The Top 5 Famous Jazz Music Artists You Need to Know

To truly appreciate jazz, you need to know the artists who created this genre of music. Here are the top 5 famous jazz music artists you need to know.

Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong, born in 1901 in New Orleans, is considered one of the most influential figures in jazz. He was a trumpeter, bandleader, singer, and comedienne who helped to shape the future of the jazz genre. His career spanned over five decades and his infectious style of playing and singing helped to make him one of the most popular entertainers in the world. He recorded over 60 albums and his hits include “What a Wonderful World” and “Hello, Dolly!”.

Charlie Parker

In the world of jazz, there are plenty of great artists that have made a name for themselves. However, there are only a handful of artists that have become synonymous with the genre itself. One of those artists is Charlie Parker.

Charlie Parker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer who was one of the most influential figures in the development of bebop and modern jazz. His unique style and approach to improvisation had a profound impact on the course of jazz music, and his work continues to shape the sound of the genre to this day.

If you’re interested in learning more about Charlie Parker and his contributions to jazz, then check out this list of five essential recordings that you need to know.

Miles Davis

Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 – September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music. Davis adopted a variety of musical styles throughout his career which drew on a wide range of influences from European classical music to blues, bebop and rock ‘n’ roll. He is credited as the inventor of cool jazz.

John Coltrane

John Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and was later at the forefront of free jazz. He led at least fifty recording sessions during his career, and appeared as a sideman on many albums by other musicians, including trumpeter Miles Davis and pianist Thelonious Monk. Over the course of his career, Coltrane’s playing style evolved away from the jubilant torrent of notes of his youth, and by the mid-1960s he was performing long improvised solos that explored all manner of harmonic resources. His detractors accused him of overindulging in digital passages that detracted from the overall structure of the pieces, but supporters said that his work was representative of mind-expanding explorations that extended beyond jazz conventions into free improvisation.

Thelonious Monk

Thelonious Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He is considered one of the founders of bebop and one of the most celebrated jazz musicians of the 20th century. His unique style combined elements of stride, blues, and boogie-woogie. Monk’s compositions “Round Midnight” and “Well, You Needn’t” are considered jazz standards.