The
bible of
jazz. It consists of
charts of 400 or so
jazz standards. Any self-respecting
jazz musician should have this book, and a reasonable percantage of it in his/her
repertoire.
When musicians get together for a gig, or play for fun, they usually pick standards from the Real Book, because these are mostly accepted as well known, good pieces. However, due to the fact that they are so well known, they are often overplayed, and thus abhorred by many musicians. For example, very few musicians will agree to play All Of Me, one of the most chewed out standards of all time.
- Of course, not all well-known standards are in the Real Book (what can one do, nothing is perfect). Examples are Bye Bye Blackbird and Love Is Here To Stay.
- The Real Book has caused a wave of Fake Books to come into being. There are many of these, and as their name suggests, they are rip-offs of the Real Book. They don't necessarily have the same standards as the real book. They have added some and removed some. Several Fake Books are actually very good.