Mike Stern
Mike Stern (born Michael Sedgwick, January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. He played with the band Blood, Sweat & Tears, then worked with drummer Billy Cobham. Later, he joined trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985.
John Scofield
John Scofield was born on December 26, 1951. He is an American guitarist and composer. His music combines jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul, and rock.
Pat Metheny
Patrick Bruce Metheny (pronounced “muh-THEE-nee”; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He led the Pat Metheny Group from 1977 to 2010 and continues to perform in small groups, duets, and solo performances, as well as other projects. His music includes parts from progressive and contemporary jazz, Latin jazz, and jazz fusion.
Gary Burton
Gary Burton (born January 23, 1943) is an American retired jazz musician who plays the vibraphone, composes music, and teaches. Burton created a new way of playing the vibraphone using four mallets instead of the usual two. This method made him recognized as an innovator, and his playing style and techniques are often copied by others.
Paul Bley
Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016), was a Canadian jazz pianist who helped develop the free jazz movement in the 1960s. He made important changes to how trios play music and was among the first to perform live using the Moog and ARP synthesizers. Music writer Ben Ratliff from the New York Times called his work “deeply original and unusual.” Bley created many recordings from the 1950s up until his solo piano recordings in the 2000s.
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and sometimes played percussion. His songs “Spain,” “500 Miles High,” “La Fiesta,” “Armando’s Rhumba,” and “Windows” are considered important pieces in jazz. As part of the Miles Davis band in the late 1960s, Corea helped create jazz fusion.
Keith Jarrett
Keith Jarrett was born on May 8, 1945. He is an American pianist and composer. He began his career playing with Art Blakey.
Fred Hersch
Fred Hersch was born on October 21, 1955. He is an American jazz pianist and composer who has been nominated for a Grammy Award 17 times. He was the first person to perform for a week as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City.
Geri Allen
Geri Antoinette Allen was born on June 12, 1957, and passed away on June 27, 2017. She was an American jazz pianist, composer, and teacher. She worked as a teacher at the University of Michigan and the University of Pittsburgh.
Myra Melford
Myra Melford was born on January 5, 1957. She is an American jazz pianist and composer known for her innovative style. In 2013, she received a Guggenheim Fellowship, an honor given to individuals who show exceptional talent.