The Best Jazz Artists of All Time

There are several jazz artists that are highly regarded as some of the best. These include Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, and Nat King Cole. Other well-known musicians considered to be among the best include Frank Sinatra, Bud Powell, and Pat Metheny. Read on to learn more about them!

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra has arguably been the most important American musical figure of the 20th century. He has impacted millions of lives and has provided a soundtrack for half a century. However, the artist's personal motivations are largely undefined.

As a child, Sinatra came from a middle-class family in Hoboken, New Jersey. His father was a Sicilian fireman. His mother was an abortionist. Upon emigrating to the United States, Sinatra had strong ties to Hoboken.

Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock is one of the greatest jazz artists of the 20th century. His music is a powerful force that continues to influence jazz today. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and has won multiple Grammy Awards.

But, more than just a musician, he is a humanitarian who advocates for a better future. And, with his latest album, Then and Now: The Definitive Herbie Hancock, he has released a new collection of his own work.

Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole is one of the most popular jazz artists of the twentieth century. He had a very successful career that was cut short by lung cancer at the age of 45. Yet, he left behind a rich and impressive recorded legacy.

Nat Cole was a pianist and singer with an incredible voice. His first recording was in 1936. Soon after, he joined the road company of "Shuffle Along," a revue that featured jazz stars. It was there that he met dancer Nadine. To know more about the best jazz artists click here.

Sonny Rollins

Sonny Rollins is one of the most influential jazz artists of all time. His work spans eight decades of music history. He has collaborated with many musicians, including Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Jackie McLean, Sonny Clark, and many more. In the past, Rollins has won a Grammy, a National Medal of Arts, and a Lifetime Achievement Award.

A master of melodicism, Rollins has a command of arcane ballads as well as explosive phrases. His improvisations are a stream of brilliant ideas, with motivic development that's intricate, rhapsodic, and often sardonic.

Art Blakey

Art Blakey was a jazz drummer and bandleader. His drumming was strong and authoritative but also extroverted and charismatic. He was also a great storyteller. When he was younger, Art Taylor worked as a valet for the legendary Chick Webb.

He later joined the Dizzy Gillespie big band. It was there that he learned how to play drums. At age 13, he began working full-time. The owner of the Democratic Club forced him to switch to drums.

Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny is one of the most renowned jazz artists in the world today. His career spans over four decades. He is a master of the guitar and has a style that incorporates both traditional and modern elements.

As a result, he has achieved a mellow, experimental sound. In the early years of his career, Pat Metheny was influenced by guitarists such as Wes Montgomery. He studied music at the University of Miami and Berklee College of Music.

Bud Powell

The Harlem-born pianist Bud Powell ignited the bebop jazz scene in the late 1940s. His fluid style combined melodic invention with harmonic ingenuity. This approach helped shape the genre and influenced many jazz pianists who came after.

In addition to his playing, Powell wrote several acclaimed compositions. One of the most famous is "Un Poco Loco," a prescient jazz piece that blends Afro-Cuban influences into bebop idioms.

Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is a trumpeter, band leader, and music educator. He has over sixty albums to his name and has been recognized as one of the world's best classical and jazz artists. Wynton Marsalis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on October 18, 1961.

His father, a pianist, was his music teacher. When he was six years old, he began playing the trumpet. He joined the Fairview Baptist Church's band, led by legendary banjoist Danny Barker.

Hugh Ragin

Hugh Ragin is a classically trained trumpeter with a healthy dose of modernism. He's been a fixture in the Chicago free jazz scene for nearly four decades. Aside from his own contributions, Ragin has worked with Sun Ra, Anthony Braxton, Dizzy Gillespie, Maynard Ferguson, and David Murray.

He's also been an educator and a composer. Along the way, Ragin has earned a number of prestigious awards, including the honor of being named a fellow by the Jazz Hall of Fame.