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- Tyler Alderson
- Keith Jarrett. In the 20th Century, not many musicians turned down a chance to study with music teacher and conductor Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Not many people, that is, except pianist Keith Jarrett, who made that decision in 1962 when he was 17, and (almost) never looked back.
- John(ny) Williams. In 1959, a young jazz pianist joined Henry Mancini’s band to record the theme for the TV show Peter Gunn. Johnny Williams, also billed as “John Towner Williams,” already had a trio of albums under his belt and would go on to play piano for the films West Side Story and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
- John McLaughlin. It might be easier to talk about the genres that John McLaughlin hasn’t tried out. He started out as a guitarist in London’s burgeoning jazz scene, but frequently dipped his toes into rock, blues, and R&B.
- Hazel Scott. Having started at Juilliard at the tender age of 8, pianist Hazel Scott had made a name for herself by the time she was a teenager in the mid-1930s, playing on national radio and alongside Count Basie’s famous orchestra.
Where classical meets jazz: pianist Bill Laurance selects five timeless albums where iconic jazz musicians crossed over into classical.
- Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra – Mood Indigo
- Norah Jones – The Nearness of You
- Johnny Mathis – Misty
- Julie London – Cry Me A River
- Brother Bones and His Shadows – Sweet Georgia Brown
- Diana Krall – The Look of Love
- George Shearing – Lullaby of Birdland
- Ahmad Jamal – Poinciana
- Jimmy Smith – Organ Grinder Swing
- Modern Jazz Quartet – Django
According to Duke Ellington’s biographer, “Mood Indigo” is “an imperishable classic” and who are we to disagree? With lrving Mills having added the lyric, this remarkable 1930 standard has since been covered by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Joe Jackson, and Kelly Hogan.
The concluding song from jazz/pop fusionist Norah Jones’ multi-million-selling 2002 debut Come Away With Me, this Hoagy Carmichael standard was first recorded by the Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1940.
With his lush velvet croon, Johnny Mathis became a world-conquering pop idol in the late 1950s. One of his biggest jazz songs was the romantic interpretation he gave to pianist Erroll Garner’s evergreen ballad “Misty” in 1959, which reached No. 12 in the US charts.
Over 500 renditions of this classic Arthur Hamilton-penned ballad exist, which all followed in the wake of torch song specialist Julie London’s original version recorded in 1955. The jazz song gained wider exposure after London was featured singing it in the 1956 hit movie, The Girl Can’t Help It.
This tune has been covered by plenty of jazz luminaries, Art Tatum, Bud Powell, and Django Reinhart included. The most famous version, however, is by Brother Bones and His Shadows. It’s played every time the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team takes the court.
Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s patient bossa nova is the perfect canvas for the gorgeous voice of Diana Krall, one of the greatest modern jazz vocalists. The song has been covered countless times, but Krall’s restrained delivery is a master class in doing a lot with a little.
Blind from birth, London-born pianist George Shearingreaped acclaim in America in the late 1940s and early 50s with his mix of swing and bebop; it was a unique sound crystallized by “Lullaby of Birdland,” a jazz song originally written in 1952 to advertise the famous New York club with the same name.
A pianist with a delicate touch from Pittsburgh, Ahmad Jamal‘s name is synonymous with “Poinciana,” an obscure 1930s pop song that became both a hit single and the cornerstone of his 1958 million-selling LP, At The Pershing: But Not For Me.
Hammond organ hero Jimmy Smithbroke into the US Hot 100 in 1965 when he teamed up with guitarist Kenny Burrell and drummer Grady Tate to record this punchy, blues-infused instrumental. It’s the musical equivalent of soul food.
Distinguished by Milt Jackson’s crystalline vibes sound, the Modern Jazz Quartet’s elegant chamber jazz style is epitomized by this haunting 1954 instrumental, written by the band’s pianist John Lewis as a homage to his friend, jazz guitar great Django Reinhardt, who had died the previous year.
- Charles Waring
- Elmer Bernstein: The Man With The Golden Arm (1956) One of the quintessential “jazz noir” soundtracks of the 50s was this one, which tops our chart of the 25 best jazz soundtracks you should own.
- Miles Davis: Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud (1958) Translating as Lift To The Scaffold (or Frantic, outside of France), this was director Louis Malle’s 1958 movie adaptation of a French crime novel which starred Jeanne Moreau and Maurice Ronet as lovers who conspire to kill Moreau’s husband, and then face some sobering consequences.
- Michel Legrand: The Thomas Crown Affair (1968) Rarely have moving images and music enjoyed such a harmonious and symbiotic relationship as exhibited in Legrand’s stunning score to Norman Jewson’s 1968 caper about a bored but affluent playboy businessman (Steve McQueen) who plans bank heists just for the thrill of outsmarting the cops.
- Charlie Parker: Bird (1988) Clint Eastwood’s acclaimed biopic about the short but eventful life of bebop architect Charlie “Bird” Parker (admirably acted by Forest Whitaker, who learned to play alto saxophone for the role and picked up a Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival), was accompanied by a soundtrack that, for the sake of high-quality audio, ingeniously recorded new backing tracks to accompany authentic Parker solos.
Jazz was not something exclusive for black and American people. Chet Baker, Gerry Mulligan and Dave Brubeck were amongst many white, middle-class male Jazz musicians. In Cinema, Jazz first became popular for its association with Noir movies. Dark lights, shadows, mystery and underground environment were a perfect context for jazz musique.
Get ready to relax and unwind to the best jazz music of all time! Our Top 100+ Jazz Classics Playlist features the greatest hits from legendary artists like ...
Oct 12, 2022 · Jazz ensembles are led by a bandleader; classical orchestras are led by a conductor. Each genre has its own rich history. Over the course of centuries, classical music gradually evolved from its origins in medieval, renaissance and baroque music.
