Name | Occupation | Birth | Death | Known for |
Red Allen |
Jazz Musician |
7-Jan-1908 |
17-Apr-1967 |
Jazz trumpeter |
Chet Baker |
Jazz Musician |
23-Dec-1929 |
13-May-1988 |
Jazz trumpeter, The Chet Baker Quartet |
Count Basie |
Pianist |
21-Aug-1904 |
26-Apr-1984 |
Big band pianist |
Sidney Bechet |
Jazz Musician |
14-May-1897 |
14-May-1959 |
Jazz saxophonist |
Bix Beiderbecke |
Jazz Musician |
10-Mar-1903 |
6-Aug-1931 |
Celebrated jazz cornetist |
Tex Beneke |
Musician |
12-Feb-1914 |
30-May-2000 |
Saxophonist, The Glenn Miller Orchestra |
Tony Bennett |
Singer |
3-Aug-1926 |
|
Left his heart in San Francisco |
Bunny Berigan |
Jazz Musician |
2-Nov-1908 |
2-Jun-1942 |
Jazz trumpeter great |
Eubie Blake |
Jazz Musician |
7-Feb-1883 |
12-Feb-1983 |
Ragtime jazz pianist |
Buddy Bolden |
Jazz Musician |
6-Sep-1877 |
4-Nov-1931 |
Ragtime, pre-Jazz cornetist |
Les Brown |
Musician |
14-Mar-1912 |
4-Jan-2001 |
Les Brown and his Band of Renown |
Cab Calloway |
Jazz Musician |
25-Dec-1907 |
18-Nov-1994 |
King of Hi-De-Ho |
Benny Carter |
Jazz Musician |
8-Aug-1907 |
12-Jul-2003 |
Jazz and big bandleader |
Betty Carter |
Singer |
16-May-1929 |
26-Sep-1998 |
Jazz vocalist |
Big Sid Catlett |
Jazz Musician |
10-Jan-1910 |
25-Mar-1951 |
Jazz/swing drummer |
Kenny Clarke |
Drummer |
9-Jan-1914 |
26-Jan-1985 |
Droppin' Bombs |
Don Cornell |
Singer |
21-Apr-1919 |
23-Feb-2004 |
Big band singer, It Isn't Fair |
Paul Desmond |
Jazz Musician |
25-Nov-1924 |
30-May-1977 |
Jazz alto saxophonist, Dave Brubeck Quartet |
Roy Eldridge |
Jazz Musician |
30-Jan-1911 |
26-Feb-1989 |
Swing-era jazz trumpeter |
Duke Ellington |
Jazz Musician |
29-Apr-1899 |
24-May-1974 |
It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing |
Bill Evans |
Jazz Musician |
16-Aug-1929 |
15-Sep-1980 |
Jazz pianist |
Ella Fitzgerald |
Singer |
25-Apr-1917 |
15-Jun-1996 |
The First Lady of Jazz |
Erroll Garner |
Jazz Musician |
15-Jun-1921 |
2-Jan-1977 |
Misty |
Stan Getz |
Jazz Musician |
2-Feb-1927 |
6-Jun-1991 |
Jazz tenor saxophonist |
Dexter Gordon |
Jazz Musician |
27-Feb-1923 |
25-Apr-1990 |
Influential bop saxophonist |
Bobby Hackett |
Jazz Musician |
31-Jan-1915 |
7-Jun-1976 |
Played with Glenn Miller, Jackie Gleason |
W. C. Handy |
Composer |
16-Nov-1873 |
29-Mar-1958 |
Father of the Blues |
Woody Herman |
Jazz Musician |
16-May-1913 |
29-Oct-1987 |
1940s Big Band leader, jazz clarinetist |
Earl Hines |
Jazz Musician |
28-Dec-1903 |
22-Apr-1983 |
Everything Depends on You |
Johnny Hodges |
Jazz Musician |
25-Jul-1907 |
11-May-1970 |
Jazz alto saxophonist |
Lena Horne |
Singer |
30-Jun-1917 |
9-May-2010 |
Stormy Weather |
Freddie Hubbard |
Jazz Musician |
7-Apr-1938 |
29-Dec-2008 |
Hard-bop jazz trumpet soloist |
Alberta Hunter |
Singer |
1-Apr-1895 |
17-Oct-1984 |
Downhearted Blues |
Milt Jackson |
Jazz Musician |
1-Jan-1923 |
9-Oct-1999 |
Vibrophonist, The Modern Jazz Quartet |
J. J. Johnson |
Jazz Musician |
22-Jan-1924 |
4-Feb-2001 |
Jazz trombonist |
James P. Johnson |
Jazz Musician |
01-Feb-1894 |
17-Nov-1955 |
The father of stride piano |
Hank Jones |
Jazz Musician |
31-Jul-1918 |
16-May-2010 |
Jazz Piano Luminary |
Sammy Kaye |
Musician |
13-Mar-1910 |
2-Jun-1987 |
Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye |
Stan Kenton |
Jazz Musician |
15-Dec-1911 |
25-Aug-1979 |
Jazz bandleader |
Barney Kessel |
Guitarist |
17-Oct-1923 |
6-May-2004 |
Be-bop guitarist |
Jimmie Lunceford |
Jazz Musician |
6-Jun-1902 |
13-Jul-1947 |
Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra |
Jimmy McPartland |
Jazz Musician |
15-May-1907 |
13-Mar-1991 |
Chicago jazz cornetist |
Marian McPartland |
Jazz Musician |
20-Mar-1918 |
|
Piano Jazz |
Wes Montgomery |
Jazz Musician |
6-Mar-1925 |
15-Jun-1968 |
Superb jazz guitarist |
Jelly Roll Morton |
Jazz Musician |
20-Oct-1890 |
10-Jul-1941 |
Jazz composer, pianist |
Gerry Mulligan |
Jazz Musician |
6-Apr-1927 |
20-Jan-1996 |
Greatest jazz baritonist of all time |
Red Nichols |
Jazz Musician |
8-May-1905 |
28-Jun-1965 |
Red Nichols and His Five Pennies |
Jimmie Noone |
Jazz Musician |
23-Apr-1895 |
19-Apr-1944 |
New Orleans jazz clarinetist |
Red Norvo |
Jazz Musician |
31-Mar-1908 |
6-Apr-1999 |
Jazz xylophonist |
Kid Ory |
Jazz Musician |
25-Dec-1886 |
23-Jan-1973 |
Trombonist, Ory's Creole Jazz Band |
Oscar Peterson |
Jazz Musician |
15-Aug-1925 |
24-Dec-2007 |
Maharajah of the keyboard |
Oscar Pettiford |
Jazz Musician |
30-Sep-1922 |
8-Sep-1960 |
Jazz double bassist |
Louis Prima |
Singer |
7-Dec-1910 |
24-Aug-1978 |
King of the Swingers |
Django Reinhardt |
Jazz Musician |
23-Jan-1910 |
16-May-1953 |
Gypsy jazz guitarist |
Shorty Rogers |
Jazz Musician |
14-Apr-1924 |
7-Nov-1994 |
Shorty Rogers and His Giants |
Jimmy Rushing |
Singer |
26-Aug-1901 |
8-Jun-1972 |
Mr. Five By Five |
Pee Wee Russell |
Jazz Musician |
27-Mar-1906 |
15-Feb-1969 |
Jazz clarinet virtuoso |
Artie Shaw |
Musician |
23-May-1910 |
30-Dec-2004 |
Clarinetist, big band leader |
Wayne Shorter |
Jazz Musician |
25-Aug-1933 |
|
Influential sax player and jazz composer |
Horace Silver |
Jazz Musician |
2-Sep-1928 |
|
Song For My Father |
Willie "The Lion" Smith |
Jazz Musician |
25-Nov-1897 |
18-Apr-1973 |
Stride pianist, Finger Buster |
Muggsy Spanier |
Jazz Musician |
9-Nov-1906 |
12-Feb-1967 |
Muggsy Spanier and His Ragtime Band |
Sonny Stitt |
Jazz Musician |
2-Feb-1924 |
22-Jul-1982 |
Jazz saxophonist |
Art Tatum |
Jazz Musician |
13-Oct-1909 |
5-Nov-1956 |
Greatest jazz pianist of all time |
Billy Taylor |
Jazz Musician |
24-Jul-1921 |
28-Dec-2010 |
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free |
Jack Teagarden |
Jazz Musician |
20-Aug-1905 |
15-Jan-1964 |
Virtuoso trombonist and jazz bandleader |
Dinah Washington |
Singer |
29-Aug-1924 |
14-Dec-1963 |
Queen of the Blues |
Lawrence Welk |
Conductor |
11-Mar-1903 |
17-May-1992 |
Big band leader, TV champagne music host |
Paul Whiteman |
Musician |
28-Mar-1890 |
29-Dec-1967 |
The King of Jazz |
Cootie Williams |
Jazz Musician |
10-Jul-1910 |
15-Sep-1985 |
Cootie Williams and His Orchestra |
Joe Williams |
Singer |
12-Dec-1918 |
29-Mar-1999 |
Baritone jazz vocalist |
Nancy Wilson |
Singer |
20-Feb-1937 |
|
Jazz and pop diva |
Lester Young |
Jazz Musician |
27-Aug-1909 |
15-Mar-1959 |
Jazz tenor saxophoneist |