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- Brad Mehldau. While his recent Mehliana collaboration with freakishly accurate drummer Mark Giulana is a bit of a detour into electronica, Brad is a harmonic genius and technical master.
- Robert Glasper. Glasper’s follow-up to the highly successful BR1 with his Robert Glasper Experiment (winner of 2013 Grammy for best R&B Album), Black Radio 2 showcases more of the jazz/R&B crossover sound that has extended Glasper’s notoriety far beyond the jazz community.
- Gerald Clayton. An evocative composer and true improviser, the Gerald Clayton trio’s live performances feature some of the most conversational, spontaneous, and sensitive music around.
- Danilo Perez. Danilo is one of the most dynamic, exuberant, and interactive pianists on the scene today. In addition to catching him in Wayne Shorter’s group at any chance you get, you should really also check out his trio live.
- Charles Waring
- 3 min
- Art Tatum (1909-1956) At the pinnacle of our list of the 50 best jazz pianists of all time is the man regarded as a keyboard deity. Visually impaired from infancy, Ohio-born Art Tatum learned to play the piano by ear as a child and, blessed with perfect pitch, quickly excelled at the instrument.
- Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) Misunderstood by many, this North Carolina-born maverick (who was rarely seen without a hat) is one of the most idiosyncratic of the world’s best jazz pianists.
- Bill Evans (1929-1980) A troubled soul, this New Jersey pianist was plagued with drug addiction problems throughout his adult life and professional career, but it didn’t stop him producing a remarkably beautiful and consistent body of work.
- Herbie Hancock (born 1940) Though he’s flirted with funk, dabbled with disco, and even dallied with electro and hip-hop (exemplified by his 1983 global hit, “Rockit”), at heart this Chicago-born musical chameleon is a committed jazz pianist.
- Chick Corea – Light As A Feather, Heavy As A Romantic Warrior. Chick Corea is my first jazz piano hero. In fact, it was his work in Return to Forever that made me want to study jazz.
- Herbie Hancock – The Modern Master At The Peak Of Parnassus. If you search for lists of the best jazz piano players, you’ll almost always find Herbie Hancock.
- Jacob Collier – The Youngest Jazz Piano Master. Multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier may be the youngest on this list, but he’s no rookie. It’s astonishing how he masterfully merges jazz, funk, and soul with a contemporary flavor that suits the millenials.
- Donald Fagen – Master Of The Musical Melting Pot. Donald Fagen is simply an amazing crossover artist as you will hear from his Steely Dan discography.
- Ezra Collective
- Nubya Garcia
- Alfa Mist
- Yussef Dayes
- Masego
- Cherise
- Venna
- Camille Munn
- Oreglo
- Harleighblu
Formed of 5 of London’s premiere instrumentalists, Ezra collective are championing the new wave of UK Jazz music. The rich instrumentals played flawlessly throughout their songs, leave you appreciating their individual display of talent. The quintet led by drummer, Femi Koleoso, are pioneers in the renaissance of modern Jazz. They have crafted a un...
Nubya Nyasha Garcia is a British jazz artist, saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Her debut album, Source, is a modern Jazz masterpiece. Fusing elements of Afrobeats, Neo-Soul and experimental sounds, the project is guided along by the powerfully evocative tenor sax playing of Nubya on lead. From humble beginnings, Nubya has truly managed to carv...
Alfa Mist is a talented pianist and music producer from in Newham, East London. He weaves heavy beats into his music and released a solo piano project entitled On My Onesrecently. The tracks are very indicative of what many have experienced with the global pandemic quarantines. One of his popular songs ‘Keep On’, from his debut EP ‘Antiphon’, has r...
Yussef Dayes is a drummer and composer with deep roots in the South London jazz scene. He has grown his reputation through a broad network of collaborators in the scene, including Freddie Gibbs, Tom Misch, Masego, Alfa Mist and more. In 2023, he released Black Classical Music, his most monumental album yet and widely renowned as 2023’s best Jazz al...
27-year-old Masego, is a talented musician both as a vocalist and instrumentalist. Born and raised in Virginia, Masego plays the saxophone into much of his music. His gentle vocals flow throughout his work and ‘Queen Tings’ is a refreshing example of a contemporary jazz song. He smashed it with the music video, released last year, which has receive...
With a voice of silk, Cherise has already been recognised as Jazz FM’s Vocalist of the Year for 2020. In 2021, Cherise released her EP REMEDY, a refreshing blend of the best of vocal Jazz, Soul with touches of modern R&B. It earmarks her clearly as a modern jazz artist to watch in the years to come.
Grammy award-winning producer and saxophonist, Venna recently released his sophomore project, EQUINOX. Featuring a slew of the most luxurious spring-perfect singles, EQUINOXcaptures the essence of the best of modern jazz today. Infusing Hip Hop and R&B, primarily through features from the likes of Knucks and Mick Jenkins, still Venna manages to mak...
Blessing us with her debut album ‘November’ last year, Camille’s calm and chilled vocals neatly fit into the contemporary jazz genre. Her musical inspirations include Musiq Soulchild, Lauryn Hill and D’angelo, and these rich influences are evidently transferred into her music. ‘Sunsets With You’ is her latest single release and has received over 21...
Another collective from London’s exploding Jazz scene, Oreglo, recently blew up on TikTok for a video showcasing their unique blendof Jazz and UK Drill. But this was just one example of their wide ranging experimentation. Only one official single in, Oreglo have already made their mark as one of the most exciting new artists in Jazz today. The demo...
Dressed in blonde dreadlocks, songstress Harleighblu biggest musical influences include Jill Scott, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. The Nottingham based singer carries a deep bass-like tone in her voice, but can also solemnly switch her vocal range to hit higher tempos. Her Sofa Sounds session is a brilliant demonstration of her vibrant persona...
- Charles Waring
- 4 min
- Shabaka Hutchings. Born in London and raised in Barbados, Hutchings is an award-winning multi-reed player who can alternate between saxophone and clarinet.
- Kamasi Washington. One of the reasons that contemporary jazz is reconnecting with young people is down to the appeal of this LA-born saxophonist’s transformative 2015 debut album, a sprawling triple-set called The Epic, on which he morphed from a journeyman-like saxophonist-for-hire into an inspirational apostle of spiritual jazz.
- Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. From jazz’s birthplace, New Orleans, this contemporary jazz artist is a trumpeter with a clear, burnished tone who acknowledges the tradition of the music but sees the future of jazz in a fusion of alt.rock, African music, movie soundtracks, and hip-hop.
- Esperanza Spalding. Sounding like a young Joni Mitchell fronting Return To Forever on steroids, this Portland-born singer, composer, and bass virtuoso is extending the frontiers of jazz with boundary-breaking music that embraces rock, funk, Latin, jazz fusion, and the avant-garde.
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Dec 19, 2023 · 1. Art Tatum. Tea For Two (Redbook Stereo) Art Tatum was known for his extraordinary technical playing ability, made even more remarkable by the fact that he was almost totally blind. He was instrumental in the development of modern jazz and rhythm and blues, as well as the stride style.
Dec 2, 2021 · A pianist, visual artist, curator, writer and guiding force in jazz, Jason Moran has been quietly releasing albums on his Bandcamp over the past few years, after ending a lengthy relationship...
