In honor of the opening, this past week, of the SFJAZZ Center, the Presidential inauguration, and anything else that might chase the midwinter blues, we present a list of jazz classics from the BeBop era and beyond. Any one of these tunes will lift your spirits. All seven? Time to throw a party.
1. Waltz for Debby, by Bill Evans. Sung by Al Jarreau: A swinging waltz for Evans’ young niece to lyrics that speak across generations.
2. A Tisket, A Tasket: Ella Fitzgerald’s calling card, it takes a nursery rhyme and turns it into a famed jazz classic, simply through vocal magic.
3. On Broadway: A fine pop tune gets the jazz treatment from George Benson, including a funk groove that shows how jazz incorporates other styles.
4. Grazing in the Grass: The breakthrough hit of legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, it’s one of the originals of what came to be known as “township jazz.”
5. Song for my Father: Pianist Horace Silver’s treatment of his jazz classic, which has been covered dozens of times. Puts you in that happy place from the opening riff.
6. Doodlin’: The jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in a sparkling, impeccably arranged tune that just pops with energy and dizzy, funny lyrics.
7. Take Five: The Dave Brubeck Quintet’s greatest hit hides its complexity within a swinging groove that, once it gets into you, won’t let you go.