Consensus Top Jazz Song?

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   While recently listening to a classic rock radio station I pondered...

They were promoting a fan vote for the top 500 songs in the history of the genre. They do this every year around this time, as they do the countdown for the 4th of july weekend. It's a bit of a pointless exercise, as the top 10+ songs are always the same (maybe a different order) with Led Zepplin's Stairway To Heaven being the top song, always. This got me thinking......if a jazz radio station were to do something similar and have listeners vote for the top 500 songs in jazz history, would the results be as predictable? Is there a consensus among jazz connoisseurs as to what the 'best' jazz song of all time is? (Or even a top 10?)

From my fairly outsiders perspective my guess would be no, as it seems artists (and perhaps albums) are the bigger deal in jazz than individual songs (even standards), but perhaps I'm just too outside. 

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Cannonball With Hat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Forum Senior Member VIP Joined: 10 Apr 2011 Location: The Opium Den Status: Offline Points: 1212	Post Options Post Reply Quote Cannonball With Hat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Consensus Top Jazz Song? Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 4:55pm
	While recently listening to a classic rock radio station I pondered... They were promoting a fan vote for the top 500 songs in the history of the genre. They do this every year around this time, as they do the countdown for the 4th of july weekend. It's a bit of a pointless exercise, as the top 10+ songs are always the same (maybe a different order) with Led Zepplin's Stairway To Heaven being the top song, always. This got me thinking......if a jazz radio station were to do something similar and have listeners vote for the top 500 songs in jazz history, would the results be as predictable? Is there a consensus among jazz connoisseurs as to what the 'best' jazz song of all time is? (Or even a top 10?) From my fairly outsiders perspective my guess would be no, as it seems artists (and perhaps albums) are the bigger deal in jazz than individual songs (even standards), but perhaps I'm just too outside.
	Hit it on Five. Saxophone Scatterbrain Blitzberg Stab them in the ears.

js Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Forum Admin Group Site admin Joined: 22 Dec 2010 Location: Memphis Status: Offline Points: 35498	Post Options Post Reply Quote js Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jun 2021 at 6:07pm
	The so-called 'standards' are the favorite songs of the jazz genre, and occasionally something new will be invited into that elite set to join all the long lasting time tested ones. Which one is the favorite can be determined by which one gets recorded the most and played the most, and for my money I would say Monk's "Round Midnight' is probably the most popular song in jazz. Other top contenders would include "All the Things You Are" and "My Funny Valentine". Of the more modern set, Ornette's "Lonely Woman" does pretty well.