A new musical direction, called jazz, was born at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries as a result of the merging of European musical culture with African. He is characterized by improvisation, expressiveness and a special type of rhythm.
At the very beginning of the twentieth century, new musical ensembles began to be created, called. They included wind instruments (trumpet, clarinet, trombone), double bass, piano and percussion instruments.
Famous jazz players, thanks to their talent for improvisation and the ability to feel music subtly, gave impetus to the formation of many musical directions. Jazz has become the origin of many modern genres.
So, whose performance of jazz compositions made the listener's heart skip a beat in ecstasy?
Louis Armstrong
For many connoisseurs of music, it is his name that is associated with jazz. The dazzling talent of the musician fascinated from the first minutes of the performance. Merging with a musical instrument - a trumpet - he plunged his listeners into euphoria. Louis Armstrong has come a long way from a nimble little boy from a poor family to the famous King of Jazz.
Duke Ellington
Unstoppable creative personality. A composer whose music played with many styles and experiments. The talented pianist, arranger, composer, orchestra leader never tired of surprising with his innovation and originality.
His unique works were tested with great enthusiasm by the most famous orchestras of that time. It was Duke who came up with the idea of using the human voice as an instrument. More than a thousand of his works, called by connoisseurs of the "golden fund of jazz", were recorded on 620 discs!
Ella Fitzgerald
The "First Lady of Jazz" had a unique voice, the widest range of three octaves. Honorary awards of a talented American are hard to count. Ella's 90 albums have scattered around the world in incredible numbers. It is hard to imagine! For 50 years of creativity, about 40 million albums in her performance have been sold. Masterfully mastering the talent of improvisation, she easily worked together in a duet with other famous jazz performers.
Ray Charles
One of the most famous musicians, called "a real genius of jazz." 70 music albums have been distributed around the world in numerous editions. He has 13 Grammy awards to his credit. His compositions have been recorded in the US Library of Congress. The popular magazine Rolling Stone ranked Ray Charles number 10 of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time on the "List of Immortals".
Miles Davis
An American trumpeter who has been compared to the painter Picasso. His music had a great influence on shaping the music of the 20th century. Davis is the versatility of styles in jazz, the breadth of interests and accessibility for an audience of different ages.
Frank Sinatra
The famous jazz player comes from a poor family, short in stature and did not differ in any way. But he captivated the audience with his velvety baritone. The talented vocalist starred in musicals and drama films. Received numerous awards and special awards. Won an Oscar for The House I Live In
Billie Holiday
A whole era in the development of jazz. The songs performed by the American singer acquired individuality and radiance, played with overflows of freshness and novelty. The life and work of "Lady Day" was short, but bright and unique.
Famous jazz musicians have enriched the art of music with sensual and soulful rhythms, expressiveness and freedom of improvisation.
At present, good jazz music has won sincere fans all over the world. For example, the names of artists such as Louis Armstrong or Frank Sinatra are known even to those who are far from this genre. Despite the differences in culture and mentality, age and occupation, people from different countries love to listen to online jazz compositions. Moreover, our compatriots strive to download foreign jazz for free and even learn songs in a foreign language. All this confirms the strength, quality and semantic content of the compositions.
Historical reference
Jazz emerged at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. This is a kind of synthesis, a mixture of African and European cultures. The result was so interesting and unexpected that it quickly began to spread not only in the United States, but also on other continents. At the initial stage, foreign jazz combined a very intricate rhythm, creative improvisation and a certain harmony. Subsequently, the direction developed thanks to the talent of the musicians, their mastery of new techniques, instruments and rhythmic patterns. Today, everyone can download their favorite jazz collection for free, listen to interesting news and discover a lot of new things. On our music portal you will find quality music. For the convenience of searching and saving time for users, it is structured by performers, alphabetically and other criteria, which makes it easier to work with our site. Download only the best, do it easily and completely free of charge! In our large music collection there is foreign jazz for connoisseurs and for beginners who are in search of "their" musical direction!As a musical direction, jazz was formed in the United States at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, representing a synthesis of cultures: African and European. Since then, it has evolved a lot and has become the impetus for the development of many other musical styles. At the beginning of the last century, jazz bands, musical ensembles, which included wind and percussion instruments, as well as piano and double bass, gained popularity. The brightest jazz performers were forever inscribed in the history of music.
Iconic Jazzmen
Perhaps the most famous jazz musician in the world is Louis Armstrong. This name is known not only to fans of this musical style, for a wide audience it is so closely associated with jazz that it has become its personification. Armstrong is a representative of traditional, New Orleans jazz, thanks to him this style has developed and become popular in the world, and its influence on the music of the last century can hardly be overestimated. He is also called the "Maestro of Jazz" or the "King of Jazz". Louis Armstrong's main instrument was the trumpet, but he was also an excellent vocalist and leader of a jazz band.
And Frank Sinatra was a legendary jazz vocalist with an incredible voice. In addition, he was also an excellent actor and showman, a standard of musical taste and style. During his musical career, he received 9 top music awards - Grammys, and also won an Oscar for his acting skills.
The most famous jazz artists
Ray Charles is a real genius of jazz, marked by the main musical award of America as much as 17 times! He is ranked 10th out of 100 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the greatest artists. In addition to jazz, Charles also performed soul and blues compositions. This great artist went blind as a child, but this did not stop him from achieving world fame and making a huge contribution to the history of the music industry.
Miles Davis, the most talented jazz trumpeter, gave rise to new varieties of this musical style, such as fusion, cool jazz and modal jazz. He never limited himself to one direction - traditional jazz, this made his music multifaceted and unusual. He was the one who, one might say, founded modern jazz. Performers of this style today are often his followers.
great women
The best jazz performers are not necessarily men. Ella Fitzgerald is the greatest singer with a unique voice spanning three octaves. This magnificent vocalist was a master of vocal improvisation, having received many awards during her long career, including 13 Grammys. 50 years of the singer's work is a whole era in music, during which this jazz diva has released more than 90 albums.
Billie Holiday's career was much shorter, but no less colorful. Her singing style was unique, and therefore the legendary vocalist is considered the founder of jazz vocals. Unfortunately, the unhealthy lifestyle of the singer led to her death at the age of 44, and in 1987 she was awarded the Grammy posthumously. These great singers are far from the only female jazz performers. But they are definitely one of the brightest.
Other artists
There are, of course, other well-known jazz performers of the past. Sarah Vaughan is "the greatest voice of the 20th century", her voice was truly unique, mannered and refined, becoming deeper and deeper over the years. Throughout her career, the singer has honed her skills. And Dizzy Gillespie was a virtuoso trumpeter, vocalist, composer and arranger. Dizzy founded modern improvisational jazz (bebop) with Charlie Parker, an amazing saxophonist who became such through hard practice and 15 hours of music lessons.
Living and popular jazzmen
Diversity and fusion of styles is what modern jazz is all about. Performers often go beyond one direction, combining jazz with soul, blues, rock or pop music. To date, the most famous are: George Benson, a virtuoso of voice and guitar for about 50 years, a Grammy winner; Bob James is a smooth jazz pianist, one of the founders of the style and the founder of a band called the Bob James Trio, which features saxophone, drums and bass performed by David McMurray, Billy Kilson and Samuel Burgess. Another piano genius and composer is Chick Corea. A multiple Grammy winner and a very talented musician, in addition to keyboards, he also plays percussion instruments. Flora Purim is a Brazilian jazz performer with a rare voice with a range of 6 octaves, known for her joint performances with many jazz stars. Georgian Nino Katamadze is one of the most famous jazz singers of our time, she is also the composer of her own songs. He has a surprisingly deep, special voice. She has her own jazz band called Insight, with whom she records and performs. The ensemble consists of a guitar, bass guitar and drums, performed by Gocha Kacheishvili, Uchi Gugunava and David Abuladze, sound engineer - Gia Chelidze.
Younger generation
Modern popular jazz performers are often young talents, among which girls stand out in particular. A real breakthrough was the talented Norah Jones, author and performer of her own songs, singer and pianist. Thanks to the range and timbre of her voice, many compare her to Billie Holiday. During her 10-year career, she managed to release 10 albums, as well as earn a Grammy and many other prestigious awards. Another young jazz singer is multi-instrumentalist Esperanza Spaulding, the first performer of this direction, who received the Grammy in the Best New Artist of the Year nomination in 2011, and also won in other nominations of this music award. He plays many instruments and speaks several languages.
Above are the brightest and most prominent jazz performers. And although there are a lot of excellent musicians in this direction, it is enough to listen to the best ones to get a basic understanding of such a concept as jazz.
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.
Billie Holiday 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.
Etta James 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.
Nina Simon 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.
Sarah Vaughan 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.
Dina Washington 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.
Astrud Gilberto 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 a 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.
Starting with small bands playing a mixture of European music and African rhythms in New Orleans entertainment venues, jazz has grown to become one of the most interesting trends in music. A complex rhythm and an abundance of improvisations make it difficult, but extremely exciting music.
But in order to talk about the greatest jazz performers, it would be necessary to talk about jazz itself. And how to talk about it? Well, from the start.
Story
From the very beginning, there were blacks brought as slaves to the New World (we are mainly talking about the territory of the States now). They had a unique African musical culture. First of all, there was a very, very big emphasis on rhythms - they were varied, non-linear and very complex. Secondly, music in Africa is inextricably linked with everyday life: it is an obligatory accompaniment to various everyday moments, holidays, and often a way of communication. So it was music that became one of the unifying factors for many black slaves.
Jazz was formed from several relatively parallel developing genres of African American music. The most important, of course, is ragtime - dance, syncopated (strong beat is shifted), with a free melody. Then more blues - with a classic 12-bar blues square and ample opportunities for improvisation. Jazz, which took shape already at the beginning of the 20th century, reflected the features of both, and of many other musical genres.
New Orleans Jazz, Chicago Jazz, Dixieland
The earliest, New Orleans jazz is the ensembles that inherited the traditions of marching brass bands, consisting of an impressive rhythm section (2-3 drummers, percussion, double bass), a variety of wind instruments (trombone, trumpet, clarinet, cornet), well, and guitar-violin-banjo , if we get lucky. Later, almost all famous jazz performers left for Chicago, where, having honed their skills, they became the founders of Chicago jazz - the earliest jazz. Dixieland is an imitation of white bands of their black comrades - the founders of the genre. Speaking about the outstanding jazz performers of that time, one cannot but mention entire jazz orchestras.
Charles "Buddy" Bolden and his Ragtime Band. They are considered almost the first jazz orchestra of the New Orleans style. Records with their game have not been preserved, however, experts are sure that the repertoire consisted of various classical compositions of ragtime, blues, as well as many marches, waltzes and pieces with a jazz character of performance.
Freddie Keppard is on the list of the most influential jazz musicians of the time after Buddy Bolden. He played in the Olympia Band, in Los Angeles he created the Original Creole Orchestra, in Chicago (at the decline of Dixieland's popularity) he also did not get bored and performed with the most famous musicians of his time.
Joseph "King" Oliver is also a cornet player and a great fellow. In New Orleans, he managed to play with five orchestras, and then, after the United States entered the First World War in 1917 and all the entertainment establishments in New Orleans were closed, he, along with many other musicians, went north to Chicago.
Sydney Bechet is a clarinetist and saxophonist. He started playing in ensembles very early and even managed to get into Ragtime with Buddy Bolden. He was noted both in Chicago jazz orchestras and in later swing orchestras, and even rode around Europe a lot, performing in the USSR as well (1926).
Original Dixieland Jass Band - and this is already Dixieland, these are already white guys following in the footsteps of black Orleans bands. Known for having released the world's first gramophone record with a recording of a jazz composition. In general, they did a lot to popularize the genre. They say that it was with these guys that the very “Jazz Age” began. Many of their things in the future became famous
Stride
Stride originated in New York, in the Manhattan boroughs during World War I, completely separate from New Orleans jazz. This is a piano style that developed from ragtime by complicating the rhythm, as well as increasing the virtuosity of the performers.
James Johnson is the "father of the stride". He is considered an important figure in the transition from ragtime to jazz stride. He learned to play the piano mostly by himself, worked in various New York clubs. He himself composed a bunch of popular melodies in the 20s.
Fats Waller is another stride pianist who has become more famous as a composer than as a performer. Many of his compositions were later reworked and performed by other famous musicians. By the way, he also played the organ.
Art Tatum is one of the most famous figures in the stride. A wonderful virtuoso, who was distinguished by an unusual playing technique for the genre (he loved scales and arpeggios, he was one of the first to start flirting with musical harmonies and keys). Even in the days of swing and big bands, he drew attention to himself (a solo artist). He influenced many other jazz musicians, who often noted his extraordinary skill.
Swing
The most extensive and fertile area when it comes to the great jazz performers of the 20th century. Swing appeared in the 1920s and remained extremely popular right up to the Second World War. It was played mainly by swing bands - hefty orchestras of ten or more people.
Benny Goodman - without exaggeration, the king of swing and the founder of one of the most famous big bands, which had a resounding success not only in America but also abroad. The concert of his orchestra on August 21, 1935 in Los Angeles, which brought him stardom, is considered the beginning of the swing era.
Duke Ellington - also the leader of his own big band, as well as a well-known composer, creator of numerous hits and jazz standards, including the composition Caravan, familiar to almost everyone. Collaborated with many of the best jazz performers of that time, allowing everyone to bring their own unique style to the sound of the orchestra, which created an interesting and unusual "sound".
Chick Webb. It was in his orchestra that one of the most famous jazz singers, Ella Fitzgerald, began her career. Webb himself was a drummer, and his playing style influenced many other jazz percussion legends (such as Buddy Rich and Louis Bellson). He died of tuberculosis in 1939, before he was forty years old.
Glenn Miller is the creator of the big band of the same name, which in the period 1939-1943 was practically unparalleled in popularity. Prior to that, Miller played, recorded with other orchestras, and also composed music with other great jazz performers of his time - Benny Goodman, Pee Wee Russell, Gene Krupa and others.
It so happened that the interests of this greatest jazz performer turned out to be so diverse, and the “experience” is so great that it is not possible to attribute it unambiguously to any style. During his career, Armstrong has played in well-known orchestras, and solo, and as the leader of his own jazz band. His style of playing has always been distinguished by a bright personality and unconventional, original improvisations.
Jazz singers and singers
These guys deserve a separate chapter, maybe they did not write jazz standards with their own hands, but they did a lot for the development of this direction of music. The unique timbres, the sensuality of the voice, the emotionality of the performance - much of this came from African-American "folk" spirituals and gospels.
Ella Fitzgerald is the "First Lady of Jazz", one of the greatest jazz performers of the entire era of this music. The owner of a unique soft and "light" mezzo-soprano timbre, she could take three octaves without visible effort. In addition to an ideal sense of rhythm and intonation, she owned such a "trick" as scat - an imitation of the musical instruments of a jazz band with her voice.
Billie Holiday - had an unusual hoarse voice, giving a special sensuality to the manner of performance. The so-called instrumental timbre of her voice and the ability for rhythmic interpretation were successfully combined on stage with the sound of a jazz band.
Bop
By the forties, the danceable and slightly frivolous swing began to become obsolete, and young guys, eager for experimentation, began to develop a playing style later called be-bop. It is distinguished by higher demands on the skill of musicians, a fast pace of play, complex improvisations and, in general, an “intellectual” style compared to swing.
Dizzy Gillespie is one of the founders of be-bop. At first he played trumpet in many popular swing bands, but then he budded, formed his own combo - a small ensemble - and began to promote be-bop, which he did just fine, thanks in part to his eccentric demeanor. Masterfully played classical jazz themes with extraordinary virtuosity.
Charlie Parker is also the founder of be-bop. As part of the young supporters of this direction, he literally turned all traditional jazz upside down. B-boopers laid the foundation for modern jazz. Parker also played a large role in the development of Afro-Cuban jazz. Despite all the successes, the musician suffered from a severe heroin addiction, from which he later died at the age of 35.
Fusion
Appeared in the sixties and really is a fusion (translation of fusion from English) of a wide variety of musical genres: rock, pop, soul and funk. Compared to other styles of jazz, it may seem rather "crazy" - fusion has lost its characteristic swing beat, but has retained improvisation and an emphasis on beating a certain melody (standard).
The Tony Williams Lifetime is a group that released in 1969 an album that is now considered a fusion classic. In the wake of the popularity of rock music, they used electric guitar, bass guitar (classical instruments of rock bands) and electric piano in their recordings, creating a characteristic heavy sound combined with a typical jazz character.
Miles Davis is a versatile musician, deservedly one of the greatest jazz performers. In addition to jazz-rock, he was fond of a bunch of styles, but even here he managed to create many classical compositions that determined his sound for several years.
Neoswing
This is an attempt to revive the good old swing bands of the early XX century. Keeping the general mood and character of the performance of classical jazz, neoswing bands moved away from improvisation. They are not shy about the modern set of musical instruments and the structure of their compositions is much more reminiscent of modern music. In the bottom line, we have the original stylization of the old, much more accessible to the ears of a listener unfamiliar with jazz.
Other interesting performers include Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Royal Crown Revue (sounds in the film "The Mask"), Squirrel Nut Zippers and Diablo Swing Orchestra, who originally mixed swing with metal.
bossa nova
An unusual mixture of jazz and Latin American samba rhythms. It originated, obviously, in Brazil and gained great popularity all over the world. Juan and Astrud Gilberto, António Carlos Jobim, and saxophonist Stan Getz are considered to be the founders of the style.
Lists of the best
The article talked about the iconic musicians who played a significant role in the development of jazz. However, there are incomparably more famous jazzmen, and it is not possible to tell about all of them at once. Nevertheless, the list of the best jazz performers must include:
- Charles Mingus;
- John Coltrane;
- Mary Lou Williams;
- Herbie Hancock;
- Nat King Cole;
- Miles Davis;
- Keith Jarrett;
- Kurt Elling;
- Thelonious Monk;
- Wynton Marsalis.
Moreover, these are musicians, and singers, and even those who are better known as a composer. Each of them has a bright personality and a long creative career. Although, as you can see, mainly people of the "sixties" were chosen, who spoke for a significant part of the entire 20th century, and some of them even the 21st.
