Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter (August 25, 1933 – March 2, 2023) was an American jazz musician, composer, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most important and influential people in the history of modern jazz. During his career, which lasted over 60 years, he won 12 Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize.
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He began his career playing with trumpeter Donald Byrd’s group. Later, he joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped change the way the rhythm section worked in jazz and was one of the main creators of the post-bop sound.
Chet Baker
Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American musician who played the trumpet and sang in jazz music. He helped create a new style of jazz called cool jazz, which earned him the nickname “Prince of Cool.” During the 1950s, Baker gained attention and praise for his recordings, including the albums Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958).
Jelly Roll Morton
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (born Lemott, later known as Morton; around September 20, 1890–July 10, 1941), professionally called Jelly Roll Morton, was an American blues and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole heritage. Morton was the first person to arrange jazz music, showing that a style based on spontaneous playing could still keep its main features when written down. His piece “Jelly Roll Blues,” published in 1915, was one of the earliest jazz compositions ever printed.
Fats Waller
Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. He helped create the Harlem stride style, which became important for modern jazz piano. He was a famous performer during the jazz and swing eras, traveling around the world and achieving success in the United States and Europe.
Stan Getz
Stan Getz, born Stanley Gayetski on February 2, 1927, and died on June 6, 1991, was an American jazz saxophonist. He mainly played the tenor saxophone and was called “The Sound” because of his warm, musical tone. His main influence was the soft and rich sound of his idol, Lester Young.
Glenn Miller
Alton Glen “Glenn” Miller (March 1, 1904 – December 15, 1944) was an American big band leader, arranger, composer, trombonist, and recording artist before and during World War II, when he served as an officer in the US Army Air Forces. His civilian band, Glenn Miller and his Orchestra, was one of the most popular and successful bands of the 20th century and the big-band era. Glenn Miller and his Orchestra was the best-selling recording band from 1939 to 1942.
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David Goodman was born on May 30, 1909, and died on June 13, 1986. He was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader, known as the “King of Swing.” His orchestra was successful in business. From 1935 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States.
Count Basie
William James “Count” Basie (pronounced /ˈbeɪsi/; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he created the Count Basie Orchestra. In 1936, he took the group to Chicago for a long performance and their first recording.
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Lois Vaughan (born March 27, 1924; died April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She was known by the nicknames “Sassy,” “The Divine One,” and “Queen of Bebop.” Vaughan won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards. In 1989, she received an NEA Jazz Masters Award.