While jazz was gaining momentum and actively reaching its heyday, in post-revolutionary Russia it had just begun its timid movement. It cannot be said that this musical genre was categorically forbidden, but the fact that the development of jazz in Russia did not proceed without criticism from the authorities is a fact. But, nevertheless, these obstacles did not stop the development of jazz music in our country, and it found more and more fans and admirers.
The debut of jazz ascent can be called the performance of an eccentric jazz band orchestra under the direction of Valentin Parnakh, which took place in Moscow on October 1, 1922. It is possible that many Soviet musicians, who are in search of new forms, turned to jazz precisely after attending this incendiary event.
In fact, a very rich rhythm and the possibility of free improvisation made it possible for jazzmen to create new musical models. This is what the pianist Alexander Tsfasman did not fail to take advantage of, performing in 1927 with his AMA Jazz orchestra on Moscow radio and recording the Hallelujah gramophone record. Following him, early jazz bands began to perform foxtrots, Charlestons and other fashionable dances.
But, perhaps, Leonid Utesov can be called the "father" of Russian jazz. Yes, his music was not entirely associated with the traditional Negro motifs that American jazz is saturated with. But such is the Russian peculiarity - everything, including jazz in Russia, develops according to its own laws.
More about bans
However, the Soviet ideology strongly opposed the development of domestic jazz:
"Today he plays jazz,
And tomorrow he will sell his homeland ... "
Caricature reflecting the Soviet authorities' vision of jazz The very word, which has become synonymous with ideological sabotage, was tacitly banned by the Communist Party from being mentioned in the media. The repertoire, mainly consisting of foreign compositions, was recognized as pernicious and corrupting the minds of young people. But, fortunately, the bans were not so strict, and still spread, although not as actively as in other countries.
There is a version that jazz in the USSR survived due to the fact that it was considered “music of blacks”, and blacks are an oppressed nation, and therefore friendly to the Soviet state. Therefore, jazz in the Union was not completely stifled, despite the fact that many talented jazzmen could not "break through" to the general public. They were not allowed to perform and record records. In a word, they let me breathe, but they didn't let me live. Jazz in Russia was still considered an allegedly ideological weapon, with the help of which, for example, the United States was going to enslave the USSR. Ordinary citizens sincerely believed in it.
Thaw
With the onset of the Khrushchev thaw, the persecution of musicians significantly weakened. After the VI World Festival of Youth and Students, held in Moscow, a new generation of Soviet jazzmen was born. They performed for the first time at a foreign jazz festival in Poland, surprising Europe with the very existence of Soviet modern jazz with its own traditions. In 1965, at the II Moscow Jazz Festival, which went down in history, the All-Union Recording Company Melodiya released a collection of the best musical numbers. The names of jazz musicians Igor Bril, Boris Frumkin and others rumble. And the tour of Leonid Chizhik in the United States caused a real sensation among the American public - such a level of skill of Russian pianists was not expected there.
Today, jazz is popular again in Russia, especially in youth culture. Variety-jazz departments have been created in musical educational institutions, jazz harmony textbooks are being published. Thousands of domestic and foreign jazz fans come to the annual festivals. And, obviously, Louis Armstrong was right when he said that jazz cannot be defined - it can only be loved.
Oleg Lundstrem - Caravan
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While jazz was actively developing in the USA, in post-revolutionary Russia of the 1920s, it only began its timid movement. It cannot be said that this musical genre was categorically forbidden, but the fact that the development of jazz in Russia did not proceed without criticism from the authorities. The expression "Today he plays jazz, and tomorrow he will sell his homeland" (or another less popular one, "From the saxophone to the Finnish knife - one step") - clearly reflects the attitude towards jazz in the USSR.
There is a version that jazz in the USSR survived due to the fact that it was considered “the music of Negroes”, and Negroes as an oppressed nation, and therefore friendly to the Soviet state. Therefore, jazz in the Union was not completely stifled, despite the fact that many talented jazzmen could not "break through" to the general public. They were not allowed to perform and record on records. Jazz in Russia was still considered an allegedly ideological weapon with which the US was going to enslave the USSR. Mentions of jazz in the media were tacitly banned.
The first jazz orchestra in Soviet Russia was created in Moscow in 1922 by the poet, translator, dancer, theater figure Valentin Parnakh and was called "Valentin Parnakh's First Eccentric Jazz Band Orchestra in the RSFSR".
The orchestra of the Moscow pianist and composer Alexander Tsfasman is considered the first professional jazz ensemble to perform on the radio and record a record - his orchestra "AMA Jazz" performed on Moscow radio in 1927 and recorded the record "Hallelujah". Following him, the early Soviet jazz bands specialized in performing fashionable dances - foxtrot a, Charleston a and others.
However, Leonid Utesov can be considered the "father" of Russian jazz. In the mass Soviet consciousness, jazz began to gain wide popularity in the 30s, thanks to the Leningrad ensemble led by actor and singer Leonid Utyosov and trumpeter Ya. B. Skomorovsky. The popular film comedy with his participation "Merry Fellows" (1934, originally titled "Jazz Comedy") was dedicated to the history of a jazz musician and had an appropriate soundtrack (written by Isaak Dunaevsky). Utyosov and Skomorovsky formed the original style of "tea-jazz" (theatrical jazz), which was based on a mix of music and theater, operetta, that is, vocal numbers and an element of performance played a large role in it.
Leonid Utyosov - Mishka Odesit
The work of the composer and leader of the orchestras, Eddie Rosner, significantly influenced the development of Soviet jazz. He started his career in Germany and Poland, and when he came to the USSR, he became one of the pioneers of swing in the USSR. An important role in the popularization and development of the swing style was also played by Moscow bands of the 30s and 40s. under the direction of Alexander Tsfasman a and Alexander Varlamov a. The big-band of Oleg Lundstrem is also widely known (he toured in China in 1935 - 1947)
Khrushchev's "thaw" weakened the persecution of musicians. The VI World Youth Festival, held in Moscow, gave birth to a new generation of Soviet jazzmen. Soviet jazz entered the European arena. The 2nd Moscow Jazz Festival went down in history - the all-Union recording company Melodiya released a collection of the best musical numbers of the festival. The names of jazz musicians Igor Bril, Boris Frumkin and others became known. Leonid Chizhik's tours in the USA caused a real sensation among the American public, showing the highest level of skill of Russian pianists.
In the 50-60s. In Moscow, the orchestras of Eddie Rosner and Oleg Lundstrem resumed their activities. Among the new line-ups are the orchestras of Joseph Weinstein (Leningrad) and Vadim Ludvikovsky (Moscow), as well as the Riga Variety Orchestra (REO). Big bands brought up a whole galaxy of talented arrangers and soloists-improvisers. Among them are Georgy Garanyan, Boris Frumkin, Alexei Zubov, Vitaly Dolgov, Igor Kantyukov, Nikolai Kapustin, Boris Matveev, Konstantin Nosov, Boris Rychkov, Konstantin Bakholdin.
During this period, chamber and club jazz was actively developing in all its diversity of style (Vyacheslav Ganelin, David Goloshchekin, Gennady Golshtein, Nikolai Gromin, Vladimir Danilin, Alexei Kozlov, Roman Kunsman, Nikolai Levinovsky, German Lukyanov, Alexander Pishchikov, Alexei Kuznetsov, Viktor Fridman , Andrey Tovmasyan, Igor Bril, Leonid Chizhik, etc.) Many of the above masters of Soviet jazz began their career on the stage of the legendary Moscow jazz club "
Jazz artists invented a distinctive musical language based on improvisation, complex rhythmic patterns (swing) and unique harmonic patterns.
Jazz arose in the late XIX - early XX in the United States of America and was a unique social phenomenon, namely, the fusion of African and American cultures. The further development and stratification of jazz into various styles and sub-styles is due to the fact that jazz performers and composers continuously continued to complicate their music, look for new sounds and master new harmonies and rhythms.
Thus, a huge jazz heritage has accumulated, in which the following main schools and styles can be distinguished: New Orleans (traditional) jazz, bebop, hard bop, swing, cool jazz, progressive jazz, free jazz, modal jazz, fusion, etc. e. In this article, ten outstanding jazz performers are collected, having read them, you will get the most complete picture of the era of free people and energetic music.
Miles Davis (Miles Davis)
Miles Davis was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton (USA). Known as an iconic American trumpeter whose music had a huge impact on the jazz and music scene of the 20th century as a whole. He experimented a lot and boldly with styles, and perhaps that is why the figure of Davis stands at the origins of such styles as cool jazz, fusion and modal jazz. Miles began his musical career as a member of the Charlie Parker Quintet, but later managed to find and develop his own musical sound. Miles Davis' most important and seminal albums are Birth of the Cool (1949), Kind of Blue (1959), Bitches Brew (1969) and In a Silent Way (1969). The main feature of Miles Davis was that he was constantly in a creative search and showed the world new ideas, and that is why the history of modern jazz music owes so much to his exceptional talent.
Louis Armstrong (Louis Armstrong)
Louis Armstrong, the man whose name comes to most people's minds when they hear the word "jazz", was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans (USA). Armstrong had a dazzling talent for playing the trumpet and did much to develop and popularize jazz music throughout the world. In addition, he also captivated the audience with his husky bass vocals. The path that Armstrong had to go from tramp to the title of King of Jazz was thorny. And it began in a colony for black teenagers, where Louis ended up for an innocent prank - shooting a pistol on New Year's Eve. By the way, he stole a gun from a policeman, a client of his mother, who was a representative of the oldest profession in the world. Thanks to this not too favorable set of circumstances, Louis Armstrong got his first musical experience in the camp brass band. There he mastered the cornet, tambourine and alto horn. In a word, Armstrong went from marches in the colony and then episodic performances in clubs to a world-class musician, whose talent and contribution to the jazz treasury can hardly be overestimated. The influence of his landmark albums Ella and Louis (1956), Porgy and Bess (1957), and American Freedom (1961) can still be heard in the playing of contemporary artists of various styles.
Duke Ellington (Duke Ellington)
Duke Ellinton was born April 29, 1899 in Washington DC. Pianist, orchestra leader, arranger and composer whose music has become a real innovation in the world of jazz. His works were played on all radio stations, and his recordings are rightfully included in the “gold fund of jazz”. Ellinton has been recognized throughout the world, has received many awards, has written a huge number of brilliant works, which include the standard "Caravan", which went around the globe. His most notable releases include Ellington At Newport (1956), Ellington Uptown (1953), Far East Suite (1967) and Masterpieces By Ellington (1951).
Herbie Hancock (Herbie Hancock)
Herbie Hancock was born on April 12, 1940, in Chicago (USA). Hancock is known as a pianist and composer, as well as the owner of 14 Grammy awards, which he received for his work in the field of jazz. His music is interesting because it combines elements of rock, funk and soul, along with free jazz. Also in his compositions you can find elements of modern classical music and blues motifs. In general, almost every sophisticated listener will be able to find something for themselves in Hancock's music. If we talk about innovative creative solutions, then Herbie Hancock is considered one of the first jazz performers who combined the synthesizer and funk in the same way, the musician is at the forefront of the newest jazz style - post-bop. Despite the specificity of the music of some stages of Herbie's work, most of his songs are melodic compositions that have fallen in love with the general public.
Among his albums, the following can be distinguished: "Head Hunters" (1971), "Future Shock" (1983), "Maiden Voyage" (1966) and "Takin' Off" (1962).
John Coltrane (John Coltrane)
John Coltrane, an outstanding jazz innovator and virtuoso, was born on September 23, 1926. Coltrane was a talented saxophonist and composer, bandleader and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Coltrane is rightfully considered a significant figure in the history of the development of jazz, who inspired and influenced modern performers, as well as the school of improvisation in general. Until 1955, John Coltrane remained relatively unknown until he joined the Miles Davis band. A few years later, Coltrane leaves the quintet and begins to closely engage in his own work. During these years, he recorded albums that made up the most important part of the jazz heritage.
These are "Giant Steps" (1959), "Coltrane Jazz" (1960) and "A Love Supreme" (1965), which became icons of jazz improvisation.
Charlie Parker (Charlie Parker)
Charlie Parker was born on August 29, 1920 in Kansas City (USA). Love for music woke up in him quite early: he began to master the saxophone at the age of 11. In the 30s, Parker began to master the principles of improvisation and developed in his technique some of the techniques that preceded bebop. Later he became one of the founders of this style (along with Dizzy Gillespie) and, in general, had a very strong influence on jazz music. However, as a teenager, the musician became addicted to morphine, and in the future, the problem of heroin addiction arose between Parker and music. Unfortunately, even after treatment in the clinic and recovery, Charlie Parker could not work as actively and write new music. Ultimately, heroin derailed his life and career and caused his death.
Charlie Parker's most significant jazz albums are Bird and Diz (1952), Birth of the Bebop: Bird on Tenor (1943), and Charlie Parker with strings (1950).
Thelonious Monk Quartet (Thelonious Monk)
Thelonious Monk was born October 10, 1917, in Rocky Mount (USA). He is best known as a jazz composer and pianist, as well as one of the founders of bebop. His original "torn" style of playing absorbed various styles - from avant-garde to primitivism. Such experiments made the sound of his music not quite characteristic of jazz, which, however, did not prevent many of his works from becoming classics of this style of music. Being a very unusual person who from childhood did everything possible not to be “normal” and like everyone else, Monk became known not only for his musical decisions, but also for his unusually complex character. Many anecdotal stories are associated with his name about how he was late for his own concerts, and once refused to play at a Detroit club at all, because his wife did not show up for a performance. And so Monk sat in a chair, arms folded, until his wife was finally brought into the hall - in slippers and a dressing gown. Before the eyes of her husband, the poor woman was urgently delivered by plane, if only the concert would take place.
Monk's most notable albums include Monk's Dream (1963), Monk (1954), Straight No Chaser (1967), and Misterioso (1959).
Billie Holiday (Billy Holiday)
Billie Holiday, famous American jazz vocalist, was born on April 7, 1917 in Philadelphia. Like many jazz musicians, Holiday began her musical career in nightclubs. Over time, she was lucky enough to meet producer Benny Goodman, who organized her first recordings in the studio. Fame came to the singer after participating in the big bands of such jazz masters as Count Basie and Artie Shaw (1937-1938). Lady Day (as her fans called her) had a unique style of performance, thanks to which she seemed to reinvent a fresh and unique sound for the most simple compositions. She was especially good at romantic, slow songs (such as "Don't Explain" and "Lover Man"). Billie Holiday's career was bright and brilliant, but not long, because after thirty years she became addicted to drinking and drugs, which negatively affected her health. The angelic voice lost its former strength and flexibility, and Holiday was rapidly losing the favor of the public.
Billie Holiday enriched the jazz art with such outstanding albums as "Lady Sings the Blues" (1956), "Body and Soul" (1957), and "Lady in Satin" (1958).
Bill Evans (Bill Evans)
Bill Evans, the legendary American jazz pianist and composer, was born on August 16, 1929 in New Jersey, USA. Evans is one of the most influential jazz artists of the 20th century. His musical works are so sophisticated and unusual that few pianists are able to inherit and borrow his ideas. He could masterfully swing and improvise like no other, at the same time, melody and simplicity were far from alien to him - his interpretations of famous ballads gained popularity even among non-jazz audiences. Evans was trained as an academic pianist, and after serving in the army began to appear in public with various obscure musicians as a jazz performer. Success came to him in 1958 when Evans joined the Miles Davis sextet, along with Cannonball Oderley and John Coltrane. Evans is considered the creator of the chamber jazz trio genre, which is characterized by a lead improvising piano, as well as solo drums and double bass along with it. His musical style brought a variety of colors to jazz music - from inventive graceful improvisations to lyrically-colored tones.
Evans' best albums include his solo recording of "Alone" (1968), made in man-orchestra mode, "Waltz for Debby" (1961), "New Jazz Conceptions" (1956) and "Explorations" (1961).
Dizzy Gillespie (Dizzy Gillespie)
Dizzy Gillespie was born on October 21, 1917 in Chirow, USA. Dizzy has a lot of merit in the history of the development of jazz music: he is known as a trumpeter, vocalist, arranger, composer and leader of orchestras. Gillespie also co-founded improvisational jazz with Charlie Parker. Like many jazzmen, Gillespie started out playing in clubs. Then he moved to live in New York and successfully entered the local orchestra. He was known for his original, if not to say buffoonish, behavior, which successfully turned the people who worked with him against him. From the first orchestra, in which a very talented, but peculiar trumpeter Dizz went on tour in England and France, he was almost kicked out. The musicians of his second orchestra also did not react quite cordially to Gillespie's mockery of their playing. In addition, few people understood his musical experiments - some called his music "Chinese". Collaboration with the second orchestra ended in a fight between Cab Calloway (his leader) and Dizzy during one of the concerts, after which Gillespie was expelled from the band with a bang. After Gillespie creates his own group, in which he and other musicians work to diversify the traditional jazz language. Thus, the style known as bebop was born, on the style of which Dizzy actively worked.
The best albums of the brilliant trumpeter include "Sonny Side Up" (1957), "Afro" (1954), "Birk's Works" (1957), "World Statesman" (1956) and "Dizzy and Strings" (1954).
For decades, the music of freedom, performed by dizzying jazz virtuosos, has been a huge part of the music scene and just human life. The names of the musicians that you can see above are immortalized in the memory of many generations and, most likely, the same number of generations will inspire and amaze with their skill. Perhaps the secret is that the inventors of trumpets, saxophones, double basses, pianos, and drums knew that some things could not be done on these instruments, but forgot to tell jazz musicians about it.
As one of the most revered musical art forms in America, jazz laid the foundation for an entire industry, introducing numerous names of brilliant composers, instrumentalists and vocalists to the world and spawning a wide range of genres. The 15 most influential jazz musicians are responsible for a global phenomenon that has occurred over the last century in the history of the genre.
Jazz developed in the later years of the 19th century and early 20th century as a combination of classical European and American sounds with African folk motives. The songs were performed with a syncopated rhythm, giving impetus to the development, and later the formation of large orchestras to perform it. Music has taken a big step forward from ragtime to modern jazz.
The influence of West African musical culture is evident in the way music is written and how it is performed. Polyrhythm, improvisation and syncopation are what characterize jazz. Over the past century, this style has changed under the influence of contemporaries of the genre, who brought their own idea to the essence of improvisation. New directions began to appear - bebop, fusion, Latin American jazz, free jazz, funk, acid jazz, hard bop, smooth jazz, and so on.
15 Art Tatum
Art Tatum is a jazz pianist and virtuoso who was practically blind. He is known as one of the greatest pianists of all time who changed the role of the piano in the jazz ensemble. Tatum turned to the stride style to create his own unique style of playing, adding swing rhythms and fantastic improvisations to the rhythm. His attitude to jazz music fundamentally changed the importance of the piano in jazz as a musical instrument from its previous characteristics.
Tatum experimented with the harmonies of the melody, influencing the structure of the chord and expanding it. All this characterized the style of bebop, which, as you know, would become popular ten years later, when the first records in this genre appeared. Critics also noted his impeccable playing technique - Art Tatum was able to play the most difficult passages with such ease and speed that it seemed that his fingers barely touched the black and white keys.
14 Thelonious Monk
Some of the most complex and varied sounds can be found in the repertoire of the pianist and composer, one of the most important representatives of the era of bebop and its subsequent development. His very personality as an eccentric musician contributed to the popularization of jazz. Monk, always dressed in a suit, hat and sunglasses, openly expressed his free attitude to improvisational music. He did not accept strict rules and formed his own approach to creating compositions. Some of his most brilliant and famous works are Epistrophy, Blue Monk, Straight, No Chaser, I Mean You and Well, You Needn't.
Monk's playing style was based on an innovative approach to improvisation. His works are distinguished by percussive passages and sharp pauses. Quite often, right during his performances, he jumped up from the piano and danced while the other members of the band continued to play the melody. Thelonious Monk remains one of the most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre.
13 Charles Mingus
A recognized double bass virtuoso, composer and band leader, he was one of the most extraordinary musicians on the jazz scene. He developed a new musical style, combining gospel, hard bop, free jazz and classical music. Contemporaries called Mingus "the heir to Duke Ellington" for his fantastic ability to write works for small jazz ensembles. In his compositions, all the members of the band demonstrated their playing skills, each of which was also not only talented, but was characterized by a unique playing style.
Mingus carefully selected the musicians who made up his band. The legendary double bass player was known for his temper, and once he even punched trombonist Jimmy Knepper in the face, knocking out his tooth. Mingus suffered from a depressive disorder, but was not ready to put up with the fact that this somehow affected his creative activity. Despite this affliction, Charles Mingus is one of the most influential figures in jazz history.
12 Art Blakey
Art Blakey was a famous American drummer and bandleader who made a splash in the style and technique of playing the drum kit. He combined swing, blues, funk and hard bop - a style that is heard today in every modern jazz composition. Together with Max Roach and Kenny Clarke, he invented a new way to play bebop on drums. For over 30 years, his band, The Jazz Messengers, has given jazz to many jazz artists: Benny Golson, Wayne Shorter, Clifford Brown, Curtis Fuller, Horace Silver, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, and more.
The Jazz Messengers didn't just create phenomenal music - they were a kind of "musical testing ground" for young talented musicians, like the Miles Davis band. Art Blakey's style changed the very sound of jazz, becoming a new musical milestone.
11 Dizzy Gillespie (Dizzy Gillespie)
Jazz trumpeter, singer, songwriter and bandleader became a prominent figure in the days of bebop and modern jazz. His trumpet style influenced Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Fats Navarro. After his time in Cuba, upon his return to the US, Gillespie was one of those musicians who actively promoted Afro-Cuban jazz. In addition to his inimitable performance on the characteristically curved trumpet, Gillespie was recognizable by his horn-rimmed glasses and impossibly large cheeks as he played.
The great jazz improviser Dizzy Gillespie, as well as Art Tatum, innovated in harmony. The compositions of Salt Peanuts and Goovin' High were rhythmically completely different from previous works. Faithful to bebop throughout his career, Gillespie is remembered as one of the most influential jazz trumpeters.
10 Max Roach
The top 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre include Max Roach, a drummer known as one of the pioneers of bebop. He, like few others, has influenced the modern style of playing the drum set. Roach was a civil rights activist and collaborated with Oscar Brown Jr. and Coleman Hawkins on the album We Insist! - Freedom Now ("We insist! - Freedom now"), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Max Roach is a representative of an impeccable playing style, able to perform a long solo throughout the concert. Absolutely any audience was delighted with his unsurpassed skill.
9 Billie Holiday
Lady Day is the favorite of millions. Billie Holiday wrote only a few songs, but when she sang, she turned her voice from the first notes. Her performance is deep, personal and even intimate. Her style and intonation are inspired by the sound of musical instruments she has heard. Like almost all the musicians described above, she became the creator of a new, but already vocal style, based on long musical phrases and the tempo of singing them.
The famous Strange Fruit is the best not only in the career of Billie Holiday, but in the entire history of jazz because of the soulful performance of the singer. She was posthumously awarded prestigious awards and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
8 John Coltrane
The name of John Coltrane is associated with virtuoso playing technique, excellent talent for composing music and a passion for learning new facets of the genre. On the threshold of the origins of hard bop, the saxophonist achieved tremendous success and became one of the most influential musicians in the history of the genre. Coltrane's music had a sharp sound, and he played with high intensity and dedication. He was able to both play alone and improvise in an ensemble, creating solo parts of unthinkable duration. Playing the tenor and soprano saxophone, Coltrane was also able to create melodic smooth jazz compositions.
John Coltrane is the author of a kind of "bebop reboot", incorporating modal harmonies into it. Remaining the main active figure in the avant-garde, he was a very prolific composer and did not stop releasing discs, recording about 50 albums as a band leader throughout his career.
7 Count Basie
The revolutionary pianist, organist, composer and bandleader Count Basie led one of the most successful bands in jazz history. Over the course of 50 years, the Count Basie Orchestra, including incredibly popular musicians such as Sweets Edison, Buck Clayton and Joe Williams, has earned a reputation as one of America's most in-demand big bands. Nine-time Grammy Award winner Count Basie has instilled a love of orchestral sound into generations of listeners.
Basie wrote many songs that have become jazz standards, such as April in Paris and One O'Clock Jump. Colleagues spoke of him as a tactful, modest and enthusiastic person. Had it not been for the Count Basie Orchestra in jazz history, the big band era would have sounded different and certainly not as influential as it became with this outstanding bandleader.
6 Coleman Hawkins
The tenor saxophone is the symbol of bebop and all jazz music in general. And for that we can be grateful to be Coleman Hawkins. The innovations that Hawkins brought were vital to the development of bebop in the mid-forties. His contribution to the popularity of this instrument may have determined the future careers of John Coltrane, and Dexter Gordon.
The composition Body and Soul (1939) became the benchmark for playing the tenor saxophone for many saxophonists. Other instrumentalists were also influenced by Hawkins - pianist Thelonious Monk, trumpeter Miles Davis, drummer Max Roach. His ability for extraordinary improvisations led to the discovery of new jazz sides of the genre that were not touched by his contemporaries. This partly explains why the tenor saxophone has become an integral part of the modern jazz ensemble.
5 Benny Goodman
The top five 15 most influential jazz musicians in the history of the genre opens. The famous King of Swing led almost the most popular orchestra of the early 20th century. His concert at Carnegie Hall in 1938 is recognized as one of the most important live concerts in the history of American music. This show demonstrates the advent of the jazz era, the recognition of this genre as an independent art form.
Despite the fact that Benny Goodman was the lead singer of a major swing orchestra, he also participated in the development of bebop. His orchestra became one of the first, which united musicians of different races in its composition. Goodman was a vocal opponent of the Jim Crow Act. He even turned down a tour of the southern states in support of racial equality. Benny Goodman was an active figure and reformer not only in jazz, but also in popular music.
4 Miles Davis
One of the central jazz figures of the 20th century, Miles Davis, stood at the origins of many musical events and watched them develop. He is credited with pioneering the genres of bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, free jazz, fusion, funk and techno music. In his constant search for a new musical style, he was always successful and was surrounded by brilliant musicians including John Coltrane, Cannoball Adderley, Keith Jarrett, JJ Johnson, Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea. During his lifetime, Davis was awarded 8 Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Miles Davis was one of the most active and influential jazz musicians of the last century.
3 Charlie Parker
When you think about jazz, you remember the name. Also known as Bird Parker, he was a jazz alto saxophone pioneer, bebop musician and composer. His fast playing, clear sound and talent as an improviser had a significant impact on the musicians of that time and our contemporaries. As a composer, he changed the standards of jazz music writing. Charlie Parker was the musician who cultivated the idea that jazzmen are artists and intellectuals, not just showmen. Many artists have tried to copy Parker's style. His famous playing techniques can also be traced in the manner of many current novice musicians, who take as a basis the composition Bird, consonant with the nickname of the alto-sakosophist.
2 Duke Ellington
He was a grandiose pianist, composer and one of the most outstanding orchestra leaders. Although he is known as a jazz pioneer, he excelled in other genres as well, including gospel, blues, classical and popular music. It is Ellington who is credited with establishing jazz as a distinct art form. With countless awards and prizes, the first great jazz composer never stopped improving. He was the inspiration for the next generation of musicians including Sonny Stitt, Oscar Peterson, Earl Hines, Joe Pass. Duke Ellington remains a recognized jazz piano genius - instrumentalist and composer.
1 Louis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong
Arguably the most influential jazz musician in the history of the genre, aka Satchmo is a trumpeter and singer from New Orleans. He is known as the creator of jazz, who played a key role in its development. The amazing abilities of this performer made it possible to build a trumpet into a solo jazz instrument. He is the first musician to sing and popularize the scat style. It was impossible not to recognize his low "thundering" timbre of voice.
Armstrong's commitment to his own ideals influenced the work of Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. Louis Armstrong influenced not only jazz, but the entire musical culture, giving the world a new genre, a unique manner of singing and playing the trumpet.
Modern Russian jazz is associated with female vocals. Find out who they are - famous Russian jazz singers, what they are famous for, why the public loves them.
Russian jazz singers
Anna Buturlina
Anna Buturlina is one of the most popular Russian jazz singers.
The girl not only sings in her own solo projects, but also works with the Russian State Symphony Orchestra of Cinematography, with the jazz orchestra named after Oleg Lundstrem.
After performing with the orchestra on May 7, 2015 at the UN General Assembly, the famous composer Daniil Kramer noted the girl, giving her an assessment of “jazzy Valentina Tolkunova”.
Anna is a participant of Anatoly Kroll's project "First Ladies of Russian Jazz"
He works as a teacher of vocal skills, writes music and records albums for the youngest, sings on movie soundtracks and even voices the vocal parts of movie and cartoon heroines.
The most striking works of the vocalist are the voice acting of the Disney princesses Tiana (“The Princess and the Frog”) and Elsa (“Cold Heart”), as well as the Russian version of the Let It Go song from the second - “Let It Go and Forget”.
Aset Samrailova (ASET)
Aset is an unusual vocalist who stands out among the artists of the Russian stage. Her tracks in Russian and English are always highly appreciated by the public and critics.
The girl performs music in many genres: soul, jazz, blues, urban romance, pop and R&B.
Aset became famous after participating in the famous TV show "Voice-2", as well as thanks to "Big Jazz" and "Main Stage".
Her voice can be heard on the soundtracks for the films "Pilgrimage to the Eternal City" and "Stone Head". Children can recognize her from her voice acting roles in Disney's The Princess and the Frog, Fairies, Cars 2, and High School Musical.
Alina Rostotskaya
Alina Rostotskaya is one of the brightest representatives of jazz vocals in Moscow. After receiving the Grand Prix of the best jazz vocalists competition in Moscow in 2009, Alina's popularity began to grow. A year later, the girl sings in her own ensemble at the famous Jazz in the Hermitage Garden festival.
The vocalist participated in major events in many Scandinavian and Baltic countries, as well as Poland, Ukraine and Russia, reached the final of the show "Big Jazz".
She stood out at the Latvian festival Riga Jazz Stage, receiving a special award from the famous Latvian composer and pianist Raimonds Pauls.
Alina Rostotskaya leads among Russian jazz musicians due to her hard work and talent - the girl sings, acts as a composer, arranger and even a poet.
"But you're a woman!" - what is it and how to deal with it
Larisa Dolina
Not all famous Russian jazz singers sing exclusively in one genre. One of these is pop star Larisa Dolina. Being a native of Baku, at the age of 3 she moved with her parents to Odessa, where she began to master the piano. Then her lifelong musical path begins. Later, Larisa graduated from the Moscow Musical College. Gnesins.
Dolina began performing and working separately in 1985.
At the same time, the vocalist created the first author's program "Long Jump" and traveled throughout the USSR with solo concerts.
In 1996, the anniversary performance of the vocalist "Weather in the House" was held, where she performed her favorite and favorite songs and presented the album of the same name, which became her hallmark.
Elvira Trafova
The first vocalist of Russian jazz, who received the title of Honored Artist of Russia, the main center of attention in St. Petersburg circles of this musical style - all this is about Elvira Trafova.
After graduating from the Leningrad Institute of Theater, Music and Cinema in 1972, the singer joined the Jazz Music Ensemble, becoming a soloist in it. Then her jazz career began to take shape.
Elvira Trafova is recognized as the first lady of Russian jazz
In 1989, she began working at the St. Petersburg State Philharmonic of Jazz Music and has not left the music scene to this day. Elvira performs with Honored Artist of Russia Pyotr Kornev and his ensemble.
Julia Kasyan
The talented jazz singer Yulia Kasyan was noticed at the Autumn Marathon competitions and the international competition in Yekaterinburg - she became the winner of the nominations.
Since that moment, the girl regularly performs at philharmonics and jazz festivals together with the orchestra.
A bright, virtuoso and famous master of his craft, pianist Nikolai Sizov is Yulia Kasyan's constant stage partner.
Sophie Okran
Sophie Okran After studying at a music school in the Caucasus, Sophie moved to Krasnodar, where she began working at the Premiere Theater.
The singer was invited to the popular musical group "Quarter". After her debut in the musical "Hair" in 1999, Russian performers began to invite the vocalist to cooperate and participate in projects, one of which was Valery Meladze.
Sophie Okran devotes a lot of time to working on intros for radio stations, which contributes to the wide recognition of her voice.
The vocalist also has her own Natural Woman program, with which she performed at festivals and music venues in the country.
Due to the unique combination of African pungency and Russian tender romance in the plastic, deep and complex-sounding voice of the singer, she is often called Russian.
The talented jazz vocalist Mariam Merabova was born in Yerevan. The girl began her musical path at the age of 5 with training at the main city music school. At an early age, she moved to Moscow and studied first at school and then at the school named after. Gnesins in the piano class.
Mariam Merabova on the show "Voice"
The year 2000 was a turning point for Mariam Merabova: the vocalist recorded for the album of the Miraif jazz project and participated in the creation of the musical We will rock you.
The singer received an offer to teach at the School of Professional Creative Development from Alla Pugacheva.
Marina Volkova
Marina Volkova is a vocalist, teacher and composer. After receiving an academic musical education, the singer discovered jazz.
Performance with Eve Cornelius was the "moment of truth" for Marina Volkova
Marina tried for a long time to understand what “swing” is. But just knowing was not enough, it is such a thing that needs to be experienced. And the vocalist felt it on herself, in which there is a considerable merit of the songs of Michael Jackson and the American singer Sarah Vaughan.
In 2009, in Moscow, the girl sang along with Eve Cornelius, one of the most famous jazz singers in the States. The singer herself notes this performance as a “moment of truth”, because Eve helped her put everything on the shelves in her future career.
The songs of Sarah Vaughan helped Marina understand what swing is.
In the same year, Marina participates in the First Moscow Jazz Vocalists Competition and becomes a composer and singer in the Perfect Me project. Marina combines the project with the creation of her own jazz quartet Marina Volkova Jazz Band.
