standard
genresSTAN-durd
A jazz composition that has become part of the commonly performed repertoire.
Jazz standards are songs that every jazz musician is expected to know. They come from Broadway musicals (Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter), the Great American Songbook, bebop compositions (Parker, Monk, Gillespie), and a few pop songs that became jazz vehicles. Standards provide a common language for jam sessions; musicians who have never met can play together by calling a standard and its key. The concept of a shared repertoire is unique to jazz.