By the end of the 1940s, the nervous energy and tension of bebop was replaced with a tendency towards calm and smoothness, with the sounds of cool jazz, which favoured long, linear melodic lines. It emerged in New York City, as a result of the mixture of the styles of predominantly white swing jazz musicians and predominantly black bebop musicians, and it dominated jazz in the first half of the 1950s. The starting point were a series of singles on Capitol Records in 1949 and 1950 of a nonet led by trumpeter Miles Davis, collected and released first on a ten-inch and later on a twelve-inch as the Birth of the Cool. Cool jazz recordings by Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans, Gil Evans, Stan Getz and the Modern Jazz Quartet usually have a "lighter" sound which avoided the aggressive tempos and harmonic abstraction of bebop. Cool jazz later became strongly identified with the West Coast jazz scene, but also had a particular resonance in Europe, especially Scandinavia, with emergence of such major figures as baritone saxophonist Lars Gullin and pianist Bengt Hallberg. The theoretical underpinnings of cool jazz were set out by the blind Chicago pianist Lennie Tristano, and its influence stretches into such later developments as Bossa nova, modal jazz, and even free jazz. See also the list of cool jazz and West Coast musicians for further detail.
Hard bop, an extension of bebop (or "bop") music that incorporates influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano playing, developed in the mid-1950s, partly in response to the vogue for cool jazz in the early 1950s. The hard bop style coalesced in 1953 and 1954, paralleling the rise of rhythm and blues. Miles Davis' performance of "Walkin'" the title track of his album of the same year, at the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, announced the style to the jazz world. The quintet Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, fronted by Blakey and featuring pianist Horace Silver and trumpeter Clifford Brown, were leaders in the hard bop movement along with Davis. (See also List of Hard bop musicians)
Modal jazz recordings, such as Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, became popular in the late 1950s. Popular modal standards include Davis's "All Blues" and "So What" (both 1959), John Coltrane's "Impressions" (1963) and Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage" (1965). Later, Davis's "second great quintet", which included saxophonist Wayne Shorter and pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums in the mid-to-late 1960s. Standards from these sessions include Shorter's "Footprints" (1966) and Eddie Harris's "Freedom Jazz Dance" (1966).
In Brazil, a new style of music called bossa nova evolved in the late 1950s. The free jazz movement, coming to prominence in the late 1950s, spawned very few standards. Free jazz's unorthodox structures and performance techniques are not as amenable to transcription as other jazz styles. However, "Lonely Woman" (1959) a blues by saxophonist Ornette Coleman, is perhaps the closest thing to a standard in free jazz, having been recorded by dozens of notable performers.
1950s jazz standards
1950–1954
1950 – "If I Were a Bell".If I Were a Bell at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume II, p. 194 Written by Frank Loesser. 1951 – "Au Privave".Au Privave at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 37 – Bebop composition by Charlie Parker. 1951 – "Night Train"Night Train at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 304 Composed by Jimmy Forrest, Lewis P. Simpkins and Oscar Washington. 1951 – "Straight, No Chaser".Straight No Chaser at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 24, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 386 Composed by Thelonious Monk 1952 – "Lullaby of Birdland".Lullaby of Birdland at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 256 Composed by George Shearing with lyrics by George David Weiss. 1952 – "My One and Only Love"My One and Only Love at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 288 Composed by Guy Wood with lyrics by Robert Mellin. 1952 – "That's All".That's All at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 363 Written by Bob Haymes and Alan Brandt. 1952 – "When I Fall in Love".When I Fall in Love at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 439 Composed by Victor Young with lyrics by Edward Heyman. 1953 – "Here's That Rainy Day".Here's That Rainy Day at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 175 Composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke. 1953 – "Jordu".Jordu at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 227The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 175 Composed by Duke Jordan. 1953 – "Satin Doll".Satin Doll at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 349 Composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. 1954 – "Airegin".Listed in New Real Book, Volume IListed in The Real Jazz BookAiregin at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 13 Composed by Sonny Rollins. 1954 – "All of You".All of You at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on May 7, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 21 Written by Cole Porter. 1954 – "Blue Monk".Blue Monk at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 52 Composed by Thelonious Monk. 1954 – "Django".Django at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on September 7, 2018The Real Book, Volume I, p. 120 Composed by John Lewis. 1954 – "Doxy".Doxy at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume II, p. 111 Composed by Sonny Rollins. 1954 – "Fly Me to the Moon" (a.k.a. "In Other Words").Fly Me to the Moon (in Other Words) at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume II, p. 135The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 106 Written by Bart Howard. 1954 – "Joy Spring".Joy Spring at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 229 Composed by Clifford Brown with lyrics by Jon Hendricks. 1954 – "Misty".Misty at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 277 Composed by Erroll Garner with lyrics by Johnny Burke. 1954 – "Oleo".Oleo at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 309 Composed by Sonny Rollins. 1954 – "Solar".Solar at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 363 Composed by Miles Davis.
1955–1959 1956 – "Blues for Alice".The Real Book, Volume I, p. 55The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 26 Composed by Charlie Parker. 1956 – "Canadian Sunset".Canadian Sunset at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009 Composed by Eddie Heywood with lyrics by Norman Gimbel. 1956 – "Con Alma".Con Alma at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 84 Composed by Dizzy Gillespie. 1956 – "Nica's Dream".Nica's Dream at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 299The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 255 Composed by Horace Silver. 1956 – "Waltz for Debby".Waltz for Debby at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 432 Composed by Bill Evans with lyrics by Gene Lees. 1957 – "I Remember Clifford".I Remember Clifford at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 192 Composed by Benny Golson with lyrics by Jon Hendricks. 1958 – "Bags' Groove".Bag's Groove at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume II, p. 30 Composed by Milt Jackson. 1958 – "Blue Train".The Real Book, Volume I, p. 54 – Jazz blues composition by John Coltrane from his album Blue Train. 1958 – "Chega de Saudade" (a.k.a. "No More Blues").Listed in The Real Vocal BookThe Real Book, Volume I, p. 74 Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes (Portuguese) and Jon Hendricks and Jessie Cavanaugh (English). 1958 – "Milestones".Milestones at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume III, p. 277 Composed by Miles Davis. 1959 – "Afro Blue".Afro Blue at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 11 Composed by Mongo Santamaría. 1959 – "All Blues".All Blues at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 18 Composed by Miles Davis. 1959 – "The Best Is Yet to Come".The Best Is Yet to Come at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009 Composed by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. 1959 – "Blue in Green".Blue in Green at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 51 – Modal jazz composition from Miles Davis's album Kind of Blue. Credited solely to Davis on Kind of Blue and to Davis and Bill Evans on Evans's Portrait in Jazz, the song's authorship is disputed; Evans and Earl Zindars claim that Evans alone composed the tune.See page 20 of the Fall 1993 issue of Letter from Evans (http://www2.selu.edu/orgs/34skid/html/23.pdf ) where Earl Zindars says "I know that it is [100-percent Bill's] because he wrote it over at my pad where I was staying in East Harlem, 5th floor walkup, and he stayed until 3 o'clock in the morning playing these six bars over and over."https://www.npr.org/2010/10/08/92185496/bill-evans-on-piano-jazz 35m30s – On being asked about the issue by the interviewer (Marian McPartland), Evans said "The truth is I did [write the music]... I don't want to make a federal case out of it, the music exists, and Miles is getting the royalties" 1959 – "Desafinado" (a.k.a. "Slightly Out of Tune", also "Off Key").Desafinado at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 108 Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Newton Mendonça (Portuguese), and Jon Hendricks and Jessie Cavanaugh (English). 1959 – "Freddie Freeloader".The Real Book, Volume I, p. 151 Composed by Miles Davis. 1959 – "Giant Steps".Giant Steps at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 157The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 121 Composed by John Coltrane. 1959 – "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".Goodbye Pork Pie Hat at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 24, 2009 Composed by Charles Mingus. 1959 – "Goodbye Tristesse" (a.k.a. "A Felicidade").A Felicidade at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009 Composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim with lyrics by Vinicius de Moraes (Portuguese) and Hal Shaper (English). 1959 – "Killer Joe".Killer Joe at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume II, p. 229The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 179 Composed by Benny Golson. 1959 – "Manhã de Carnaval" (a.k.a. "A Day in the Life of a Fool", also "Black Orpheus").The Real Book, Volume I, p. 49 Written by Luiz Bonfá and Antônio Maria with English lyrics by Carl Sigman. 1959 – "Mr. P.C.".The Real Book, Volume I, p. 276 Composed by John Coltrane. 1959 – "My Favorite Things".My Favorite Things at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 285 Composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. 1959 – "Naima" (a.k.a. "Niema").Naima at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 293The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 238 Composed by John Coltrane. 1959 – "Nostalgia in Times Square".The Real Book, Volume I, p. 306 Written by Charles Mingus. 1959 – "Sidewinder".Sidewinder at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on April 29, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 355 Composed by Lee Morgan. 1959 – "So What".So What at jazzstandards.com – retrieved on February 20, 2009The Real Book, Volume I, p. 364 Composed by Miles Davis.