Morning Jazz Music to Start Your Day Right

Looking for some morning jazz music to help start your day off right? Look no further! We’ve rounded up some of the best tracks to help you get going.

Introduction

Jazz has always been a music of change and mobility. Its roots are in the blues, which developed in the American South at the end of the 19th century from the work songs and spirituals of African-American slaves. Jazz quickly spread from its New Orleans birthplace to Chicago, Kansas City, and other cities in the Midwest and West, where it developed into different styles. Meanwhile, some fans began referring to it as America’s classical music.

Over the past century, jazz has continued to evolve, spawning new subgenres such as bebop, hard bop, modal jazz, free jazz, fusion, and smooth jazz. Today’s leading exponents—such as saxophonists Sonny Rollins and Wayne Shorter, trumpeters Wynton Marsalis and Terence Blanchard, pianists Herbie Hancock and McCoy Tyner, guitarists Pat Metheny and Kurt Rosenwinkel—frequently incorporate elements of pop, rock, R&B, blues, Latin music, and even classical music into their work.

The Best Morning Jazz Music

“Take Five” by Dave Brubeck

John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” might be the most widely recognized jazz song ever, and Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train” is surely the most covered, with versions by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to Steely Dan. But what about the best morning jazz songs? The ones that make you feel like it’s going to be a good day, that make you want to get up and get moving?

We’ve compiled a list of our favorite morning jazz songs to start your day off right. From more traditional tunes like Brubeck’s “Take Five” to more contemporary offerings like Robert Glasper’s rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” there’s something for everyone on this list.

So put on your favorite pot of coffee, sit back, and enjoy some of the best morning jazz around.

“All Blues” by Miles Davis

Miles Davis’ “All Blues” is a great choice for morning jazz music. The tune has a relaxed and smooth feel that is perfect for starting your day. The song features Miles Davis on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Tony Williams on drums.

“So What” by Miles Davis

“So What” is a jazz standard composed by Miles Davis. It was first recorded on the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. The composition features one chord for the entire song and is played by the whole band in unison for the first minute and thirty seconds, before transitioning into improvised solos.

The song’s title comes from its opening melody, which Davis called “so what?” He said that the opening melody was based on harmonic changes from George Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”. The melody has been described as “almost childlike” in its simplicity. The chords are derived from the Lydian mode, which imparts a “floating”, dreamlike quality to the piece.

The piece is in cycles of three bars, each cycle starting on a different note of the Lydian scale. The first cycle starts on F, the second on B, and so on. This creates a sense of forward motion while traveling around the static harmony of the Lydian scale.

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this collection of morning jazz tracks. If you have any suggestions of your own, feel free to share them in the comments below. And remember, if you need some extra motivation to get going in the morning, jazz is the perfect pick-me-up. Thanks for listening!