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Category: Jazz
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Coleman Hawkins
About Coleman Randolph Hawkins, nicknamed “Hawk” and sometimes “Bean”, was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. One of the first prominent jazz musicians on his instrument, as Joachim E. Berendt explained: “there were some tenor players before him, but the instrument was not an acknowledged jazz horn”. Hawkins biographer John Chilton described the prevalent styles of…
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Charlie Parker
About Charles Parker Jr., nicknamed “Bird” or “Yardbird”, was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader, and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form of jazz characterized by fast tempos, virtuosic technique, and advanced harmonies. He was a virtuoso and introduced revolutionary rhythmic and harmonic ideas…
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Jimmie Lunceford
About James Melvin Lunceford was an American jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader in the swing era. Albums/Songs: Jimmie Lunceford: Volume 4 1936 – 1937 Complete Edition For Dancers Only Harlem Shout The Classic Tracks Classic Jazz Archive: Jimmie Lunceford Strictly Lunceford Big Bands: Jimmie Lunceford Jimmie Lunceford – New York – Los Angeles – 1934…
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Charlie Christian
About Charles Henry Christian was an American swing and jazz guitarist. He was among the first electric guitarists and was a key figure in the development of bebop and cool jazz. He gained national exposure as a member of the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra from August 1939 to June 1941. His single-string technique, combined…
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Sarah Vaughan
About Sarah Lois Vaughan was an American jazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed “Sassy” and “The Divine One”, she won two Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards. She was given an NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. Critic Scott Yanow wrote that she had “one…
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Dinah Washington
About Dinah Washington was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of “Queen of the Blues”. She was a…
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Dizzy Gillespie
About John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of…
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Paul Whiteman
About Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist. Albums/Songs: The Chronological Classics: Bix Beiderbecke with Paul Whiteman 1927-1928 Sweet and Low Down: Vol. 3, Original 1925-1928 Recordings Greatest Hits The Chronological Classics: Bix Beiderbecke with Paul Whiteman 1928-1929 50th Anniversary The Night I Played 666 Fifth Avenue Cavalcade of Music…
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Tommy Dorsey
About Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the “Sentimental Gentleman of Swing” because of his smooth-toned trombone playing. His theme song was “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You”. His technical skill on the trombone gave him renown among other musicians.…
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Art Tatum
About Arthur Tatum Jr. was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest ever. From early in his career, fellow musicians acclaimed Tatum’s technical ability as extraordinary. Tatum also extended jazz piano’s vocabulary and boundaries far beyond his initial stride influences, and established new ground through innovative use of reharmonization,…