This composer credit is used for songs and melodies whose origins predate modern authorship records. These pieces were passed down through oral tradition, often across generations and cultures, before being transcribed or arranged by later musicians. In the jazz tradition, many standards attributed to Traditional have roots in folk songs, spirituals, work songs, or popular melodies from the 19th century and earlier. Jazz musicians have long drawn on this public domain repertoire, reinterpreting and transforming these melodies through improvisation and arrangement.
