# Whats the lowdown on the illegal jazz "Real Book"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443 "2003-06-21T18:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/1 "2003-06-21T18:05:19Z")
It seems all jazz musicians all over the US, and to a lesser extent in other countries, find the illegal photocopied “Real Book” and its subsequent volumes an absolute must-have. Who makes this? How does he/she get away with it? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/2 "2003-06-21T19:18:33Z")
You mean [this book?](http://www.jazzreview.com/bookdetails.cfm?ID=69) Which you can [buy here for $44?](http://shop.store.yahoo.com/sher-music-books/alljazrealbo1.html) Must be cheaper to xerox than to buy? ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/3 "2003-06-21T19:46:24Z")
No, thats not it. The one Im talking about IS in fact xeroxed, and bound with one of those black plastic bindings like you get at photocopy places. The cover is B/W cardstock photocopy as well. I cant find it for sale anywhere on the internet, and no wonder: it is in fact illegal. There are quite a few books using the “real book” title (a play on words with “fake book”, a term for a book collecting different pop or jazz music charts), but they are trying to piggy-back on the popularity of the illegal one. It is for sale in many music stores. Its not on display with the legal ones in the store where bought mine, but descretely hidden in a back room – the salesman will take you to them, though, if you ask specifically for them. However, let me add for those of you that arent jazz musicians: for a book that is illegal, it is absolutely omnipresent. Every professional jazz musician has one of these. And, though notoriously chock full of errors, it is considered the most important book of jazz standard charts to own. ---
**Author:** ![NicePete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee7513/32.png) [@NicePete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NicePete)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/4 "2003-06-21T19:52:28Z")
I saw one of these twenty years ago. I had a housemate who was a professional flutist and he had one. It was cool, but he was very secretive/protective of it. ---
**Author:** ![Qwertyasdfg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/ecc23a/32.png) [@Qwertyasdfg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwertyasdfg)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/5 "2003-06-21T19:54:03Z")
Why is this book on jazz illegal? ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/6 "2003-06-21T19:55:15Z")
Boyo: Here the company who produces the book you linked to registers its complaints about the one I am talking about: [http://www.shermusic.com/piracy.htm](http://www.shermusic.com/piracy.htm) Here is a definition of “fake book” from > **[TheMusiciansPlace.com is for sale | HugeDomains](https://www.hugedomains.com/domain_profile.cfm?d=themusiciansplace&e=com)** > > Painless, quick delivery of your domain name. Fast and professional service. “Fake Book: A collection of Jazz charts, published without paying royalties and thus illegal…Some 25 years ago the ‘Real Book’ appeared, out of the Berklee School of Music, with some 400 tunes in excellent calligraphy. This has become the standard and all Jazz musicians are expected to have a copy. More recently a number of legal fake books have been published” This gives a bit of information, though not much. What Im interested in is how this can continue to circulate after all these years, and how it is pulled off. ---
**Author:** ![regnad\_kcin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@regnad\_kcin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/regnad_kcin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/7 "2003-06-21T19:57:43Z")
Frank: there is no need to be secretive. They are easy enough to replace. Im on my third one now – they fall apart after a few years. You have to spring for a new one when you cant play any of the As, Ws, or Ys. As to why they are illegal: no royalties are paid to the copyright holders. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-lowdown-on-the-illegal-jazz-real-book/183443/8 "2003-06-21T22:12:38Z")
How would you prevent it from circulating? I had a real book back when I was playing jazz, but I gave it to a friend after I was no longer to play as much as I wanted. They just get passed around, person-to-person, and xeroxed off if more people need a copy.