and B♭6. The plays and three times, which puts bars 17 to 22 in , and then C7 and F7 lead back to B♭. The last A repeats the opening four bars and ends with C7, Cm7 F7, B♭6 and Cm7 F7 as a . The in the A sections and the C7 and F7 at the end of the belong to . These chords follow the iReal Pro chart.
Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.