The Jazz Real Book

• Easy Living and Paul Desmond

  “Easy Living” & Paul Desmond (102) Standards Rating 7, Difficulty Rating 6“Easy Living” is a model of songwriting elegance: a 32-bar AABA form whose beauty lies in balance—lyricism paired with subtle harmonic motion. The A sections unfold in F with graceful chromatic touches and flowing ii–V movement, while the bridge’s unexpected shift to Db major adds color without disrupting the tune’s calm, unhurried mood. Its melody favors long, singing lines and spacious phrasing, making it ideal for players who value tone and nuance over display.Paul Desmond was uniquely suited to this song. His alto saxophone sound—light, pure, and almost weightless—mirrors the tune’s sense of emotional ease. On his mid-1960s recording with Jim Hall, Desmond states the melody with restraint and warmth, letting the harmony breathe. His improvisation remains close to the song’s contours, emphasizing melodic continuity rather than technical flash. In Desmond’s hands, “Easy Living” becomes exactly what its title suggests: relaxed, lyrical, and quietly profound.Paul Desmond Billie Holiday Spotify Playlist #2

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• Mauricio Morales and Adam Hersch Interview

  Mauricio Morales & Adam Hersh Between Dreams & Twilight, released November 14, 2025, is a modern-jazz collaboration between bassist-composer Mauricio Morales and pianist-composer Adam Hersh. The album features nine pieces—blending intricate composition with cinematic atmosphere. Their writing moves between dreamy lyricism, modernism, craftsmanship, rhythmic inventiveness and layered textures. The  project is supported by a standout ensemble that brings depth and color to every track. Guitarist Mike Moreno, vibraphonist Warren Wolf, drummer Gary Novak, and the Rogue Lemon String Quartet all play essential roles. The youthful Hersh and Morales will undoubtedly continue to impress and further their popularity as their careers continue to develop both as a collaborative unit and as impactful individual voices.

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• Easter Parade and Roy Eldridge

  “Easter Parade”- Roy Eldridge (102)Standards Rating 5 Difficulty Rating 5 Irving Berlin’s “Easter Parade,” first drafted in 1917 and introduced in As Thousands Cheer (1933), remains one of the most graceful standards of the American songbook. Its balanced 32-bar AABA design, gentle chromatic inflections, and elegant melodic lift evoke the optimism of springtime in New York, making it a natural vehicle for improvisers who appreciate Berlin’s clean, song-focused craft.Roy Eldridge’s 1944 Decca recording with his sextet is one of the tune’s most distinguished small-group treatments. Eldridge approaches the melody with poised lyricism, allowing his trumpet to float over Eddie Heywood’s polished rhythm section. But beyond the beauty of this performance lies the depth of Eldridge’s influence: he was the crucial bridge between Louis Armstrong’s foundational swing style and the harmonic daring of modern jazz. His command of upper-register trumpet playing, his rhythmic fire, and especially his use of substitute harmonies laid essential groundwork for Dizzy Gillespie and the bebop generation. On “Easter Parade,” Eldridge tempers his trademark intensity, revealing a master melodist whose innovations shaped the direction of jazz trumpet for decades to comeRoy Eldridge Sextet Sarah Vaughan and Billy EckstineSpotify Playlist #2

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• Alan Broadbent Interview

  Alan Broadbent has built a remarkable career as a pianist, composer, arranger, and educator, blending deep jazz tradition with classical sophistication. Now in his late seventies, he continues to perform and compose with undiminished vitality, including appearances at the Deer Head Inn 12/12 alongside longtime collaborators Harvie S. and Billy Mintz. Broadbent’s newest album, Threads of Time (Savant Records), features original compositions spanning five decades, scored for a sextet he had long envisioned.Raised in New Zealand on Chopin before discovering jazz through Dave Brubeck’s “Take Five,” Broadbent left for Boston at nineteen to study at Berklee. Mentored by the influential teacher Lennie Tristano, he learned that emotional truth mattered more than technique. A stint with Woody Herman launched his professional life, followed by major arranging work for pop icons Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, and Rod Stewart, as well as orchestral study inspired by Mahler.Career-defining collaborations with Natalie Cole, Charlie Haden (Quartet West), and Diana Krall helped shape his enduring voice. Today, Broadbent also mentors rising talent such as Stella Cole, proving that curiosity and creativity continue to drive his music.

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• Always and Irving Berlin

  “Always” — Irving Berlin (101)Standards Rating 5 Difficulty Rating 4 “Always” stands as Irving Berlin’s most intimate composition, a love song written not for the public but for one woman—his wife, Ellin Mackay. While Berlin built a career on anthems, showstoppers, and holiday standards, this song reveals his quiet emotional core. There is no theatrical flourish here, no novelty or comedy—only devotion stated with rare simplicity. The lyric unfolds like a spoken promise rather than a performance, with its legendary closing line, “Not for just an hour… but always,” reducing love to a single, unforgettable assurance.Berlin’s life gives the song added weight. A Jewish immigrant who rose from poverty on New York’s Lower East Side to become the defining American songwriter, he understood instability and loss. By assigning all royalties from “Always” to Ellin, he did something radical: he turned romance into contract, melody into lifelong security. The result is not merely a standard, but a private vow made public—one of the purest love songs ever written.

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