Jazz waltz

A Jazz waltz is a waltz in jazz style, thus played in a syncopated 3/4, 6/4, or 6/8 time signature, occasionally also in 5/4. Frequently a feeling of swing is created in the accompaniment by anticipating the second beat or third beat by a quaver. In most jazz waltzes, it usually contains a steady rhythm containing a pulse note, or the first note in the measure, followed by 2 following chords, usually the same and usually a chord inversion of the tonic note (pulse note or eighth note).

Familiar Jazz Waltzes

A few familiar jazz waltzes would be: "My Favorite Things", "Jitterbug Waltz", Vince Guaraldi's "What Child Is This" (a.k.a.) "Greensleeves", and "Skating" from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Notable Jazz Waltzes

The following were either composed as jazz waltzes, or are frequently played as such.

• "A Child Is Born" (Thad Jones)
• "Afro Blue" (Mongo Santamaría, in arrangement by John Coltrane
• "Alice In Wonderland" (Sammy Fain)
• "All Blues" (Miles Davis), from the album Kind of Blue, 1959
• "And We Say Goodbye To The Perfumed Garden" (Big Lil) from John Peel's radio show
• "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads" (Robert Wright)
• "Besame Mucho" written by Consuelo Velázquez and played by (Wes Montgomery), 1963
• "Black Narcissus" (Joe Henderson)
• "Blues For A Four-String Guitar" (Lou Rawls) from the album Black And Blue And Tobacco Road, 1962
• "Blue Daniel" (Frank Rosalino)
• "Bluesette" (Toots Thielemans)
• "Blue Frenzy" (Frankie Hubbard) from the album Breaking Point, 1964
• "Dance Cadaverous" (Wayne Shorter) from Speak No Evil, 1965
• "Delphia" (Freddie Hubbard) from Red Clay, 1970
• "Effi" (Stanley Cowell) from the Max Roach album Members, Don't Git Weary, 1968
• "Elsa" (Earl Zinders)
• "Emily" (Bill Evans)
• "Footprints" (Wayne Shorter) (debatable whether an actual waltz)
• "Full House" (Wes Montgomery)
• "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Smokey Robinson)
• "Grandfather's waltz" (Stan Getz)
• "How My Heart Sings!" (Bill Evans) from How My Heart Sings!, 1962
• "Hello Young Lovers" (Wes Montgomery)
• "The Inch Worm" (Frank Loesser)
• "It Ain't Necessarily So" (George Gershwin) from the musical Porgy and Bess
• "Jitterbug Waltz" (Fats Waller)
• "Ju Ju" (Wayne Shorter)
• "Last Tango in Paris" (Gato Barbieri)
• "Little B's Poem" (Bobby Hutcherson)
• "Little Niles" (Randy Weston)
• "Lover" (Dave Brubeck), 1955
• "Mamzelle Zizi" (Dr. John & Donald Harrison) from Funky New Orleans, 2000
• "Midnite Soul" (Freddie Hubbard) from A Soul Experiment, 1969
• "My Favorite Things" (associated with John Coltrane)
• "Night Dreamer" (Wayne Shorter) from Night Dreamer, 1964
• "Simone" (Frank Foster)
• "Skating In Central Park" (John Lewis)
• "Some Day My Prince Will Come" (associated with Miles Davis)
• "Soul Surge" (Frankie Hubbard)
• "Summer In Central Park" (Horace Silver)
• "Sweet Lady" (Monty Alexander)
• "Take Five" (Paul Desmond)
• "Tenderly" (Walter Gross)
• "The Girl Next Door" (Ahmad Jamal) from Ahmad's Blues, 1958
• "Three Views Of A Secret" (Jaco Pastorius)
• "Three Wishes (Donald Byrd)
• "Ugly Beauty" (Thelonious Monk)
• "Up Jumped Spring" (Freddie Hubbard) from Born To Be Blue, 1981
• "Valse Hot" (Sonny Rollins)
• "Valse Triste" (Wayne Shorter) from The Soothsayer, 1965
• "Very Early" (Bill Evans) from Moon Beams, 1962
• "Waltz for Debby" (Bill Evans) from New Jazz Conceptions, 1956, and Waltz for Debby, 1961
• "Waltz New" (Jim Hall) (based on the changes to Someday My Prince Will Come)
• "West Coast Blues" (Wes Montgomery) from Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery, 1969
• "Wild Flower" (Wayne Shorter), from Speak No Evil, 1965
• "Windows" (Chick Corea)

Jazz Waltzes in Pop

• "A Taste of Honey" (Tom Jones) from his album From The Heart, 1966
• "Blessed" (Simon & Garfunkel) from Sounds of Silence, 1966
• "Everything's Alright" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's opera Jesus Christ Superstar, 1970
• "I Just Don't Understand" (The Beatles) from Live at the BBC
• "It's For You" (The Beatles)
• "Mirror, Mirror" (The Osmonds) from The Plan, 1973
• "My Girl Maria" (Tom Jones), from Help Yourself, 1968
• "The Last Waltz" (Engelbert Humperdinck)
• "Wives And Lovers" (Burt Bacharach)

Jazz Waltzes in Rock & Blues Rock

• "Golden Brown" (The Stranglers), 1981
• "Second Movement" (vocal parts) (Deep Purple) from Concerto for Group and Orchestra, 1969
• "Here's to the new year" (Slade) from Crackers - The Christmas Party Album, 1986
• "She belongs to me" (Jake Holmes), from The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes, 1967
• "The Way Young Lovers Do" (Van Morrison), from Astral Weeks, 1968
• "What's the Use in Trying" (Moneybrother), from To Die Alone, 2006

Jazz Waltzes in Folk & Electric Folk

• "Autopsy" (Fairport Convention), from Unhalfbricking, 1968
• "Gaea" (Pentangle), from So Early In The Spring, 1989
• "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" (Pentangle), from Berkeley Community Theatre, May 29, 1970
• "Hear My Call" (Pentangle), from The Pentangle, 1968
• "In Time" (Pentangle), from Berkeley Community Theatre, May 29, 1970
• "Light Flight" (Pentangle), from Basket Of Light, 1968

Jazz Waltzes in Progressive & Indie Rock

• "Black Lace" (Frijid Pink) from Defrosted, 1970
• "Cressida" (Cressida) from Cressida, 1970
• "Digging My Lawn" (Giles, Giles & Fripp) from The Cheerful Insanity of Giles, Giles and Fripp, 1968
• "Hello hello" (Caravan) from Caravan, 1968
• "Jazz Waltz #3 in B flat" (The Dears) from End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story, 2000
• "Move on Alone" (Jethro Tull) from This Was, 1968
• "Poet and Peasant" (Beggars Opera) from Act One, 1974 (partial jazz waltz)
• "Once Upon a Hill" (Aardvark) from Aardvark, 1970
• "Something Following Me" (Procol Harum) from Procul Harum, 1967
• "To 'B'" (Brainchild) from Healing Of The Lunatic Owl, 1970
• "To Play Your Little Game" (Cressida) from Cressida, 1970
• "Up And Coming" (Blodwyn Pig) from Ahead Rings Out, 1969 (jazz waltz-blues)
• "Water Curtain Cave" (Jade Warrior) from Released, 1971 (partial jazz waltz)
• "Winter" (Hannibal) from Hannibal, 1971

Jazz Waltzes in Psychedelic Rock

• "An Invitation to Cry" (Saturday's Children) on compilation album Pebbles Vol. 1
• "Ascension" (Kahvas Jute) from Wide Open, 1971
• "Benedictus" (The Electric Prunes) from Mass In F Minor, 1968
• "Cynical Watcher Mr Peep" (The Seeds), 1966
• "Deck Five" (Saturday's Children), 1966
• "Fly" (Ora) from Ora, 1969
• "Gold And Silver" (Quicksilver Messenger Service) from Quicksilver Messenger Service, 1968
• "Huautla" (Canned Heat) from Hallelujah, 1969
• "I Want You Back Again" (The Zombies) from Zombie Heaven, 1967
• "Jabberwock" (Boeing Duveen & Beautiful Soup) on compilation album Rubble Vol. 8
• "Judge With a Bomb" (The Seeds)
• "Shaman's Blues" (The Doors) from The Soft Parade, 1968
• "Soul Sync" (The Sun) on compilation album Psychedelic Archaeology Vol. 6
• "Sonny Goode Street" (Donovan)
• "Stephanie Knows Who" (The Move) from Shazam, 1970
• "Suburban Lament" (Leyne Martine Jr) on compilation album Psychedelic Archaeology Vol. 1
• "The Garden Is Open" (The Fugs) from Tenderness Junction, 1967
• "Tube" (The Psycheground Group), 1971
• "White Panther" (Arcesua), 1968, on compilation album - Love, Peace and Poetry: American Psychedelic Bands
• "War lord" (The Shadows), 1965
• "Wintertime Love" (The Doors) from Waiting For The Sun, 1968

Jazz Waltzes in Argentinian Progressive Rock

• "Aventura en el arbol" (Aquelarre) from Aquelarre, 1972
• "El Viaje De Anabelas" (Bubu) from Anabelas, 1978

Jazz Waltzes in Danish Pop

• "Dansevise" (Grethe & Jørgen Ingmann) won the Eurovision Song Contest 1963

Jazz Waltzes in Finnish Progressive Rock

• "Hamarapuolella" (Alamaailman Vasarat) from Kaarmelautakunta, 2003

Jazz Waltzes in French Jazz Pop

• "Boom Boom" (France Gall), 1966. Originally a Danish song called "Say Boom Boom" composed by Poul Reinau and first recorded by his wife Lise.
• "Les Oubliettes" (Serge Gainsbourg), c. 1961-63
• "Les Yeux Bleu" (France Gall), 1967
• "Pense à Moi" (France Gall), 1963
• "Wake me at five" (Serge Gainsbourg) from the film Strip Tease, 1963

Jazz Waltzes in German Progressive Rock

• "Alabaster Keaton" (Aera) from Hand und Fuss, 1976 (jazz waltz/fusion)
• "Difference" (Häx Cel) from Zwai, 1972
• "Hallelujah" (Hallelujah) from Hallelujah Babe, 1971
• "Hysterical" (My Solid Ground) from SWF, 1973
• "Mosaik" (Joy Unlimited), from Reflektions, 1973
• "Music" (Häx Cel) from Zwai, 1972
• "Bosco Biati Weib Alles" (Brainstorm), from Smile A While, 1973
• "There Was a Time" (Brainstorm), from Last Smile, 1974

Jazz Waltzes in Italian Jazz Rock

• "Valzer per Domani" (Arti e Mestieri) from Giro Di Valzer per Domani, 1975
• "Dimensione Terra" (Arti e Mestieri) from Giro Di Valzer per Domani, 1975

Jazz Waltzes in Japanese Smooth Jazz

• "Night Waltz" (Keiko Matsui), 1991

Jazz Waltzes in Norwegian Pop & Folk Pop

• "Intet er nytt under solen" (Åse Kleveland), Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966
• "It's just a game" (Bendik Singers), Norwegian entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973

Jazz Waltzes in Romanian Rock

• "Într-un cer violet" (Sfinx), 1984

Jazz Waltzes in Swedish Jazz Pop

• "Att angöra en brygga" (Monica Zetterlund) from the film Att angöra en brygga, 1965
• "Bedårande sommarvals" ("Bluesette")(Monica Zetterlund) from Monica Zetterlund sjunger Olle Adolphson, 1976
• "Den sista valsen" ("The Last Waltz") (Svante Thuresson), 1967
• "En visa om ett rosenblad" (Cornelis Vreeswijk) from Poem, ballader och lite blues, 1966
• "En snäcka i sanden" (Alice Babs)
• "Farfars vals" (Monica Zetterlund) from Ohh! Monica,1965
• "Hajar'u de' då, Jack" (Cornelis Vreeswijk) from Poem, ballader och lite blues, 1970
• "Har du nån'sin hört någon spela jazz på en elektrisk flöjt" (Monica Zetterlund)
• "Mer än vänskap" (Alice Babs) from Illusion
• "I New York" ("Take Five") (Monica Zetterlund) from Ahh! Monica, 1962
• "Jag tror att jag är kär i dig, Maria" ("My Girl Maria") (Svante Thuresson), 1964
• "Leva mitt liv" (Svante Thuresson), 1968
• "Nygammal vals" (Svante Thuresson & Lill Lindfors), Swedish entry in the European Song Contest, 1966
• "Pense à moi" (instrumental version) (Spotnicks), 1964
• "Telegram för fullmånen" (Cornelis Vreeswijk) from Grimascher och telegram, 1966
• "Ångbåtsblues" (Cornelis Vreeswijk) from Grimascher och telegram, 1966

Jazz Waltzes in Swedish Psychedelic & Alternative Rock

• "Blå vardag" (Atlas) from Blå vardag, 1979
• "Canada lumberyard" (Hansson & Karlsson) from Hansson & Karlsson, 1979
• "February" (Hansson & Karlsson) from Hansson & Karlsson, 1967
• "Här kommer natten" (Pugh Rogefeldt) from Ja, dä ä dä, 1969
• "Space with in" (Hansson & Karlsson) from Man at the moon, 1969
• "Peace on earth" (Hansson & Karlsson) from Man at the moon, 1969

Jazz Waltzes in Swedish Hip Hop

• "A-kasseblues revisited" (Movits!) from This Is Swedish Hip Hop Evolution, 2010