Not necessarily my all-time favorites but 'most significant'. Just a few off the top of my head.

1. 'round midnight - Monk -some of the most beautiful changes of any song anywhere, any genre'.

2. Strange Fruit - Billy Holiday - spent some of my early childhood in the South; 'nuff said.

3. Brown Baby - Oscar Brown, Jr. - beautiful lyrics.

4. Drown in my own tears - Ray Charles - maybe the most soulful tune ever.

5. I can stand a little rain - Joe Cocker - The one I've picked out for my funeral.

6. Sometimes I feel like a Motherless child - Spiritual - best done with an operatic soprano backed by a Black college choir.

7. What are you doing the rest of your life/How deep is the ocean - toss up for songs about love and commitment

8. Here's to Life - Shirley Horn - Maybe the best rendition of one of the best songs ever - plus, Shirley and I grew up together in the Washington, D.C. area.

9. I put a spell on you - Nina Simone - raw, raw, raw (Nina did a lot of tunes that have significance for me).

10. Love and Happiness - Al Green - taught me the role that rhythm plays in a performance.

11. The Thrill is Gone - B.B. King - what the blues is all about.

12. Autumn Leaves - Miles w/Cannonball Adderley - the definitive 'cool' jazz.

All these tunes go way beyond just 'liking them'. To a large degree, they define my soul.

chas

Ok, like Cass, I just had to add these:

13. God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday - my mother's favorite (her second favorite; 'I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal, you' - aimed primarily at my father ).

14. You Don't Know What Love Is - Johnny Adams - so poignant, plus great changes.

15. Everytime We Say Goodbye - Gloria Lynn - just love that change "from major to minor".

16. My Funny Valentine - Practically any version - quite possibly my favorite song.

[This message has been edited by cgiles (edited 06-12-2010).]