A good jazz song to try out for jazz band in school?

[spenstar]

Hi guys, I'm new so sorry if I do something wrong. Anyways, I know this is a classical forum, but I want to try out for jazz band in my school next year, but I only know classical music -- not jazz. The only good jazz piece I know of for piano is rhapsody in blue, and I can't learn that long of a song in 1 month, which is when auditions are. If you name a difficult one, I'd prefer less than 5 pages, but if its level 6 or easier, I don't care. So what is a good, well known jazz song I could play to try out?

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

Hi there. Since you called Gershwin's "Rhapsody in blue" a 'song', I'm imagining you don't actually mean a jazz piece for piano and voice, am I right?

I'm not terribly knowledgeable when it comes to jazz repertoire, but I do know a few pieces that might do the trick. Fats Waller has got some really cool stuff, like "Alligator Crawl", "African Ripples" and "Russian Fantasy" but I warn you it can be tricky as hell to play old Fats well; of course, if you've got large hands (enough to play tenths comfortably), you would already have a definite advantage.

Then there's also Jelly "Roll" Morton, whose work might suit you better, since some of it can be relatively easier to play than Waller's pieces, especially when it comes to intervals. "Big foot ham" (also known as "Big fat ham") is one of his most popular works, and while not tiny, I wouldn't say it's terribly difficult to play. You could also give "Georgia Swing" and "Boogaboo" a try, both of which are shorter than "Big foot ham" and easier, as well, without sounding less cool, especially "Georgia Swing". I would also recommend his "The naked dance"; that one's harder, though, and closer to ragtime than to jazz, but it's still got a nice jazzy-like feeling to it, it's really catchy and definitely not among Morton's toughest stuff.

Very best,
M.W.

[chopinlover01]

Learn a jazz standard or two from a lead sheet. That's what the majority of solo jazz piano is; and, if you're being taken in as a pianist for their rhythm section, your director will care far more about your general reading and comping (making up your own rhythms, in essence, to "cover" other people while they're soloing) skills.
Cheers!

[pianoplunker]

Hi guys, I'm new so sorry if I do something wrong. Anyways, I know this is a classical forum, but I want to try out for jazz band in my school next year, but I only know classical music -- not jazz. The only good jazz piece I know of for piano is rhapsody in blue, and I can't learn that long of a song in 1 month, which is when auditions are. If you name a difficult one, I'd prefer less than 5 pages, but if its level 6 or easier, I don't care. So what is a good, well known jazz song I could play to try out?

Unless your school already expects you to be an accomplished Jazz musician rather than teaching you, I would pick a light classical piece since that is what you are familiar with. If you play it well, no matter how simple, they faculty should be able to recognize your talent and teach you jazz songs for further study. Other than that you probably should just ask the teacher what is expected for a decent audition to the jazz band