Overview

Songs You Thought You Knew is a unique exploration of how beloved Popular and Jazz Standards have evolved-sometimes subtly, sometimes drastically-from their original forms. Drawing on more than fifty years of performing, listening, researching, and learning directly from master pianists and arrangers, acclaimed bassist and educator Roger Spencer uncovers the surprising histories behind tunes musicians thought they knew. In this book, Spencer traces the origins of the ""transmutations"" that shape the way standards are commonly played today. Incorrect lead sheets, influential reinterpretations by major artists, and a gradual drifting away from composers' original intentions all contribute to the musical distortions that players encounter on the bandstand. By comparing original compositions with their modern incarnations, Spencer offers readers a practical toolkit for navigating these discrepancies with confidence and musical integrity. More research project than encyclopedia, Songs You Thought You Knew is not meant to be comprehensive. Instead, it provides a wealth of carefully chosen examples-illuminating case studies that show students, teachers, and working musicians how to investigate other standards and jazz compositions on their own. Spencer's method encourages informed performance, historical curiosity, and deeper musicianship. The first book of its kind, Songs You Thought You Knew is an essential resource for jazz musicians, jazz educators, and jazz historians alike. Anyone who loves the repertoire-and wants to understand the stories behind the changes-will find this book indispensable.

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Originally from Terre Haute, Indiana, Roger Spencer has built an extensive and distinguished musical career spanning decades.He has performed, traveled, and recorded with legendary big bands including Les Brown and His Band of Renown, Harry James, Ray Conniff, Bill Holman, and Louie Bellson.His work with renowned jazz artists includes Eddie ""Lockjaw"" Davis, Buddy DeFranco, Carl Fontana, Sam Butera and the Witnesses, Pete Christlieb, Jake Hanna, the Page Cavanaugh Trio with Al Viola, the Bill Perkins Quartet, Sonny Payne, Pete Jolly, and Alphonse Mouzon.Roger has also performed with celebrated vocalists such as Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee, Barbara Cook, Herb Jeffries, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bernadette Peters, and Kevin Mahogany.Roger earned his Bachelor of Music Education degree from Indiana State University and studied Jazz Studies under the renowned David Baker at Indiana University. He then spent 13 years in Los Angeles, playing on records, doing TV and film recording, and working jazz clubs, with side trips for work to Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas. In 1988, he relocated to Nashville, where he continues to record, perform, and teach.Throughout his Nashville career, Roger has been a driving force in the city's jazz scene. As bassist for the acclaimed Beegie Adair Trio for over 30 years, Roger recorded more than 35 projects with the trio. These recordings became iconic and led the trio to perform at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Birdland, Steinway Galleries across the United States, Cotton Club in Tokyo, and Pizza Express in London.In 1998, Roger co-founded Nashville's first jazz school, the Nashville Jazz Workshop, serving as Artistic Director for 27 years. He dedicated himself to nurturing the next generation of jazz musicians and fostering the local jazz community, mentoring countless up-and-coming students and helping them get their start in the business, contributing to broadening Nashville's Music City reputation beyond its country music roots.Roger's commitment to jazz education extended beyond the Workshop through his 21-year tenure on the faculty at Vanderbilt University's Blair School of Music. There, he taught theory and improvisation, provided private bass instruction, and led numerous combos, further cementing his role as a cornerstone of Nashville's jazz education community.Roger continues to perform and record while maintaining his commitment to jazz education and performance in Nashville.

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