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- Duke Ellington. Born: 1899. Best known as the leader of his long-running Duke Ellington Orchestra, Ellington is the most recorded, and arguably greatest, jazz composer in history, with tunes like Satin Doll , Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, Mood Indigo, and hundreds of other jazz standards to his name.
- Louis Armstrong. Born: 1901. After growing up in extreme poverty in New Orleans, jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong broke down racial barriers and became a hugely famous mainstream celebrity at a time when this was unusual for African Americans.
- Count Basie. Born: 1904. For many, the Count Basie Orchestra, with its vibrato-drenched, deeply swinging sound, is the quintessential big band in jazz. Count Basie had played piano with two important early swing bands (Walter Page’s Blue Devils and Bennie Moten’s orchestra) before forming his own Kansas-based outfit in 1935.
- Coleman Hawkins. Born: 1904. Hawk, or Bean as he was also sometimes nicknamed, is widely regarded as the father of jazz saxophone which, remarkably, was not really considered a jazz instrument until his emergence in the 1920s.
- Louis Armstrong
- Charlie Parker
- Miles Davis
- John Coltrane
- Duke Ellington
- Wynton Marsalis
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Dave Brubeck
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Thelonious Monk
Louis Armstrong, who had the famous nickname Satchmo, was born in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz music, in 1901. He was raised by his grandmother and grew up in poverty in one of the poorest parts of New Orleans. Equally skilled as both a vocalist and a trumpet player, Armstrong was one of the most crucial figures in popularizing jazz music in...
Charlie Parker, also known by the nicknames Bird and Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist known for creating the style of jazz known as bebop. Parker was known for his clean tone and impeccable technique on the alto saxophone, something one needs to play the intricate harmonies and fast soloing characteristic of bebop music. Parker was born i...
Miles Davis is an iconic figure in the history of jazz, and he is one of those names that people know even when unfamiliar with jazz music. Born in Illinois in 1926, Davis would eventually end up in New York City to study at the Juilliard school. However, in 1944, he left Juilliard to play in Charlie Parker’s group. After four years, he left Parker...
John Coltrane, like Miles Davis, helped establish modal harmonies in jazz music. Born in 1926 in North Carolina, Coltrane led many recording sessions that are now classic records in the jazz recording literature. The most famous composition by Coltrane would have to be “Giant Steps,” a remarkable song of complex harmony. Aside from “Giant Steps,” C...
Duke Ellington, whose legal name was Edward Ellington, was born in Washington D.C. in 1899. He became a famous jazz composer and pianist in the American jazz tradition and was equally gifted as a bandleader. In terms of jazz, Ellington’s home was New York City, where he connected with many of the top jazz musicians of the time. By the 1930s, he was...
In the trumpet world, Wynton Marsalisis a famous name. Born in New Orleans in 1961, Marsalis is most well-known for his jazz music, although he has also put out high-level classical albums. Three of Marsalis’s 1980s albums—Think of One, Hot House Flowers, and Black Codes (From the Underground)—won him each Best Jazz Instrumental Solo Grammys. He al...
The First Lady of Song Ella Fitzgerald was a legendary female jazz singer whom people also deservedly call the Queen of Jazz. Her singing was so unique and smooth that she often sounded like an instrument when doing scat improvisations. Born in Virginia in 1917, Fitzgerald toured with an orchestra for many years before starting her solo career in 1...
Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck was another one of those musicians who became known for pushing the boundaries of jazz by using uncommon rhythms and harmony. Born in California in 1920, Brubeck was both a composer and a jazz piano player who became famous for hits such as “In Your Own Sweet Way,” “Take Five,” and “Unsquare Dance.” In terms of bands, Brub...
Dizzy Gillespie, whose legal first name was John, was a famous American trumpet player who made influential contributions to the development of jazz music as a genre. Born in 1917 in South Carolina, Gillespie is probably most well-known for his iconic look of big cheeks puffing out as he played his trumpet. Besides trumpet playing, Gillespie was al...
Born in North Carolina in 1917, composer and jazz pianist Thelonious Monkbecame known for his inventive piano playing that involved dissonant harmonies and unexpected turns in his improvisational melodies. Before all these, however, Monk worked as a church organist in his teens. He only started getting more work in jazz in 1940s while playing at ja...
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- Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) Born in Newport News, Virginia, Ella Fitzgerald earned the title “The First Lady Of Song” due to her peerless vocal abilities.
- Duke Ellington (1899-1974) Between 1927 and 1974, Washington DC-born Duke Ellington commanded one of the finest ensembles in jazz. A pianist by trade – he played in a unique staccato style – Ellington made his name performing at Harlem’s famous Cotton Club in the late 20s where his orchestra helped to usher in the big band swing movement.
- Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) Nicknamed “Satchmo” or “Pops,” New Orleans-born Louis Armstrong was one of jazz’s most significant founding fathers and played a profoundly influential role in exporting the music to other parts of the world.
- Miles Davis (1926-1991) A trumpeter and bandleader from East St. Louis, Illinois, Miles Davis is arguably the most influential jazz musician of all time.
The Best Jazz Musicians of All Time – 40 Legendary Jazz Artists. Published by Jazzfuel.com - June 2, 2023. Of course, there’s no way to come up with a definitive list of the best jazz musicians of all time. There is, though, a selection of famous jazz artists who appear whenever we talk about those players who’ve shaped the development of ...
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- Miles Davis. 1,636 votes. Miles Davis, a true innovator, pushed the boundaries of jazz with his pioneering approaches to improvisation, harmonic structure, and instrumentation.
- Louis Armstrong. 1,537 votes. A founding father of jazz, Louis Armstrong's impact on the genre remains unparalleled, as his virtuosic trumpet playing and distinctive gravelly voice laid the foundation for its future.
- John Coltrane. 1,391 votes. John Coltrane's powerful saxophone playing and relentless pursuit of innovation make him a true titan of jazz. With a career spanning bebop, hard bop, modal jazz, and the avant-garde, Coltrane consistently reinvented his sound and expanded the boundaries of jazz expression.
- Art Tatum. 1,176 votes. Art Tatum's jaw-dropping technique and incomprehensible speed on the piano place him among the greatest pianists in jazz history and arguably of all genres.
Dec 21, 2023 · Louis Armstrong. Ella Fitzgerald. Miles Davis. Duke Ellington. John Coltrane. Charlie Parker. Stan Getz. Billie Holiday. Charles Mingus. Thelonious Monk. 1. Louis Armstrong is widely regarded as the best jazz artist of all time. He was a singer and a trumpeter, and his music made a huge impact on the jazz music scene of the 1920s.
Aug 23, 2023 · - Legends like Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Miles Davis, have left significant marks on the genre. With so many varying styles and influences over the years, picking one is difficult. But our list of the 50 best jazz artists will surely find one that resonates with you! Making Money. Reviews. Marketing & Social Media. Gear. Advice.
