History Main / Jazz

* Music/PharoahSanders (yes, [[/index]][[SpellMyNameWithAnS Pharoah, not Pharaoh]]): [[index]]American jazz saxophonist who worked with Music/JohnColtrane in the 1960s, famed for his overblowing, harmonic, and multiphonic techniques on the instrument, plus his use of Coltrane's technique of "sheets of sound". No less a source than Ornette Coleman described him as "probably the best tenor [saxophone] player in the world". Has recorded some 30 albums as leader, of which the most famous and renowned is undoubtedly 1969's ''Karma'', which centres around the 32-minute epic "The Creator Has a Master Plan"; as such, he is considered one of the central figures in "spiritual jazz" and a SpiritualSuccessor to Coltrane. Has collaborated extensively with other musicians such as Leon Thomas, Alice Coltrane, Tisziji Muñoz, and Sonny Sharrock, among others.

* Music/KamasiWashington: A popular jazz saxophonist who rose to fame after being featured on Music/KendrickLamar's ''To Pimp A Butterfly''.
** ''Music/TheEpic''

** Marshall Allen: The Arkestra's longtime alto saxophonist, who eventually stepped up as the bandleader after the deaths of Sun Ra and John Gilmore. He continues to perform to this day as both a leader and sideman at the age of ''[[CoolOldGuy ninety-six]]''.

* Music/GlennMiller: One of the most popular band leaders, he led his orchestra as one of the biggest record sellers from 1939 to his (literal) dissappearance in late 1944. His greatest hit was "In The Mood", not counting his work with the Andrews Sisters. Expect one of his pieces in any WWII setting. Generally regarded by jazz fans as not really a jazz musician, because his signature style of arranging left very little room for improvisation, but he doesn't really belong anywhere else.

JazzFusion and JazzRap, two associated genres that originated in the late 1960s and late 1980s, respectively, have their own pages. Jazz fusion melds the extended improvised solos of traditional jazz with heavily-amplified electric instruments such as electric guitar and electric bass and it also uses synthesizers. Alongside with {{Samba}}, Jazz also influenced the Bossa Nova genre in Brazil.

A special subdivision of Latin American bandleaders who mixed jazz with influences from salsa, mambo, cha-cha-cha, son and other genres. This also includes bossa nova, which is influenced by jazz and samba.

JazzFusion and JazzRap, two associated genres that originated in the late 1960s and late 1980s, respectively, have their own pages. Jazz fusion melds the extended improvised solos of traditional jazz with heavily-amplified electric instruments such as electric guitar and electric bass and it also uses synthesizers.

* Music/JimHall: Widely regarded as one of the great guitarists in jazz; avoided the general tendency among 50s jazz guitarists to be super-fast show-offs and instead developed a subtle, thoughtful and highly musical approach which was very influential, especially on later players such as Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny.

* Music/WesMontgomery: One of the most influential jazz guitarists. Taught himself six-string guitar at the extremely late age of 20, although he'd played four-string guitar since 12; played with his thumb, a habit he picked up from practising late at night and not wanting to wake up his sleeping family, which gave him a huge warm tone. Released a string of fine albums between 1958 and 1965, but then largely abandoned jazz for pop-jazz, playing bland instrumental version of pop hits. Died of a heart attack aged 45. Revered by many guitarists, most notably Pat Metheny, who regards Montgomery's 1965 album ''Smokin' at the Half Note'' as the album that taught him how to play.

* Music/KeithJarrett: American pianist who started out playing with Art Blakey and who worked for a while with Music/MilesDavis but who in the 1970s became famous for his extended, rapturous solo concerts in which he would improvise continually for over an hour, incorporating into jazz aspects of classical music, folk, blues, gospel and other genres. The most famous document of this is his classic 1975 album ''The Köln Concert'', which has become the best-selling solo album in jazz history, and deservedly so, as it's both inspired and enormously listenable (provided you're willing to listen to one guy play improvised piano for an hour.) Has gone on to make other solo albums, many of them equally great if not as celebrated, some incorporating more classical influences; has also recorded classical works, and played in a trio format. Has suffered from ill health for years, notably chronic fatigue syndrome, which almost prevented him from playing music at all for a while; is also notably intolerant of audience noise, the point that cough drops are issued to his audiences. His dark skin and Afro-style hair have caused him to be frequently mistaken for an African-American, even by other African-American musicians such as Ornette Coleman, but he's actually of white ethnicity.

!!Notable jazz artists include (note, some of these musicians belong in multiple categories!):

* [[Music/HarryConnickJr Harry Connick, Jr.]]: Mostly known for his vocals, but also excellent on the piano. ''Extremely'' popular -- as in, one of the top 60 best-selling male vocalists in the country. Notable for the Louisiana influence on his music. Also an actor, [[RenaissanceMan among other things]].

Jazz itself probably started out in a small band format in many different cities throughout the US, most famously New Orleans. It became the most popular type of music in the US in its BigBand format (10-30 musicians) during the [[TheRoaringTwenties Twenties]] to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Forties]]. Big bands had large horn section with saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, along with a rhythm section consisting of chordal instruments (piano, guitar, etc), double bass and drums, often along with vocalist and a string section (violins and violas). This large ensemble needed written arrangements and a bandleader, but the soloists still improvised theor solos.

The emphasis also changed back to playing more in jazz clubs and having fewer concerts (with some important exceptions, such as the Newport Jazz Festival). The ascension of pop music and RockAndRoll in TheFifties led to the fading of jazz's popularity. Jazz today has, for the most part, a sizable but 'cult' following. Somewhat amusingly (and probably shockingly to the original founders of the genre), jazz has become "respectable" music thanks to the development of its technical artistry and a sophisticated pedagogical approach; jazz is now taught alongside ClassicalMusic in many university music departments across the US--unheard-of for any other genre.

Jazz has left a deep impression in music. Improvised, extended solos are the primary example of this. Jazz also contributed to the development of musical instruments, most famously the modern drum set, which was largely developed by early jazz musicians. Jazz is one of the most unique cultural contributions that the United States brought to the world, along with RockAndRoll.

JazzFusion and JazzRap, two associated genres that originated in the late 1960s and late 1980s, respectively, have their own pages.

Okay, so that probably didn't help much. But, in our defense, defining jazz really is hard. (Just look at what Website/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz#Definitions has to say about that!]]) So maybe we can just stick with the following: At its heart, jazz is about spontaneity. That usually means improvising, the art of playing (to a greater or lesser extent) without a script and being free to play whatever you like, sometimes without even confines of traditional music structure (which is what Free Jazz is all about).

Jazz started out in the United States in the beginning of the 20th century as 'black music' and is closely related to {{Blues}}, to the extent that many famous jazz compositions can be considered Blues pieces. Since then, there have been different forms of jazz, listed roughly in historical order: New Orleans/Dixieland, Swing/Big Band, Bebop, Cool, Modal, Avant-Garde, Free Jazz, Fusion, Nu Jazz... and this is a very incomplete list.

Jazz itself probably started out in a small band format in many different cities throughout the US, most famously New Orleans. It became the most popular type of music in the US in its BigBand format (10-30 musicians) during the [[TheRoaringTwenties Twenties]] to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Forties]]. Then it evolved into a multitude of different styles, pretty much all of which were played by small bands (duos to octets), starting out with Bebop. The emphasis also changed back to playing more in jazz clubs and having fewer concerts (with some important exceptions, such as the Newport Jazz Festival). The ascension of pop music and RockAndRoll in TheFifties led to the fading of jazz's popularity. Jazz today has, for the most part, a sizable but 'cult' following. Somewhat amusingly (and probably shockingly to the original founders of the genre), jazz has become "respectable" music thanks to the development of technical artistry; jazz is now taught alongside ClassicalMusic in many university music departments across the US--unheard-of for any other genre.

Jazz has left a deep impression in music. Improvised and/or extended solos are the primary example of this. Jazz also contributed to the development of musical instruments, most famously the modern drum set, which was largely developed by early jazz musicians.
Jazz is one of the most unique cultural contributions that the United States brought to the world, along with RockAndRoll.

* Music/BradMehldau: Floridian pianist who started out as a sideman but soon developed his own polyrhythmic style and made a series of albums in the 90s called ''The Art of the Trio'' in which he blended classical-derived technique with improvisation. Particularly known for his interpretations of rock songs: he is a big fan of Music/{{Radiohead}} and has covered several of their songs, but he's also done his own highly creative versions of tracks by Music/TheKinks, Music/StoneTemplePilots, Music/TheVerve, Music/PinkFloyd, Music/MassiveAttack, Music/{{Nirvana}} and Music/TheBeatles -- and that's just on ''one album'' (the admittedly four-disc ''10 Years Solo Live'', which also had room for standards, Mehldau's own compositions and pieces by Creator/JohannesBrahms). Rather than just solo over reharmonised versions of popular songs, he tends to break down the song structure and come up with new variations on the spot; has been acclaimed as the first jazz musician to successfully incorporate post-Music/TheBeatles popular music into jazz. Had a drug problem in the 90s but successfully cleaned up. Very brainy, interested in philosophy and literature, used to get mocked for his literate, ruminative liner notes but has now become a bit of a Living Master. Most recently collaborated with bluegrass mandolinist [[Music/NickelCreek Chris Thile]].

* [[Music/DizzyGillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie]]: Trumpet player and singer from North Carolina, probably the most virtuosic trumpeter in jazz history, known for his brilliant and powerful tone and terrifying speed; Miles Davis devised his own style of playing trumpet precisely because he couldn't play like Gillespie. One of the founding fathers of bebop, wrote many important compositions and also brought Afro-Cuban influences into jazz[[note]]with the help of Chano Pozo, who is mentioned above[[/note]]. Famous for his ebullient and often comic onstage persona, which has harmed his reputation among people who think jazz musicians should never smile; also for his peculiar habit of inflating his cheeks while playing, and for his strangely-shaped trumpet. His tireless gigging and infectious enthusiasm probably did more than anyone else to popularise bebop and establish it as the foundation of mainstream jazz.

* Creator/AnthonyNewley

* Music/JellyRollMorton: New Orleans-style jazz pianist and the genre's first great composer. Also an inveterate braggart who claimed to have single-handedly invented jazz and a BoomerangBigot who frequently insulted darker-skinned musicians while emphasizing the white portion of his mixed-race heritage.[[note]]Also: little-known fact, but his nickname "Jelly Roll" is actually a euphemism for... well, let's just say he's not talking about the pastry.[[/note]]

* Music/JellyRollMorton: New Orleans-style jazz pianist and the genre's first great composer. Also an inveterate braggart who claimed to have single-handedly invented jazz and a BoomerangBigot who frequently insulted darker-skinned musicians while emphasizing the white portion of his mixed-race heritage.

Okay, so that probably didn't help much. But, in our defense, defining jazz really is hard. (Just look at what Wiki/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz#Definitions has to say about that!]]) So maybe we can just stick with the following: At its heart, jazz is about spontaneity. That usually means improvising, the art of playing (to a greater or lesser extent) without a script and being free to play whatever you like, sometimes without even confines of traditional music structure (which is what Free Jazz is all about).

* Music/LesterYoung (nicknamed "Pres"[[note]]Short for "President"[[/note]]): Tenor sax player from Mississippi who came to prominence in Count Basie's band. In many ways the {{Foil}} to Coleman Hawkins; his laid-back, intimate, waaaay-behind-the-beat style was the opposite of Hawkins's driving energy, and was so hugely influential that he is pretty much responsible for the trope of [[{{Sexophone}} romantic saxophone music]]. A close friend and frequent collaborator of Music/BillieHoliday. Shy and introverted, he was jazz's great BunnyEarsLawyer, inventing his own version of hipster slang.[[note]]He famously called everyone "Lady", thereby giving Holiday her nickname "Lady Day". Other examples: "Does madam burn?"=Does your wife cook? "Have eyes"=want, i.e. "I had big eyes for a spot with Basie"=I really wanted to play with Basie. He's even said to have been the first person to use the word "cool" to mean something good or desirable.[[/note]] After a disastrous period of Army service during [=WW2=] he went from being a heavy drinker to a problem drinker, and he died of liver disease aged only 49. Famed for his rumpled sense of style and CoolHat, which gave its name to Charles Mingus's elegy for him, "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat".

** 1969 - ''Music/BitchesBrew''