“There Is No Greater Love” was composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Marty Symes in 1936. It became a jazz standard through recordings by Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, and it’s a jam-session favorite thanks to its swinging, friendly changes.
The form is a 32-bar AABA, usually in Bb major. It opens on Bbmaj7 followed by Eb7, a IV7 chord with a bluesy sound, then moves through ii-Vs and secondary dominants. The bridge moves to the relative minor before returning.
For improvisation, highlight the Eb7 by playing its third (G) and seventh (Db). The rest of the tune is classic ii-V territory, where bebop lines and guide tones work well.
Practice at medium swing around 140 BPM. Learn the melody by ear from Billie Holiday or Miles Davis.
Section by section: the opening bars move from Bbmaj7 to Eb7, so play a phrase that highlights the Db (seventh of Eb7) to bring out that bluesy color. The A sections continue with ii-V progressions; use guide tones and bebop lines. The bridge moves to the relative minor, so use G minor sounds and outline the minor ii-V. The final A returns home with a turnaround.
Practice tip: practice the bridge’s minor ii-V-i on its own until it’s smooth, then play the full form. Billie Holiday’s version is a great model for relaxed, behind-the-beat phrasing.
Getting the most from the There Is No Greater Love Lead Sheet PDF: start by reading the chord symbols without your instrument and humming the roots. Then circle any chord you can’t yet voice or arpeggiate, and make those your warm-up for the week before you play the whole form.
Is it hard to play? It’s beginner to intermediate. Recordings to study: Miles Davis’s 1955 version and Sonny Rollins’s recordings. Learn more about the composer on Isham Jones’s Wikipedia page, and find more standards on Minedit.