In the key of Bb (Concert), the Bb instrumentalist navigates the following essential progressions:
The "Rhythm Changes" Bridge:
The Blues:
First, let’s decode the keyword. The term “-FULL-” indicates that this is not an abridged "top 100" list or a sampler. It is the complete, unabridged collection. "557" refers to the total count of individual pieces (tunes, songs, and compositions) included in the set. "Jazz standards" are the core repertoire—songs from the Great American Songbook, bebop classics, and modal masterpieces that every jazz musician must know. Finally, "in bb" (sometimes written as Bb) specifies that all 557 charts are pre-transposed for B-flat instruments. -FULL- 557 jazz standards in bb
Unlike a fake book in Concert C (which requires a tenor player to transpose up a whole step on the fly), this collection allows a trumpeter to read a "C" on the page and finger a "C" on their horn, while the rest of the band hears a concert Bb.
Owning the 557 charts is step one. Knowing how to use them is step two.
Jazz musicians love writing new melodies over old chord changes. In the 557 collection, you will find Ornithology (changes to How High the Moon) and Donna Lee (changes to Back Home Again in Indiana). Study these side-by-side to understand how bebop was built. In the key of Bb (Concert), the Bb
e.g.
The number 557 indicates a very comprehensive fake book (possibly from the “557 Jazz Standards” series by various editors).
This post examines a curated list of 557 jazz standards transposed into B♭ (concert B-flat instruments like tenor sax/trumpet). It covers why transposing to B♭ is useful, how the collection is organized, and practical ways to use it for practice, performance, and repertoire-building. The "Rhythm Changes" Bridge:
Why not 500? Why not 600? The number 557 is rumored to originate from a specific library compiled by a group of Berklee College of Music professors in the late 1980s. They cross-referenced the Top 100 charts from DownBeat magazine, the ASCAP songbook, and every tune played at the Village Vanguard over a 10-year period. The final tally was 557 unique compositions that had been recorded at least three times by major jazz artists.
That list has proven resilient. Even as new standards emerge (Robert Glasper’s “Cherish the Day,” Esperanza Spalding’s “I Know You Know”), the original 557 remain the bedrock of the jazz education system.