Jazz standards are musical compositions that are widely known, performed and recorded by jazz artists as part of the genre's musical repertoire. This list includes compositions written in the 1930s that are considered standards by at least one major fake book publication or reference work. Some of the tunes listed were already well known standards by the 1940s, while others were popularized later. Where appropriate, the years when the most influential recordings of a song were made are indicated in the list.

Broadway theatre contributed some of the most popular standards of the 1930s, including George and Ira Gershwin's "Summertime" (1935), Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart's "My Funny Valentine" (1937) and Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's "All the Things You Are" (1939). These songs still rank among the most recorded standards. Johnny Green's "Body and Soul" was used in a Broadway show and became a hit after Coleman Hawkins's 1939 recording. It is the most recorded jazz standard of all time.

In the 1930s, swing jazz emerged as a dominant form in American music. Duke Ellington and his band members composed numerous swing era hits that have become standards: "It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" (1932), "Sophisticated Lady" (1933) and "Caravan" (1936), among others. Other influential bandleaders of this period were Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Fletcher Henderson. Goodman's band became well known from the radio show Let's Dance and in 1937 introduced a number of jazz standards to a wide audience in the first jazz concert performed in Carnegie Hall.

1930

"Body and Soul"Listed in The Real Vocal Book.The Real Book, Volume I, p. 57.The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 29.The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 55. is a song composed by Johnny Green with lyrics by Frank Eyton, Edward Heyman and Robert Sour. The song was used in the successful Broadway revue Three's a Crowd and became an instant hit, despite being banned from the radio for almost a year for its sexually suggestive lyrics. The first jazz recording was by Louis Armstrong in 1930. Coleman Hawkins' 1939 recording consisted of three minutes of improvisation over the song's chord progression with only passing references to the melody. Hawkins's rendition was the first purely jazz recording that became a commercial hit and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973. The song is the most recorded jazz standard of all time. "But Not for Me"Listed in The Real Jazz Book. was introduced by Ginger Rogers in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy. It was composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. The song failed to achieve significant pop success, charting only once in 1942. However, it became popular in the jazz world, especially for female vocalists. "Confessin'"The Real Book, Volume II, p. 185. was composed by Ellis Reynolds and Doc Daugherty, with lyrics by Al J. Neiburg. Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1930, and Rudy Vallée and Guy Lombardo both made the charts with their versions the same year. Saxophonist Lester Young recorded it several times during his career. Country singer Frank Ifield had a number one hit with the song in the United Kingdom in 1963. The song is also known as "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)". "Embraceable You" was originally composed by George Gershwin for an unfinished operetta East to West in 1928. It became a big hit after Ginger Rogers introduced it in the Broadway musical Girl Crazy, and was first recorded by Fred Rich and His Orchestra. Lyrics were written by Ira Gershwin. Billie Holiday's 1944 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2005. "Exactly Like You"The Real Book, Volume III, p. 116.The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 98. was sung by Harry Richman and Gertrude Lawrence in Broadway show Lew Leslie's International Revue. It was composed by Jimmy McHugh with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. Louis Armstrong recorded the first jazz version in 1930. Benny Goodman's 1936 recording, sung by Lionel Hampton, revived interest in the song; the following year it was recorded by Count Basie and Quintette du Hot Club de France. "Georgia on My Mind"The Real Book, Volume II, p. 145. is a song composed by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Stuart Gorrell. Bix Beiderbecke played cornet on Carmichael's original 1930 recording. Frankie Trumbauer recorded the first hit version of the song in 1931. Ray Charles's version on The Genius Hits the Road (1960) was a number one hit, won two Grammy Awards and is considered to be the definitive version of the song. The song was designated as the state song of Georgia in 1979. "I Got Rhythm" was composed by George Gershwin for the Broadway musical Girl Crazy, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. First-timer Ethel Merman's performance on Girl Crazy stole the limelight from leading lady Ginger Rogers. The song's I-vi-ii-V7 chord progression has been used in countless jazz compositions, and is commonly known as "rhythm changes". George Gershwin's last concert composition, Variations on "I Got Rhythm" was based on this song. "Love for Sale" is a song from Cole Porter's Broadway musical The New Yorkers. Its prostitution-themed lyrics were considered bad taste at the time, and the song was banned from the radio. The ban, however, only increased the song's popularity. Porter himself was actually pleased that it could not be sung over the air. In the original musical the song was first sung by Kathryn Crawford and later by Elizabeth Welch. It was first recorded by Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians. The song took time to catch on as a jazz standard, possibly because it was 72 measures long. When Sidney Bechet recorded it in 1947, the song was not yet a regular jazz number. "Memories of You"The Real Book, Volume II, p. 260.The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 202. first appeared in the musical revue Blackbirds of 1930. It was composed by Eubie Blake and lyrics were written by Andy Razaf. It was introduced by Minto Cato on Broadway and the first recording was made by Ethel Waters in 1930. Louis Armstrong's 1930 recording was Lionel Hampton's debut performance as a vibraphonist and rose to number 18 on the charts. Hampton later recorded the tune again with Benny Goodman's jazz orchestra; this version has made the song a popular clarinet number. "Mood Indigo"The Real Book, Volume I, p. 279.The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 214. is a jazz song composed by Barney Bigard and Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills. Bigard has admitted borrowing parts of the song from a composition called "Dreamy Blues" by his teacher Lorenzo Tio. The lyrics were written by Mitchell Parish, who then sold them to Mills's publishing company for a fixed price. When the song became a hit, Parish was therefore left without royalties. Ellington's 1930 recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1975. "On the Sunny Side of the Street"The Real Book, Volume II, p. 298The Real Book, Volume III, p. 312The New Real Book, Volume II, p. 277. was written by composer Jimmy McHugh and lyricist Dorothy Fields for the Broadway musical Lew Leslie's International Revue. Harry Richman sang it in the original revue. Although the musical was a flop, "On the Sunny Side of the Street" became instantly popular. Richman and Ted Lewis charted with it in 1930, and Louis Armstrong recorded his version in 1934. The song is readily associated with Armstrong today. Tommy Dorsey and Jo Stafford both brought the song to the charts in 1945. Jeremy Wilson argues that the song may actually have been composed by Fats Waller, who then sold the rights for it.

1931 "All of Me"The Real Book, Volume I, p. 20.Listed in The New Real Book, Volume I. was written by Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons. It was introduced on the radio by vaudeville performer Belle Baker who also performed the song on stage in Detroit's Fisher Theatre, reportedly breaking into tears in mid-performance. The first hit recording was made by Mildred Bailey with Paul Whiteman and His Orchestra, and by February 1932 both Louis Armstrong and Ben Selvin had risen to the charts with the song in addition to Whiteman. The song was rarely performed after 1932 until Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1948 and performed it in the 1952 film Meet Danny Wilson. "Beautiful Love" is a popular song composed by Wayne King, Victor Young and Egbert Van Alstyne with lyrics by Haven Gillespie. It was introduced by the Wayne King Orchestra in 1931. "I Surrender Dear" is the title song of a 1931 film starring Bing Crosby. It was composed by Harry Barris with lyrics by Gordon Clifford. Bing Crosby performed the song in the film, and his recording with the Gus Arnheim Orchestra became his first solo hit and helped him get a contract for his first radio show. The first jazz vocalist to record the song was Louis Armstrong in 1931. Thelonious Monk recorded it as the sole standard on his 1956 album Brilliant Corners. "Just Friends"The New Real Book, Volume III, p. 193. is a ballad composed by John Klenner with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. It was introduced by Red McKenzie and His Orchestra. The song rose to the charts twice in 1932; Russ Columbo's recording with Leonard Joy's Orchestra peaked at number fourteen, as did a rendition by Ben Selvin and His Orchestra later the same year. Popularized in modern jazz by Charlie Parker's 1950 recording, the song became popular among West Coast cool jazz artists in the mid-1950s. Chet Baker's 1955 version is considered the definitive vocal performance. "Lazy River",The Real Book, Volume I, p. 242. a song by Hoagy Carmichael and Sidney Arodin, was a hit for the Mills Brothers in 1941. The Si Zentner Orchestra recorded it in 1962 and used it as their theme song. Online music guide Allmusic describes it as "[e]asily one of the true pop classics of all time". It is also known as "Up a Lazy River" or "Up the Lazy River". "Out of Nowhere"The Real Book, Volume I, p. 318. was introduced by Bing Crosby and became his first number one hit as a solo artist. The lyrics for the Johnny Green composition were written by Edward Heyman. Coleman Hawkins's 1937 recording with Benny Carter and Django Reinhardt was long the definitive version. The song's harmony has been reused in many jazz compositions, such as Tadd Dameron's "Casbah" and Fats Navarro's "Nostalgia". "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" is a song about the Great Migration, written by Clarence Muse, Leon René and Otis René. It was originally offered to Duke Ellington, who did not consider the song to be his style and declined. Louis Armstrong later adopted it as his theme song and recorded it almost a hundred times during his career. The song is also known as "Sleepy Time Down South". "When Your Lover Has Gone" was written by Einar Aaron Swan for the film Blonde Crazy. Louis Armstrong made the first jazz recording of the song in 1931. The same year it was recorded by Gene Austin, Ethel Waters and Benny Goodman, and Austin's rendition was the first to hit the charts. Frank Sinatra included the song on his 1955 album In the Wee Small Hours. Sarah Vaughan made an uptempo recording in 1962 with Count Basie's band.

1932

"Alone Together" is a ballad from Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz's Broadway musical Flying Colors. It was introduced by Jean Sargent on stage. A rendition by Leo Reisman and His Orchestra charted in 1932, and Artie Shaw made the first jazz recording in 1939. Dizzy Gillespie borrowed the harmony from the song's bridge for his 1942 composition "A Night in Tunisia".