10 Jazz Players Who Changed Music

Get to know the musicians who changed the game and made their mark on jazz history.

Miles Davis

One of the most renowned jazz musicians of all time, Davis was a key figure in the development of bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion. He is considered one of the greatest bandleaders of all time. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He is renowned for his virtuosity on the trumpet and his gravelly, soulful voice. But Armstrong’s influence extends far beyond his own performance style. He was also a groundbreaking composer and bandleader who helped to shape the course of jazz music.

Armstrong was born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began playing the trumpet at a young age and by the 1920s he had become one of the most celebrated jazz musicians in the world. Over the course of his career, Armstrong made hundreds of recordings and appeared in dozens of films. He also toured extensively, introducing jazz music to audiences all over the globe.

Armstrong’s impact on music was profound. His innovative improvised solos inspired generations of trumpet players, while his compositions like “West End Blues” and “Stardust” have become standards of the jazz repertoire. As a bandleader, Armstrong fostered a spirit of teamwork and collaboration that became a model for future jazz groups. And as an African American performer, Armstrong helped to break down racial barriers in the entertainment industry.

Today, Louis Armstrong is remembered as one of the most significant and influential figures in jazz history. His inventive playing and joyful personality helped to make him one of the most beloved entertainers of all time.

Charlie Parker

Charlie “Bird” Parker was a huge influence in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1920 and started playing the saxophone at the age of 11. He was self-taught and by the age of 15, he was already playing professionally. In 1939, he moved to New York City where he played with various bandleaders including Jay McShann, Lucky Millinder, and Earl Hines. It was during this time that he began to develop his own style of playing which would later be known as bebop.

In the early 1940s, Parker began playing with Dizzy Gillespie and together they helped to pioneer bebop. They made several recordings together including “Ko-Ko” and “A Night in Tunisia.” Parker also made several recordings under his own name for the Savoy label including “Now’s the Time” and “Koko.” In 1947, he recorded “Ornithology” which is considered one of his most famous compositions.

Parker continued to play and record throughout the 1950s and 1960s until his death in 1955. He influenced generations of jazz musicians and helped to shape the course of modern jazz.

John Coltrane

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer who was one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. He is best known for his groundbreaking album, “A Love Supreme.” Coltrane’s style evolved over the course of his career, from bebop to hard bop to modal jazz to free jazz. His experiments with harmony, rhythm and sound influenced generations of musicians.

Dizzy Gillespie

He was one of the most popular and influential jazz trumpeters of all time, and helped to shape the course of bebop. Dizzy Gillespie’s career spanned more than half a century, during which he played with everyone from Charlie Parker to Miles Davis. He also had a huge impact on Latin jazz, and was one of the first musicians to play Afro-Cuban rhythms on his trumpet.

Thelonious Monk

He was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is considered one of the giants of American music. His distinctive style in both his playing and composing helped to shape the sound of jazz. He is one of the most recorded jazz musicians of all time.

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday was one of the most iconic jazz singers of all time. She had a unique style that combined elements of swing, blues, and torch songs. Her voice was haunting and emotive, and she had a way of conveying the emotions of a song without ever resorting to histrionics. Holiday was also a master of improvisation, and her phrasing was often imitated but never duplicated.

Ella Fitzgerald

Ella Fitzgerald is often cited as one of the greatest jazz singers of all time. She had a profound impact on the music industry, helping to shape the sound of jazz and popular music for decades to come.

Fitzgerald was born in 1917 in Virginia, and began her singing career in the early 1930s. She rose to prominence in the 1930s with her powerful vocal style and innovative improvisation, which helped to define the sound of the swing era. She continued to perform and record throughout her five-decade career, winning dozens of Grammy Awards and becoming one of the most beloved figures in jazz history.

Fitzgerald’s impact on music was far-reaching, and her influence can still be heard in today’s singers. She helped to break down barriers for female performers and paved the way for future generations of jazz greats.

Coleman Hawkins

Coleman Hawkins was one of the most important and influential tenor saxophonists in jazz history. He helped to pioneer the use of the saxophone as a solo instrument in jazz, and his unique style laid the foundation for generations of saxophonists to come. Coleman’s impact on jazz cannot be overstated – he was truly a game-changer.

Lester Young

Lester Young was one of the first tenor saxophonists to play with a light and delicate touch, rather than the harsh sound that was common at the time. He was also one of the first to use longer, more flowing phrases instead of the choppy, staccato style that was popular. His sound had a profound influence on saxophonists that followed, including Ben Webster, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane.