Gioia states that he was inspired to write the book due to the difficulties he encountered as an aspiring jazz musician in his youth when he would turn up to jam sessions and feel embarrassed at not knowing the tunes and not having a list or some kind of reference he could use to learn to expected repertoire. He stated that: "I soon realized what countless other jazz musicians have no doubt also learned: in-depth study of the jazz repertoire is hardly a quaint historical sideline, but essential for survival. Not learning these songs puts a jazz player on a quick path to unemployment." Gioia's purpose for writing it was to provide a "type of survey, the kind of overview of the standard repertoire that I wished someone had given me back in the day—a guide that would have helped me as a musician, as a critic, as a historian, and simply as a fan and lover of the jazz idiom".^[4]

The Telegraph states that it is a "comprehensive guide to the most important jazz compositions, is a unique resource, a browser's companion, and an invaluable introduction to the art form", adding that "musicians who play these songs night after night now have a handy guide, outlining their history and significance and telling how they have been performed by different generations of jazz artists",^[5] and is described as such on the Toronto Public Library website.^[6] Clive Davis writing for The Independent noted that "Apart from his elegant prose style, the first thing you notice about Ted Gioia's approach to his subject is that the music clearly gives him no end of pleasure", and that the book contains numerous "witty" personal anecdotes of Gioia's experience of the tunes. He considers The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire a "bold attempt to summarise the core repertoire".^[7] The London Review of Bookshops wrote that the book would "appeal to a wide audience, serving as a fascinating introduction for new fans, an invaluable and long-needed handbook for jazz lovers and musicians, and an indispensable reference for students and educators".^[3] Dennis Drabelle of The Washington Post remarked that it was "hard to quarrel with Gioia’s seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of what is still hot or not" but was critical of some of his omissions of information, such as failing to mention that "I Can't Give You Anything but Love, Baby" was prominent in the Howard Hawks comedy Bringing Up Baby (1938).^[1]

The following standards are listed in the book: