Jazz vocals are traditionally associated with female performance. Famous jazz singers, using only their voice, are able to create an aura of mystery or an atmosphere of playfulness on stage.

famous jazz singers

Ella Fitzgerald

Having won the love of the public and the respect of colleagues, the first lady of jazz forever remained very modest and shy. In 1942, she became the first woman to lead a large musical group - the Chick Webb Orchestra, which performed for soldiers during the war.

Ella Fitzgerald

Especially for Ella, it was founded by producer Norman Grantz, on which albums were recorded with the participation of Ellington and Berdin, Rogers and Hart.

Once, having forgotten the words of the song, Fitzgerald came up with her own combination, which, according to her, copied the sound of the saxophone. Subsequently, this technique became the hallmark of the singer.

Find out what challenges women face in music and if there are

Billie Holiday

(Eleanor Fagen) got her jazz nickname "Lady Day" from a saxophonist. With Yang, she was associated with a short-term romance and a very successful collaboration. Together they recorded 49 songs that had a literally hypnotic effect on the audience.

The peak of Holiday's fame came in the 1940s, when she began performing in jazz clubs for mixed white and colored audiences. Once, in order not to anger the organizers, the performer, who was too pale for a black woman, had to darken her skin with a special make-up.

Etta James

(Jamisette Hawkins) has diligently maintained her "bad girl" image throughout her career. At the same time, her album Tell Mama, released back in 1967, is still considered the best soul collection of all time.

The singer graced the opening of the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984 with her performance.

Nina Simon

Gifted and torn apart by internal demons, all her life she fought for her rights to perform works of interest to her. The singer has always been more concerned about social topics than the rules of show business and mercantile goals.

The touching lyrics and one of the most feminine works of our time, the song I put a spell on you, brought her worldwide fame.

Sarah Vaughan

Without difficulty it was possible to masterfully slide between three octaves. She received particular pleasure from the subtle interpretation of songs and the meaning put into their words.

Vaughan took part in the most diverse projects: she performed compositions and worked in the orchestras of John Kirby and Teddy Wilson.

Dina Washington

While still a schoolgirl, Dinah Washington (Ruth Lee Jones) conducted the church's gospel choir. Her talent did not tolerate restrictions, he needed to constantly overcome new horizons.

Possessing crystal clear articulation, Dina masterfully reproduced any music - from jazz standards to pop hits. Critics characterized her repertoire as subtle and thoughtful.

Astrud Gilberto

Astrud Gilberto's first solo record became an instant best-seller thanks to his charming and original technique. The singer acted in films, hosted her own TV show and was even the voice of one airline.

Recently, Astrud prefers to express himself not in solo performances on stage, but in drawing and writing new compositions.

Natalie Cole

It was the famous father who noticed talent in his daughter and brought her to the stage when she was only 6 years old. Songs, colored with shades of gospel and rhythm and blues, have repeatedly been awarded the most prestigious music awards.

The audience still with tears in their eyes remembers the Grammy ceremony, when Natalie sang a piercing duet with her father - a recording of his performance was broadcast on the big screen.

Diana Krall

Born in 1964 in the Canadian province in a family of musicians, she fell ill with jazz from early childhood. Now her repertoire consists of soulful melancholic ballads, distinguished by a slightly nostalgic charm.

Oscar Peterson, pianist

Ray Brown, double bassist

Dave Brubeck, pianist

Erroll Garner, pianist

Dizzy Gillespie, trumpeter

Charlie Parker, saxophonist

Chick Corea, pianist

Niels Pedersen, bassist

Clark Terry, trumpeter

Art Tatum, pianist

Herbie Hancock, pianist

In order for a star to appear in jazz, a group of like-minded people is needed to make it. Each star must be surrounded by the same stars, a team with which you speak the same language. I know it myself. It is like this in classical music: when I play with an orchestra, the conductor is very important. If such virtuosos as Temirkanov, Gergiev, Fedoseev, Jansons, Maazel, Abbado are at the podium, then there is contact and you speak the same language with a person ... And at this moment you can improvise (more precisely, if we are talking about classical music, then it's more of an interpretation), being sure that the conductor will pick you up.

1. Oscar Peterson, Canadian pianist. This is the person who makes me try to somehow play jazz. He died on December 23 the year before last, at the very moment when I was playing jazz at the conservatory. Thanks to this musician, I comprehended my perception and attitude towards jazz.

Since childhood, jazz has sounded in our family, my dad is an amazing pianist, he has played and still plays ... Since then, Oscar Peterson has been a standard for me. I shot fifteen concerts note by note and adapted it to my abilities. All my attempts at jazz fantasies are influenced by this man of genius. When I was in Canada, they brought him to my concert (he was no longer in the best condition), after the concert we met. I played him. For me it was a moment of happiness. It was planned to do a joint concert, but, unfortunately, this will no longer be realized.

According to jazz historian Scott Yanov, « Peterson plays a hundred notes where another pianist would do ten; but all one hundred usually ended up in the right place, and there is nothing wrong with demonstrating the technique of playing if it serves the music. Peterson did not go from style to style, but grew up within the style that he once found, and there is nothing shameful in this either.

2. Ray Brown the amazing jazz bassist who played with Peterson is also dead.

Don Thompson, pianist: "He plays the notes so perfectly, it's like he's been sitting all night, putting his fingers in the best positions to play. He is the Bach among bass players."

Ray Brown Trio "Blues for junior"

3. Dave Brubeck brubeck) pianist, invented his own unique, ragged style of jazz, different from the traditional four quarters.

Here is what Brubeck himself says: “It is very important to share with someone your feelings, strong emotions. Hatred, anger, but even better - love. As long as you feel something strongly, and if you are an artist, you always manage to convey it in one way or another.

Charlie Parker: "I like Brubeck. He has reached such perfection that I could have reached only with every conceivable and unthinkable effort.

The Dave Brubeck Quartet "Three To Get Ready"

4. Erroll Garner, pianist, also self-taught. They say it's better not to play jazz, just listen to how Garner does it. The performance is technically not particularly outstanding, but any phrase he gives out makes you want to cry. Nobody can understand how he does it. His charm, his sound is something incredible.

In general, a distinctive feature of outstanding jazz musicians is that you can immediately understand who is playing. You can immediately distinguish great jazzmen from just jazzmen.

A pianist, an innovator who developed his own unique "orchestral" style of playing the piano. He was called "the man with forty fingers". Many pianists have been influenced by Garner, including Oscar Peterson, George Shearing, Monty Alexander.

Eroll Garner "Gaslight"

5. Dizzy Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie), trumpeter, and Charlie Parker saxophonist, inventor of the bebop style.

Tedd Hill, conductor: “Several of my musicians threatened to leave the orchestra if I took this crazy man with me. But it turned out that young Dizzy, with his eccentricity and constant ability to joke, was the most reliable person in the orchestra. He saved himself so much money that he even encouraged others to borrow from him so that he would have some income from it when he returned to the States.

Gigi Grice, musician, friend of Charlie Parker: “Parker is a natural genius. If he had become a tinsmith, I believe that he would have done something significant in this matter too.

Dizzy Gillespie and The United Nations Orchestra. A Night In Tunisia / Live at The Royal Festival Hall, London. Broadley Music International Ltd.

6. Chick Corea (Chick Corea), pianist. There is nothing to say here, lucky those who were at his concerts in Moscow.

"I strove to combine the discipline and richness of colors of the symphony orchestra, the charm of harmony, melody and form with the rhythmic energy of jazz and folklore of different nations." In 1970, he became an adherent of the teachings of Hubbard and received the nickname "Mr. Scientology."

Chick Corea. City of Brass / The Ultimate Adventure: Live in Barcelona. 2007 Chick Corea Prodution, Inc.

7. Niels Pedersen). He played the double bass with great speed, with unique swing passages. No one can repeat this, it's fantastic.

One of the outstanding European virtuosos. Became known as the partner of Oscar Peterson. American musicians called him the "Danish miracle". In the 80-90s he collected his own ensembles with musicians from Scandinavia.

8. Boris Rychkov. They say that a Soviet person cannot play jazz, but Rychkov is a unique pianist with amazing jazz thinking, his improvisations were absolutely original, he spoke his own language. Everyone was talking about it, including the outstanding jazz player Georgy Garanyan, my oldest friend, whom Svyatoslav Belza calls "the sax symbol of Russia." And for him, Boris Rychkov is in the first place in the ranking of jazz players.

Vasily Aksyonov, writer: “In 1952, the now famous pianist Boris Rychkov needed a saxophone. Playing the saxophone at the time was considered hooliganism. They weren't on sale. Once, Boris, who had already lost hope, was walking along one of the Arbat lanes and suddenly heard seditious sounds. In the mezzanine, among the antique rubbish, an old Czech man carefully played a polka-butterfly. With great pleasure and for a small price, he lost the saxophone to the happy Boris.

9. Clark Terry, jazz player, who is 89 years old, the last of the Mohicans.

Miles Davis, great jazz trumpeter: “Clark Terry played the trumpet in our high school band. That's who was definitely born with a silver pipe in his mouth! It seemed that he could always play confidently and firmly. When he played, all the places were occupied, people specially came from other cities to listen to his game.

10. Art Tatum (Art Tatum), a unique pianist, a nugget. A blind man who never learned anything, unlike Peterson, who has a classical education.

Stéphane Grappeli, violinist: "Tatum was my god, I wanted to play the violin like he did the piano."

Fats Waller, pianist, composer: "How can I play when the Lord God himself is sitting among us today!"

Art Tatum "Tiger Rag"

11. Herbie Hancock. Love him. This is jazz from thirty years ago, then one could cry from each of its notes.

Traditionally included in the top four acoustic pianists of modern jazz, along with McCoy Tyner, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea. He entered the history of the development of jazz piano technique thanks to the concept of multidimensional harmony (Speak Like a Child, 1968). For the first time in the history of jazz, he used modern synthesizers, which ensured his worldwide fame. Last year, he was named to Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the Arts and Entertainment category for "an unparalleled service to jazz and pioneering work to expand its boundaries."

jazz bands are the most popular performers at events from the site. That's because jazz bands are great for just about any event, whether they're the highlight of the program or just providing the musical backdrop. Jazz originated in New Orleans in the early 20th century.

Traditional New Orleans jazz is still alive on site, splitting from other styles in the 1940s, as is the performance of big jazz bands. Jazz music is unique in that it has continued to evolve and has split over the years into several genres, many of which still thrive to this day. Looking for a big band or a jazz ensemble with just a few performers? The site has a large selection of jazz bands that can please the audience of almost any event. Do you want guests to dance? A jazz band is a great way to get everyone excited.

Jazz bands can provide great music both during cocktails and during the main event. In order to choose the most suitable jazz band for a wedding, corporate party or other event, we recommend that you first of all decide on the desired repertoire, as well as the budget. You also need to know for how long you need a jazz band and what period you want it to perform. We recommend that you select at least 5-6 teams and send your request to them. Often musicians are busy on the required date or do not have the opportunity to perform in your city.

Please note - if you order an artist's performance through our service - you do not overpay intermediaries, you get the service of our managers and you can choose an excellent musician for your event in a few minutes.

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.