Jazz Standards Fake Book & Real Jazz Standards Fake Book

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Jazz Standards Fake Book & Real Jazz Standards Fake Book

The Jazz Standards Fake Book and The Real Jazz Standards Fake Book are comprehensive collections of lead sheets used by musicians to quickly learn, play, and improvise over classic jazz songs. These books provide the essential building blocks of a song—the melody line, lyrics, and chord progressions—allowing performers to "fake" an accompaniment or solo without needing a fully written-out piano arrangement.

The Core Difference

While both books serve the same fundamental purpose, they differ in their harmonic depth and how they approach the music:

The Jazz Standards Fake Book: Focuses on the most straightforward, universally recognized versions of essential jazz melodies and chord progressions. It is highly accessible and ideal for beginners, vocalists, or gigging musicians who require a reliable, standard reference.
The Real Jazz Standards Fake Book: Features a "hipper," more advanced layout. In addition to the original chords, it includes alternate harmonizations that reflect how legendary jazz artists actually reharmonize and play these tunes on stage and in the studio.

Key Features of Both Books

Lead Sheet Format: Songs are kept brief (usually one or two pages) featuring only the melody line, lyrics, and chord symbols.
Handwritten Aesthetics: The pages mimic the famous, easy-to-read, handwritten calligraphy font popularized by original jazz musicians.
Multiple Instrument Editions: Both books are sold in specific transpositions to accommodate different instruments. You can buy them in C (for piano, guitar, flute), B♭ (for trumpet, tenor sax), or E♭ (for alto sax).

Historical Context: "Fake" vs. "Real"

The naming of these books is rooted in jazz history:

Book Type	Historical Context
The "Fake" Book	Originally, "fake books" were illegal, underground bootlegs compiled in the mid-20th century. They bypassed copyright laws and paid zero royalties to songwriters, sold literally "under the table" to gigging musicians.
The "Real" Book	In the 1970s, students at the Berklee College of Music created a massive, highly accurate underground compilation to correct the errors found in old fake books. They jokingly named it "The Real Book" as a play on words.