Jazz Song Name Generator

Titles for tunes, ballads and late-night blues

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Titles for jazz tunes in the styles players actually use: dedications like Blues for Aunt Lorraine and Waltz for Eleanor, street tunes like Lenox Avenue Shuffle, late-night moods like Twenty to Three, bebop puns like Flatted Fifth Avenue, plus ballads, bossa nova and modal pieces.

About jazz song names

Most jazz tunes are instrumentals, so the title has to do the work a lyric would do in a pop song. A few naming habits took hold. Players dedicate tunes to people, as Charlie Parker did with Blues for Alice, Bill Evans with Waltz for Debby and Horace Silver with Song for My Father. They name them after streets and cities, as in Thelonious Monk's 52nd Street Theme and Dizzy Gillespie's A Night in Tunisia. Bebop added wordplay: Sonny Rollins's Airegin is Nigeria spelled backwards, and Ornithology is a nod to Parker's nickname, Bird.

The list follows those habits without copying the standards. It includes dedications and portraits (Blues for the Night Porter, Portrait of Marguerite), street and city tunes (Halsted Street Local, Shinjuku Rain), late-night moods (Chairs on the Tables), bandstand puns (Rhythm Changes of Address, Vamp Till Ready), ballads that read like a first line (I Kept Your Umbrella), bossa nova and Latin titles in Portuguese, Spanish and English (Depois da Chuva, Clave de Luna, Samba in a Raincoat), short modal-era titles in the spirit of Miles Davis's 1959 album Kind of Blue (Lydian Sunrise, Still Point), and swing and New Orleans parade numbers (Rent Party Rag, Second Line Sunday).

Use them for new charts, songwriting prompts or fiction that needs a believable set list.

How to choose jazz song names

  • Match the title to the feel of the tune. A medium swing blues can carry a joke like Tritone Substitute Teacher, while a rubato ballad wants something closer to Stay Until the Record Ends.
  • Make the dedications your own. Swap in the name of a teacher, a bandmate or the person who lent you a horn, and "Blues for", "Waltz for" or "One for" will do the rest.
  • Use a place you have actually played or lived. A street, a station or a neighborhood gives you a story to tell when you announce the tune from the bandstand.
  • If you are writing a contrafact, a new melody over the chord changes of an existing song, hint at the source in the title the way bebop players did. Borrowed Changes and Whose Changes Are These? wear the idea openly.
  • Keep modal and spiritual pieces short. One or two words, such as Meridian or Horizon Line, leave room for a long, open performance in a way a punchline does not.

Frequently asked questions

How do jazz musicians come up with song titles?

Often after the music is finished, and often from whatever is close at hand: a friend's name, the street the club is on, a private joke from the bandstand. That is why the list leans on dedications like Waltz for the Piano Tuner, places like Frenchmen Street After Dark and musician humor like Real Book, Wrong Key.

Are these real jazz standards?

No. The titles are written in the style of jazz tunes and are not a list of existing compositions. Short one-word titles in particular may already have been used by someone, so search a title before you put it on a release.

What are good titles for a jazz ballad?

Ballad titles usually sound like the first line of a lyric, even when there are no words. From this list, try When the Lilacs Let Go, Your Coat Still on the Chair, The Last Slow Dance in Town or I'll Leave the Porch Light On. Late-night mood titles such as Slow Piano, Empty Room work for slow tunes too.

Can I use these titles for bossa nova or Latin jazz tunes?

Yes. One group is written for that repertoire, with Portuguese titles such as Tarde em Santa Teresa and Violão na Varanda, Spanish titles such as Descarga a Medianoche and Bolero del Último Tren, and English ones such as Ipanema, Off Season. If you do not speak the language, ask a fluent speaker to read the title before you print it.

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All 500 jazz song names

This is the complete list the generator above draws its random batches from, sorted A to Z and grouped by first letter.

Plain text, one name per line.

A: 20 names

  • A Fool for February
  • A Letter I Won't Send
  • A Winter Without You in It
  • Addis After Dark
  • After the Last Set
  • Água de Coco
  • Almost Morning
  • Almost Spring
  • Amen Corner
  • Ancestors' Walk
  • Apogee
  • April Owes Me Nothing
  • Areia Morna
  • As Long as There's a Moon
  • Ascent
  • Ash Wednesday Morning
  • Ask Me Tomorrow
  • At Your Own Slow Pace
  • Augmented Expectations
  • August Night, No Breeze

B: 38 names

  • Bahia Breeze
  • Ballroom Floor Stomp
  • Band Bus Boogie
  • Banjo on the Balcony
  • Bathtub Gin Stomp
  • Before the Rain Stops
  • Beignet Boogie
  • Bernice's Bounce
  • Big Band Payday
  • Black Tie Bounce
  • Bleecker Street Breakdown
  • Blue Before Sunrise
  • Blues for a Borrowed Horn
  • Blues for a Broken Reed
  • Blues for a Rainy Tuesday
  • Blues for an Empty Tip Jar
  • Blues for Aunt Lorraine
  • Blues for Cousin Earl
  • Blues for Delphine
  • Blues for Mr. Henry's Hat
  • Blues for My Dentist
  • Blues for Room 412
  • Blues for the Coat Check Girl
  • Blues for the Landlord
  • Blues for the Late Bus
  • Blues for the Night Porter
  • Blues for the Second Set
  • Blues for Tomorrow Morning
  • Bolero del Último Tren
  • Bopsicle
  • Borrowed Changes
  • Bossa do Guarda-Chuva
  • Bossa for a Borrowed Guitar
  • Brass on Parade
  • Breath Cycle
  • Brush Work
  • Buenos Aires in the Rain
  • Bus Call at Dawn

C: 35 names

  • Cab Fare
  • Café com Leite
  • Café Cubano
  • Cakewalk on Canal
  • Canticle for the Morning
  • Cape Town Sunday
  • Carousel After Closing
  • Cashew Rain
  • Central Avenue Sunset
  • Céu de Abril
  • Cha-Cha para Lucía
  • Chairs on the Tables
  • Chicago by Noon
  • Chops
  • Chromatic Approach
  • Chuva Fina
  • Circles Within
  • Clara's Mood
  • Clarinet Lemonade
  • Clave de Luna
  • Closing Time at the Blue Room
  • Cobalt
  • Collard Green Light
  • Conga Line of One
  • Congo Square Morning
  • Contrafact Checker
  • Cool Your Heels
  • Copenhagen Snow
  • Cornet Confetti
  • Count It Off
  • Counting Streetlights
  • Crenshaw Nocturne
  • Crescent City Bounce
  • Crosstown Transfer
  • Cuttin' Contest

D: 23 names

  • Dance Card Full
  • Dancing in Stocking Feet
  • Darling, It's Late
  • Deacon's Two-Step
  • Dear Old Professor Banks
  • Depois da Chuva
  • Descarga a Medianoche
  • Detroit Assembly
  • Devagar
  • Dim the House Lights
  • Dime-a-Dance Drag
  • Diminished Responsibility
  • Doghouse Shuffle
  • Dois no Sofá
  • Dominant Personality
  • Don't Wake the Moon
  • Door Gig
  • Dorian Gray Area
  • Dot's Dash
  • Double Booked
  • Doublin' on Flute
  • Dressing Room Mirror
  • Drone in D

E: 12 names

  • East Harlem Sunrise
  • Eight to the Bar Exam
  • El Sombrero de Papá
  • Elegy for a Tenor Man
  • Elevator Operator's Nocturne
  • Eleven Eight
  • Empty Coat Check
  • Esplanade Avenue
  • Esquina Caliente
  • Evening Becomes You
  • Evening Raga for Quartet
  • Every Goodbye Is a Rehearsal

F: 15 names

  • Fake Book Blues
  • Feathers on the Bandstand
  • Fifty-Second Street Ghosts
  • Fillmore at Midnight
  • Fire Escape Serenade
  • First Edition
  • Flapper's Lament
  • Flat Nine Lives
  • Flatted Fifth Avenue
  • Flor de Maracujá
  • Fog at the Ferry Landing
  • Foghorn in B-Flat
  • Footsteps on Wet Cobblestones
  • Four-Bar Break
  • Frenchmen Street After Dark

G: 10 names

  • Gardenias on the Piano
  • Goodnight Is Not Goodbye
  • Goodnight, Mrs. Abernathy
  • Gramophone Glide
  • Graveyard Shift Serenade
  • Greasy Spoon Groove
  • Green Room Nocturne
  • Grits and Gravy Train
  • Guajira del Balcón
  • Gus's Groove

H: 21 names

  • Halsted Street Local
  • Hammock Samba
  • Hats Off to Harold
  • Hattie's Hop
  • Havana Customs House
  • Head Arrangement
  • Heat Lightning
  • Hep Replacement
  • Her Handwriting
  • Here Comes Hazel
  • Hi-Hat and Tails
  • Hill District Hymn
  • Hip Pocket
  • His Hat on the Piano
  • Hoboken Ferry
  • Hold That Thought, Darling
  • Horizon Line
  • Hot Sauce on the Side
  • Hotel Lobby at Dawn
  • Hudson Line
  • Hush Now, City

I: 13 names

  • I Dream in Black and White
  • I Kept Your Umbrella
  • I Only Waltz with You
  • I Remember the Coat Room
  • I'll Leave the Porch Light On
  • If the Moon Won't Mind
  • In the Pocket
  • Indigo Variations
  • Inner Compass
  • Insomnia in E-Flat
  • Invocation
  • Ipanema, Off Season
  • Istanbul Coffee

J: 5 names

  • Jackson Street Drizzle
  • Jitterbug in a Phone Booth
  • Jug Band Jubilee
  • Jump for Joyce
  • Jumpin' at the Depot

K: 3 names

  • Kansas City Overnight
  • Kilimanjaro Morning
  • Kingston Morning

L: 28 names

  • Lagos Layover
  • Lament for a Closed Club
  • Lament for Lucille
  • Lamplighter
  • Last Call Lament
  • Lavender Hour
  • Lean a Little Closer
  • Learn to Love the Rain
  • Left Bank Lullaby
  • Left Hand Larry
  • Leimert Park Afternoon
  • Lemon Tree Bossa
  • Lenox Avenue Shuffle
  • Licorice Stick Lick
  • Lipstick on a Highball Glass
  • Lisbon Tram 28
  • Little Samba for Tuesday
  • Long Distance Operator Swing
  • Lost on the Bridge
  • Love Came in on the Offbeat
  • Love in a Minor Key
  • Low Tide at Leblon
  • Lua de Copacabana
  • Lullaby for Josephine
  • Lullaby for the Drummer's Baby
  • Luna sobre Matanzas
  • Luz de Vela
  • Lydian Sunrise

M: 28 names

  • MacDougal Alley
  • Malecón Moon
  • Mambo del Tranvía
  • Mambo for the Landlady
  • Mango Season
  • Manhã de Domingo
  • Mar Aberto
  • Marquee Going Dark
  • Matchbook Memo
  • Meet Me at the Bridge
  • Memphis Layover
  • Meridian
  • Milkman's Hour
  • Minnie's Minor
  • Minor Infraction
  • Miss Odessa's Parlor
  • Mixolydian Mood
  • Mobius
  • Monterey Pines
  • Montmartre Morning
  • Montreux Lakeside
  • Montuno Azul
  • Moon Over the Marquee
  • Morningside Heights
  • Motor City Matinee
  • Mr. Fontaine Requests
  • My Foolish Calendar
  • My Heart Keeps Bad Time

N: 16 names

  • Nadine's Notion
  • Neon Through Venetian Blinds
  • Newark Penn Station
  • Newport Fog
  • Newsstand at Five
  • Night Clerk's Reverie
  • Nightcap
  • Nile Green
  • No Cabs on Lenox
  • No One Says Goodnight Like You
  • Nobody's Valentine
  • Noche en La Habana
  • Nocturne for a Ceiling Fan
  • Noite em Ipanema
  • North Beach Fog
  • Nylon Strings

O: 16 names

  • O Bonde de Santa Teresa
  • Ochre
  • October Again
  • Olive at the Bottom
  • Once Around the Park
  • Onda Pequena
  • One for the Doorman
  • One for the Road Crew
  • One for Uncle Russell
  • One More for the Piano Player
  • One Scale, All Night
  • One-Nighter in Omaha
  • Open Fifths
  • Ostinato for the Tide
  • Otis Takes a Chorus
  • Out Chorus

P: 20 names

  • Paddle Wheel Strut
  • Parade Rest Rag
  • Pay the Band
  • Peanut Vendor's Day Off
  • Pedal Point
  • Pennsylvania Avenue Parade
  • Percy's Pace
  • Philadelphia Local
  • Phrygian Dusk
  • Pickup Notes
  • Pigalle at Four A.M.
  • Pocket Change
  • Portrait of a Trumpet Player at Rest
  • Portrait of Marguerite
  • Portrait of Wendell
  • Prayer for the Drummer
  • Preach It, Brother
  • Pressed Gardenia
  • Pretend It's Paris
  • Pullman Porter Shuffle

Q: 1 name

  • Quartal

R: 20 names

  • Radiator Blues
  • Rain on the Bandstand
  • Real Book, Wrong Key
  • Rebop Shebang
  • Red Beans Monday
  • Reed Trouble
  • Refraction
  • Rent Party Rag
  • Requiem for a Record Store
  • Rhythm Changes of Address
  • Ride Cymbal Rhapsody
  • Rio by the Back Door
  • Riverside Drive at Dusk
  • Rooftop, Three Flights Up
  • Room Service for One
  • Rua das Flores
  • Ruby's Return
  • Rue Saint-Benoît
  • Rumba en el Patio
  • Rye and Regret

S: 85 names

  • Sahara Crossing
  • Saint-Germain After Hours
  • Samba da Janela
  • Samba in a Raincoat
  • Samba para Sofia
  • San Juan Sidestep
  • Sandals in the Hallway
  • Saudade de Você
  • Saxes Up
  • Scat Got Your Tongue
  • Scrambled Eggs and Scat
  • Second Chances Waltz
  • Second Line Sunday
  • Section Work
  • Sem Pressa
  • September Took Her Time
  • Serenade for Sadie
  • Seven Against Four
  • Seventh Avenue Basement
  • Seventy-Eight Revolutions
  • Shadow of the El Train
  • Sharp Eleven O'Clock
  • Shedding Season
  • Sheets of Rain
  • Shellac Shuffle
  • Shinjuku Rain
  • Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Done
  • Shout Chorus Shuffle

S, continued

  • Sideman's Holiday
  • Sign-Off
  • Sister Mabel's Shout
  • Six O'Clock Jump
  • Sixteen Bars of Silence
  • Sketch of Simone
  • Sketches in Indigo
  • Sleeper Car Swing
  • Sleepwalker's Holiday
  • Slow Boat to Bahia
  • Slow Dance in the Kitchen
  • Slow Orbit
  • Slow Piano, Empty Room
  • Smoke Over the Piano
  • Snare Drum Sermon
  • Snow on Your Eyelashes
  • So Long, Sylvester
  • So Tenderly, So Late
  • So Then
  • Softly, the Door
  • Solid, Jackson
  • Some Kind of Green
  • Someone Else's Spring
  • Somewhere a Piano
  • Son de la Lluvia
  • Song for My Sister's Wedding
  • Song for the Bass Player's Mother
  • Soul Food Sunday

S, continued

  • Sousaphone Sally
  • South Side Express
  • South Street Saunter
  • Spats and Syncopation
  • Spirits Gather
  • Spit Valve Serenade
  • Square Root of Hip
  • St. Claude Avenue Strut
  • St. Louis Turnaround
  • Stacked Fourths
  • Stagehand's Lullaby
  • Stars Fell on the Fire Escape
  • Stay Until the Record Ends
  • Steam from the Grates
  • Sticky Valves
  • Still Point
  • Stockholm Sunrise
  • Stop-Time Charlie
  • Streetlamp Soliloquy
  • Stride Right
  • Striver's Row Stroll
  • Struttin' Past the Bakery
  • Sugar Hill Sunday
  • Sugarloaf Shadow
  • Sus Chord Sunday
  • Suspended
  • Sweeping Up
  • Swing Shift Special
  • Syncopathology

T: 45 names

  • Tailgate Trombone
  • Tarde em Santa Teresa
  • Taxi in the Rain
  • Tchoupitoulas Two-Step
  • Tell It to the Moon
  • Testifyin' Time
  • Thank You, Mr. Porter
  • The Bartender Knows
  • The Bench Where We Argued
  • The Gig Pays Twenty
  • The Ice Has Melted
  • The Janitor's Waltz
  • The Last Slow Dance in Town
  • The Long Walk Uptown
  • The Moon Owes Me a Favor
  • The Moon Sat In
  • The Nearness of Rain
  • The Neighbors' Radio
  • The Quietest Carnival
  • The Ring in the Drawer
  • The Song You Hummed
  • The Sub Called In Sick

T, continued

  • The Way You Stir Your Coffee
  • Theme for Thelma
  • Theo's Theme
  • Third Eye Open
  • Third Shift
  • Threshold
  • Tidal Figure
  • Timbales at Twilight
  • Too Late for Roses
  • Trading Fours
  • Tremé Sunrise
  • Tritone Substitute Teacher
  • Tumbao for Two
  • Turnaround in D-Flat
  • Tuxedo Rental Rag
  • Twelfth Street Detour
  • Twenty to Three
  • Two A.M. Sermon
  • Two Chords and the Truth
  • Two for Tessa
  • Two Guitars and a Matchbox
  • Two Spoons, One Sundae
  • Two-Five-Won

U: 6 names

  • U Street Stride
  • Ultramarine
  • Unfolding
  • Union Scale
  • Until the Ice Melts
  • Uptown Local

V: 11 names

  • Vamp Till Ready
  • Vanishing Point
  • Varanda
  • Vento Sul
  • Vermilion Hour
  • Vermouth Moon
  • Vertical Blue
  • Victrola Valentine
  • Vine Street Vamp
  • Viola's Vamp
  • Violão na Varanda

W: 21 names

  • Walking Home in Patent Leather
  • Waltz for a Left-Handed Drummer
  • Waltz for Eleanor
  • Waltz for Little Ida
  • Waltz for Nobody in Particular
  • Waltz for the Night Nurse
  • Waltz for the Piano Tuner
  • Waltz in Five
  • Washboard Wiggle
  • Wayfarer's Hymn
  • West 4th Street Station
  • Wet Streets, Dry Martini
  • What the River Said
  • When Autumn Hangs Its Hat
  • When the Lilacs Let Go
  • While the Coffee Cools
  • Whistle Stop Stomp
  • Whose Changes Are These?
  • Window Across the Airshaft
  • Wish on a Streetlight
  • Woodshed

Y: 6 names

  • Yesterday's Corsage
  • Yokohama Dockside
  • You Left Your Gloves
  • You Were the Weather
  • Your Coat Still on the Chair
  • Your Perfume in the Elevator

Z: 1 name

  • Zoot Suit Saturday

0-9: 1 name

  • 125th Street Crossing