b. 12 December 1943, Buffalo, New York, USA, d. 17 December 1999, New York City, New York, USA. Growing up in a musical family, Washington was playing tenor saxophone before he was a teenager. He studied formally at the Wurlitzer School of Music in B…

Saxophonist Archie Shepp was one of the key figures in the free-jazz movement of the 1960s. A follower of John Coltrane, Shepp paid tribute to his mentor on 1964's FOUR FOR TRANE. Shepp's approach was marked by fiery improvisations, the incorporation…

George Benson's success as a pop performer has perhaps overshadowed his status as a jazz artist, but beneath the glossy exterior is a guitarist of the highest rank. Similar to his role model, Wes Montgomery, Benson made his mark as a hard-swinging gu…

Through unparalleled ability and judicious choice of repertoire, Ella Fitzgerald became the foremost female interpreter of the 20th-century Great American Popular Song Book. With producer Norman Granz she worked on the "songbook" series, placing on r…

Though Roy Ayers was originally a pianist, his career took off after he picked up the vibraphone in the 1960s. With his group Ubiquity--which featured heavyweights such as Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter--Ayers made some of the finest jazz/funk fusion …

Nina Simone was a great pianist, a riveting vocalist, and an uncompromising personality. Her sociopolitical consciousness and eclecticism set her apart from the pack. Her interpretations of soul, jazz, blues, and standards are both striking and uniqu…

Quincy Jones has been one of the most influential and respected figures in music since the 1950s. His gifts as an arranger and producer have brought him a great deal of success including multi-platinum albums by Michael Jackson, his own high-profile …

Sarah Vaughan's name was synonymous with jazz singing for two generations. She probably ranks as a close second only to Ella Fitzgerald in terms of influence, vocal range, and sheer, consistent brilliance. Her knowledge of bebop, gained during her '4…

Originally known as Betty Bebop from her work with Parker and Gillespie in the 1940s, the singer worked with Miles Davis and Max Roach in the 1950s, but often had trouble finding work due to her complex, demanding style. In the 1970s she started her …

This remarkably versatile group was formed in Houston, Texas, as the Swingsters. During the 50s, Wilton Felder (b. 31 August 1940, Houston, Texas, USA; reeds), Wayne Henderson (b. 24 September 1939, Houston, Texas, USA; trombone), Joe Sample (b. 1 Fe…

Few musicians have managed to change the course of music--trumpeter Miles Davis did it several times. An early disciple of Charlie Parker, Davis created an austere, understated approach that became the model for cool. His superb albums in the 1950s m…

South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela got his start as a teenager in the 1950s, playing in local bands. After years of increasing success, he joined Jazz Epistle Verse 1--the first South African jazz band to make a full-length recording. In 1961…

Keyboardist Bob James is a man who has worn many musical hats. He began as a progressive-jazz pianist in the early 1960s (he even recorded for famed underground avant-garde label ESP). By the '70s, however, he'd incorporated electric keyboards and be…

One of the most open-eared and forward-thinking jazz musicians of his day, Hancock has, more than just about anyone else, consistently tried to broaden the music's horizons by mixing it with the most interesting elements of contemporary pop. Hancock …

Though he was a late bloomer (he didn't start playing organ until age 28), Jimmy Smith is the single most influential figure in the history of jazz organ. He was the pioneering force in making the organ a lead instrument. And while he had bebop chops…

b. Bakersfield, California, USA. Benoit gained an early appreciation of music from his parents, who played guitar and piano. He began piano lessons at the age of 14, by which time he was steeped in the influences of both Ramsey Lewis and Henry Mancin…

Earth, Wind & Fire was the brainchild of musical Renaissance man Maurice White, a successful ex-session drummer who recorded with everyone from Chuck Berry to John Coltrane. Essentially an R&B group, Earth, Wind & Fire expanded its sound to include e…

From 12-year-old multi-instrumentalist prodigy to groundbreaking adult songwriter and producer, Stevie Wonder is one of the handful of pop musicians who just about everybody agrees is possessed of genius. His 1960s recordings were great straight-up R…

b. Joseph Leslie Sample, 1 February 1939, Houston, Texas, USA. While still at high school, Sample co-founded a group that would dominate his working life. Known from 1960 as the Jazz Crusaders, the band, with its core of Sample on piano, Wayne Hender…

Vince Guaraldi, the blithe and swinging pianist who will forever be associated with a certain bald-headed cartoon character, paid his dues in the storied haunts of the 1950s jazz scene. Working as an intermission pianist for Art Tatum and a sideman f…