By Isham Jones

There Is No Greater Love

There Is No Greater Love is a 1936 jazz standard composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Marty Symes. The tune has been recorded in both ballad and medium-tempo swing styles, including notable versions by Miles Davis, as well as the “Boss Tenors” recording featuring Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons.

By Isham Jones

There Is No Greater Love

There Is No Greater Love
is a 1936 jazz standard composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Marty Symes. The tune has been recorded in both ballad and medium-tempo swing styles, including notable versions by Miles Davis, as well as the “Boss Tenors” recording featuring Sonny Stitt and Gene Ammons.

Chord Charts: There Is No Greater Love

Chord Charts

Learn the chord changes to

There Is No Greater Love

using common lead sheets for C, Bb, and Eb instruments.

Form: AABA
Total Bars: 32 bars
Common Key(s): Bb major
How to Play This Tune

Step 1: Understand the II7 Sound and Major to Parallel Minor Movement

A key feature of There Is No Greater Love is the II7 chord and its transition into a minor sound. In this lesson, we focus on how the II7 (V7 of V7) connects to a ii V7, giving you a clear way to hear and navigate this important harmonic shift.

PRO Mastering Essential Chord Progressions: Major to Parallel Minor Mastering Essential Chord Progressions: Major to Parallel Minor

Step 2: Take the II7 Concept Further on a Real Tune

To deepen your understanding of the II7 sound, this lesson shows how it functions in a real musical context. By seeing how great players approach this movement in The Girl From Ipanema, you’ll be able to recognize and apply it more easily in There Is No Greater Love.

FREE The Girl From Ipanema: Learning from the Masters The Girl From Ipanema: Learning from the Masters

Step 3: Build a Minor Language Concept for the Bridge

The bridge moves into minor harmony, making it essential to have strong minor vocabulary at your disposal. By studying Sonny Stitt’s approach, you’ll develop a concrete approach, that allows you to move through the bridge of There is No Greater Love with ease.

PRO The Sonny Stitt Playbook – His 2 Exercises to Master Minor The Sonny Stitt Playbook – His 2 Exercises to Master Minor

Videos

Videos: There Is No Greater Love

How to Play There Is No Greater Love

Step 1: Understand the II7 Sound and Major to Parallel Minor Movement

A key feature of There Is No Greater Love is the II7 chord and its transition into a minor sound. In this lesson, we focus on how the II7 (V7 of V7) connects to a ii V7, giving you a clear way to hear and navigate this important harmonic shift.

PRO Mastering Essential Chord Progressions: Major to Parallel Minor Mastering Essential Chord Progressions: Major to Parallel Minor

Step 2: Take the II7 Concept Further on a Real Tune

To deepen your understanding of the II7 sound, this lesson shows how it functions in a real musical context. By seeing how great players approach this movement in The Girl From Ipanema, you’ll be able to recognize and apply it more easily in There Is No Greater Love.

FREE The Girl From Ipanema: Learning from the Masters The Girl From Ipanema: Learning from the Masters

Step 3: Build a Minor Language Concept for the Bridge

The bridge moves into minor harmony, making it essential to have strong minor vocabulary at your disposal. By studying Sonny Stitt’s approach, you’ll develop a concrete approach, that allows you to move through the bridge of There is No Greater Love with ease.

PRO The Sonny Stitt Playbook – His 2 Exercises to Master Minor The Sonny Stitt Playbook – His 2 Exercises to Master Minor

Ready to Take Your Playing Further?

Forrest Wernick
Eric O'Donnell

We’re Forrest & Eric. We’ve learned from a ton of great players like Mulgrew Miller, Rich Perry, and Harold Mabern, and now we focus on helping musicians deeply understand jazz, one tune, concept, and skill at a time.

Download Our New 70-Page Jazz Book (Free)

Enter your email below and we’ll send you our book, The Making of a Jazz Musician — a guide to the realizations that reshape how jazz musicians learn to hear and play.

Develop Your Jazz Improvisation
The PRO
Way

PRO gives you access to our jazz courses and most detailed lessons, including deep dives into tunes, harmony, and improvisation.