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  In a Silent Way is a studio album by the Americanjazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleaderMiles Davis, released on July 30, 1969, onColumbia Records. Produced byTeo Macero, the album was recorded in one session date on February 18, 1969, atCBS 30th Street Studio inNew York City. Macero edited and arranged Davis's recordings from the session to produce the album. Marking the beginning of his"electric" period,In a Silent Way has been regarded by music writers as Davis's firstfusion recording, following a stylistic shift toward the genre in his previous records and live performances.
  
  Upon its release, the album was met by controversy among music critics, particularly those of jazz androck music, who were divided in their reaction to its experimental musical structure and Davis's electric approach. Since its initial reception, it has been regarded by fans and critics as one of Davis's greatest and most influential works. In 2001, Columbia Legacy andSony Music released the three-disc box setThe Complete In a Silent Way Sessions, which includes additional tracks. (Full article...)
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  Musical improvisation (also known asmusical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment")musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions andinstrumental technique as well as spontaneous response to other musicians. Sometimes musical ideas in improvisation are spontaneous, but may be based onchord changes inclassical music and many other kinds of music. One definition is a "performance given extempore without planning or preparation". Another definition is to "play or sing (music) extemporaneously, by inventingvariations on a melody or creating new melodies, rhythms and harmonies".Encyclopædia Britannica defines it as "the extemporaneous composition or free performance of a musical passage, usually in a manner conforming to certain stylistic norms but unfettered by the prescriptive features of a specific musical text." Improvisation is often done within (or based on) a pre-existing harmonic framework orchord progression. Improvisation is a major part of some types of 20th-century music, such asblues,rock music,jazz, andjazz fusion, in which instrumental performers improvise solos, melody lines and accompaniment parts.
  
  Throughout the eras of theWestern art music tradition, including theMedieval,Renaissance,Baroque,Classical, andRomantic periods, improvisation was a valued skill.J. S. Bach,Handel,Mozart,Beethoven,Chopin,Liszt, and many other famous composers and musicians were known especially for their improvisational skills. Improvisation might have played an important role in the monophonic period. The earliest treatises onpolyphony, such as theMusica enchiriadis (ninth century), indicate that added parts were improvised for centuries before the first notated examples. However, it was only in the fifteenth century that theorists began making a hard distinction between improvised and written music. (Full article...)
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  Speak No Evil is the sixth album byWayne Shorter. It was released in June 1966 byBlue Note Records. The music combines elements ofhard bop andmodal jazz, and features Shorter on tenor saxophone, trumpeterFreddie Hubbard, pianistHerbie Hancock, bassistRon Carter and drummerElvin Jones. The cover photo is of Shorter's first wife, Teruko (Irene) Nakagami, whom he met in 1961. (Full article...)
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  1980 is astudio album by American singer-songwriterGil Scott-Heron and keyboardistBrian Jackson. Their ninth album together, it was recorded from August to October 1979 during a period of creative tension between the two musicians and released in February 1980 byArista Records.
  
  Scott-Heron and Jackson produced1980 withMalcolm Cecil and performed with a host of studio musicians, including drummerHarvey Mason, guitaristMarlo Henderson, and trombonistBill Watrous. They incorporated sounds from contemporary pop music, such asdisco,dance, andnew wave, into their establishedjazz-funk style. Jacksonarranged the songs and played a number of instruments, including Cecil'sTONTO synthesizer, which was featured in the album's cover photo. Scott-Heron's lyrics explore contemporary concerns in US society, such asnuclear power andracism, as well as pressures in life and fear of the future. Several songs address theidealism held amongAfrican Americans amid the decliningBlack Power movement. (Full article...)
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  Ajazz band (jazz ensemble orjazz combo) is amusical ensemble that playsjazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of arhythm section and ahorn section.
  
  The size of a jazz band is closely related to the style of jazz they play as well as the type of venues in which they play. Smaller jazz bands, also known ascombos, are common in night clubs and other small venues and will be made up of three to seven musicians; whereasbig bands are found in dance halls and other larger venues. (Full article...)
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  Live in Tokyo is alive album by the Americanjazz trumpeter-composerCharles Tolliver and his quartet Music Inc. Their fifth album overall, it was recorded on December 7, 1973, atYubinchokin Hall in Tokyo during Tolliver and Music Inc.'s first tour of Japan. The quartet – featuring the pianistStanley Cowell, the bassistClint Houston, and Clifford Barbaro on drums – played the show in mostly fast tempo and performed three of Tolliver's original compositions, along with aballad composed by Cowell and theThelonious Monk standard "'Round Midnight".
  
  Produced by Tolliver,Live in Tokyo was released about a year after the concert onLP byStrata-East Records, hisindependent record label. It was later reissued onCD and compiled by theMosaic label for a three-disc box set of Music Inc.'s live recordings from that same period, titledMosaic Select. Critics have received the Tokyo disc favorably, giving praise to the quartet's passionatepost-bop andhard bop performances. Their innovativeinterpretation of the Monk piece was highlighted in particular, although some reviewers questioned the sound quality throughout the recordings. (Full article...)
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  Dixieland jazz, also referred to astraditional jazz,hot jazz, or simplyDixieland, is a style ofjazz based on the music that developed inNew Orleans at the start of the 20th century. The 1917 recordings by theOriginal Dixieland Jass Band fostered awareness of this new style of music. (Full article...)
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  "Amar pelos dois" (Portuguese pronunciation:[ɐˈmaɾp(e)luʒˈðojʃ]; English: "To Love for the Both of Us") is a song recorded by Portuguese singerSalvador Sobral. The song was written and produced by his sisterLuísa Sobral and released fordigital download as a single on 10 March 2017 by Sons em Trânsito. It premiered earlier that year, on 19 February, when it was performed during the first semi-final ofFestival da Canção 2017.
  
  "Amar pelos dois" is ajazz waltz with the lyrical theme ofheartbreak after a breakup. The track received praise frommusic critics. The song earned the Sobral siblings various awards, including twoMarcel Bezençon Awards. The track achieved commercial success, particularly in Europe, reaching the top ten in several countries. It was certifiedplatinum by theAssociação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP). Sobral has performed "Amar pelos dois" at his international tours. It is included in theEuropean Union Songbook as the all-time topPortugueselove song, and it is listed in theGuinness World Records. The song has been covered by several artists. (Full article...)
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  Thesaxophone (often referred to colloquially as thesax) is a type ofsingle-reedwoodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made ofbrass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when areed on amouthpiece vibrates to produce a sound wave inside the instrument's body. Thepitch is controlled by opening and closing holes in the body to change the effective length of the tube. The holes are closed by leather pads attached to keys operated by the player. Saxophones are made in various sizes and are almost always treated astransposing instruments. A person who plays the saxophone is called asaxophonist orsaxist.
  
  The saxophone is used in a wide range of musical styles includingclassical music (such asconcert bands,chamber music,solo repertoire, and occasionallyorchestras),military bands,marching bands,jazz (such asbig bands and jazz combos), and contemporary music. The saxophone is also used as a solo and melody instrument or as a member of ahorn section in some styles ofrock and roll andpopular music. (Full article...)
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  TheGrammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female was an honor presented at theGrammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for qualityjazz vocal performances (songs or albums). Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
  
  Prior to 1981, the gender-neutral category ofBest Jazz Vocal Performance existed. The first award specifically for female performances was presented toElla Fitzgerald in 1981 for the albumA Perfect Match. The category remained unchanged until 1985, when it was combined with the award forBest Jazz Vocal Performance, Male and presented in the genderless category. Gender-specific awards were once again presented from 1986 until 1991. In 1992, the two categories were combined and presented as the category Best Jazz Vocal Performance. This category was later renamed to Best Jazz Vocal Album beginning in 2001. While the gender-specific award has not been presented since the category merge in 1992, an official confirmation of its retirement has not been announced. (Full article...)
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  Kind of Blue is astudio album by Americanjazz musicianMiles Davis, released on August 17, 1959, byColumbia Records. For this album, Davis led asextet featuring saxophonistsJohn Coltrane andJulian "Cannonball" Adderley, pianistBill Evans, bassistPaul Chambers, and drummerJimmy Cobb, with new band pianistWynton Kelly replacing Evans on "Freddie Freeloader". The album was recorded at Columbia's30th Street Studio in New York City in two sessions on March 2 and April 22, 1959.
  
  Influenced in part by Evans, who had been a member of the ensemble in 1958 and was called back for this album, Davis departed further from his earlyhard bop style in favor of greater experimentation withmusical modes, as on the title track of his previous album,Milestones (1958). BasingKind of Blue entirely onmodality, Davis gave each performer a set of scales that encompassed the parameters of their improvisation and style and consequently more creative freedom with melodies; Coltrane later expanded on this modal approach in his own solo career. (Full article...)
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  Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) orMoldejazz (established 1961 inMolde Municipality, Norway) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldestjazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1964 it has received government support, and the governmentBuddy Award was for several years awarded at this festival. To the extent Molde festival operates with records, is probably the bassistBjørn Kjellemyr holder of "Most festivals in a row" musicians record. In 2015 he visits Moldejazz for the 17th time in row as performer. Two club gigs withDag Arnesen's band is on the program for the versatile bassist.Guttorm Guttormsen (1974),Jon Balke (1975),Karin Krog (1978),Knut Riisnæs (1984),Terje Rypdal (1985, 1986, 1988) andJon Eberson (1987, 1989) are among the artists he has visited Moldejazz through the years. (Full article...)
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  Ajazz club is avenue where the primary entertainment is the performance of livejazz music, although some jazz clubs primarily focus on the study and/or promotion of jazz-music. Jazz clubs are usually a type ofnightclub or bar, which is licensed to sell alcoholic beverages. Jazz clubs were in large rooms in the eras ofOrchestral jazz andbig band jazz, when bands were large and often augmented by astring section. Large rooms were also more common in the Swing era, because at that time, jazz was popular as adance music, so the dancers needed space to move. With the transition to 1940s-era styles likeBebop and later styles such assoul jazz, small combos of musicians such asquartets andtrios were mostly used, and the music became more of a music to listen to, rather than a form of dance music. As a result, smaller clubs with small stages became practical.
  
  In the 2000s, jazz clubs may be found in thebasements of largerresidential buildings, instorefront locations or in the upper floors of retail businesses. They can be rather small compared to other music venues, such asrock music clubs, reflecting the intimate atmosphere of jazz shows and long-term decline in popular interest in jazz. Despite being called "clubs", these venues are usually not exclusive. Some clubs, however, have acover charge if a live band is playing. Some jazz clubs host "jam sessions" after hours or on early evenings of the week. At jam sessions, both professional musicians and amateurs will typically share the stage. (Full article...)
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  TheGrammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance was an award given to a song or album for excellence in the jazz fusion genre, a combination of rock and jazz. It was given at the Grammy Awards, which began in 1958 under the name Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories are presented at the ceremony annually by theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regard to album sales or chart position".
  
  Originally called theGrammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance, Vocal or Instrumental, the award was first presented to the jazz bandWeather Report at the22nd Grammy Awards in 1980 for the album8:30. In1988, the category name changed to Best Jazz Fusion Performance and was moved to a newly created Fusion field. The category name was retired before the33rd Grammy Awards (1992) with the addition of the award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance (currently known asBest Contemporary Jazz Album). (Full article...)
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  1918 promotional postcard of the ODJB showing (from left), drummer Tony Sbarbaro (aka Tony Spargo), trombonist Edwin "Daddy" Edwards, cornetist Dominick James "Nick" LaRocca, clarinetist Larry Shields, and pianist Henry Ragas

  
  TheOriginal Dixieland Jass Band (ODJB) was aDixieland jazz band that made the first jazz recordings in early 1917. Their "Livery Stable Blues" became the first jazz record ever issued. The group composed and recorded manyjazz standards, the most famous being "Tiger Rag". In late 1917, the spelling of the band's name was changed to Original Dixieland Jazz Band.
  
  The band consisted of five musicians who had played in thePapa Jack Laine bands. (Full article...)

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  Smith in 1936

  
  Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-Americanblues singer widely renowned during theJazz Age. Nicknamed the "Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, she is often regarded as one of the greatest singers of her era and was a major influence on fellowblues singers, as well asjazz vocalists.
  
  Born inChattanooga, Tennessee, Smith was young when her parents died, and she and her six siblings survived by performing on street corners. She began touring and performed in a group that includedMa Rainey, and then went out on her own. Her successful recording career withColumbia Records began in 1923, but her performing career was cut short by a car crash that killed her at the age of 45. (Full article...)
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  Melua in 2017

  
  Ketevan"Katie" Melua (/ˈmɛluːə/;Georgian:ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა,IPA:[kʰetʰevanmelua]; born 16 September 1984) is a British singer. She was born inKutaisi, Georgia and raised inBelfast and London. Under the management of composerMike Batt, she was signed to the smallDramatico record label. She made her musical debut in 2003 and within three years, she was the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist as well as Europe's highest-selling female artist.
  
  In November 2003, Melua released her first album,Call Off the Search, which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album,Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005, and to date^[update] has goneplatinum (one million units sold) four times. She released her third studio albumPictures in October 2007. (Full article...)
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  Bennett in 1995

  
  Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally asTony Bennett, was an Americanjazz andtraditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20Grammy Awards, aLifetime Achievement Award, and twoPrimetime Emmy Awards. Bennett was named aNational Endowments for the Arts Jazz Master and aKennedy Center Honoree. He founded theFrank Sinatra School of the Arts inAstoria, Queens, New York, along with Exploring the Arts, a non-profit arts education program. He sold more than 50 million records worldwide and earned a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
  
  Bennett began singing at an early age. He fought in the final stages ofWorld War II as aU.S. Armyinfantryman in theEuropean Theater. Afterward, he developed his singing technique, signed withColumbia Records and had his first number-one popular song with "Because of You" in 1951. Several popular tracks such as "Rags to Riches" followed in early 1953. He then refined his approach to encompassjazz singing. He reached an artistic peak in the late 1950s with albums such asThe Beat of My Heart andStrike Up the Band. In 1962, Bennett recorded hissignature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco". His career and personal life experienced an extended downturn during the height of the rock music era. Bennett staged a comeback in the late 1980s and 1990s, putting outgold record albums again and expanding his reach to theMTV Generation while keeping his musical style intact. (Full article...)
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  Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry,The North Ship, was published in 1945, followed by two novels,Jill (1946) andA Girl in Winter (1947). He came to prominence in 1955 with the publication of his second collection of poems,The Less Deceived, followed byThe Whitsun Weddings (1964) andHigh Windows (1974). He contributed toThe Daily Telegraph as itsjazz critic from 1961 to 1971, with his articles gathered inAll What Jazz: A Record Diary 1961–71 (1985), and editedThe Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse (1973). His many honours include theQueen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He was offered, but declined, the position ofPoet Laureate in 1984, following the death ofSir John Betjeman.
  
  After graduating fromOxford University in 1943 with afirst in English Language and Literature, Larkin became a librarian. It was during the thirty years he worked with distinction as university librarian at theBrynmor Jones Library at theUniversity of Hull that he produced the greater part of his published work. His poems are marked by whatAndrew Motion calls "a very English, glum accuracy" about emotions, places, and relationships, and whatDonald Davie described as "lowered sights and diminished expectations". Eric Homberger (echoingRandall Jarrell) called him "the saddest heart in the post-war supermarket"—Larkin himself said that deprivation for him was "what daffodils were forWordsworth". Influenced byW. H. Auden,W. B. Yeats, andThomas Hardy, his poems are highly structured but flexible verse forms. They were described byJean Hartley, the ex-wife of Larkin's publisher George Hartley (the Marvell Press), as a "piquant mixture of lyricism and discontent". Anthologist Keith Tuma writes that there is more to Larkin's work than its reputation for dour pessimism suggests. (Full article...)
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  Tatum in 1946–1948 byWilliam P. Gottlieb

  
  Arthur Tatum Jr. (/ˈteɪtəm/, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an Americanjazz 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 extendedjazz piano's vocabulary and boundaries far beyond his initialstride influences, and established new ground through innovative use ofreharmonization,voicing, andbitonality.
  
  Tatum grew up inToledo, Ohio, where he began playing piano professionally and had his own radio program, rebroadcast nationwide, while still in his teens. He left Toledo in 1932 and had residencies as a solo pianist at clubs in major urban centers including New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. In that decade, he settled into a pattern he followed for most of his career – paid performances followed by long after-hours playing, all accompanied by prodigious alcohol consumption. He was said to be more spontaneous and creative in such venues, and although the drinking did not hinder his playing, it did damage his health. (Full article...)
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  Corea in 2019

  
  Armando Anthony "Chick"Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an Americanjazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", "500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and "Windows" are consideredjazz standards.
  
  As a member of theMiles Davis band in the late 1960s, Corea participated in the birth ofjazz fusion. In the 1970s he formedReturn to Forever. Along withMcCoy Tyner,Herbie Hancock andKeith Jarrett, Corea is considered one of the foremost pianists of the post-John Coltrane era. (Full article...)
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  Spanier performing at Nick's Tavern,New York,c. June 1946

  
  Francis Joseph "Muggsy"Spanier (November 9, 1901 – February 12, 1967) was an Americanjazzcornetist based inChicago. He was a member ofthe Bucktown Five, pioneers of the"Chicago style" that straddled traditionalDixieland jazz andswing. (Full article...)
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  Makeba during a performance in 1991

  
  Zenzile Miriam Makeba (/məˈkeɪbə/mə-KAY-bə,Xhosa:[máˈkʼêːɓà̤]^ⓘ; 4 March 1932 – 9 November 2008), nicknamedMama Africa, was a South African singer, songwriter, actress, andcivil rights activist. Associated with musical genres includingAfropop,jazz, andworld music, she was an advocate againstapartheid and white-minority government in South Africa.
  
  Born inJohannesburg toSwazi andXhosa parents, Makeba was forced to find employment as a child after the death of her father. She had a brief and allegedly abusive first marriage at the age of 17, gave birth to her only child in 1950, and survived breast cancer. Her vocal talent had been recognized when she was a child, and she began singing professionally in the 1950s, with the Cuban Brothers, theManhattan Brothers, and an all-woman group,the Skylarks, performing a mixture of jazz, traditional African melodies, and Western popular music. In 1959, Makeba had a brief role in the anti-apartheid filmCome Back, Africa, which brought her international attention, and led to her performing in Venice, London, and New York City. In London, she met the American singerHarry Belafonte, who became a mentor and colleague. She moved to New York City, where she became immediately popular, and recorded her first solo album in 1960. Her attempt to return to South Africa that year for her mother's funeral was prevented by the country's government. (Full article...)
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  Monk atMinton's Playhouse, New York, 1947

  
  Thelonious Sphere Monk (/θəˈloʊniəs/ October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an Americanjazz pianist andcomposer. He had a uniqueimprovisational style and made numerous contributions to thestandard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer afterDuke Ellington.
  
  Monk's compositions and improvisations featuredissonances and angularmelodic twists, often using flat ninths, flat fifths, unexpectedchromatic notes together, low bass notes and stride, and fastwhole tone runs, combining a highly percussive attack with abrupt, dramatic use of switched key releases, silences, and hesitations.
  "As a leading figure in the rhythm section of modern jazz, Thelonious Monk serves as a model for accompaniament improvisation." (Full article...)
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  Henry Franklin"Buster" Smith (August 24, 1904 – August 10, 1991), also known asProfessor Smith, was an Americanjazzalto saxophonist andmentor toCharlie Parker. Smith was instrumental in instituting the Texas Sax Sound withCount Basie andLester Young in the 1930s.
  
  Smith played saxophone for a number of prominent band leaders includingDuke Ellington andEarl Hines as well as vocalistElla Fitzgerald. He recorded his only album as leader in 1959 and despite intending to record a follow-up, he was injured in an accident and nothing else was released. (Full article...)
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  Holiday with her dog, Misterc. 1947

  
  Billie Holiday (bornEleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an Americanjazz andswing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner,Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music andpop singing. Her vocal style, strongly influenced by jazz instrumentalists, inspired a new way of manipulatingphrasing andtempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery andimprovisational skills.
  
  After a turbulent childhood, Holiday began singing in nightclubs inHarlem where she was heard by producerJohn Hammond, who liked her voice. Holiday signed a recording contract withBrunswick in 1935. Her collaboration withTeddy Wilson produced the hit "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", which became ajazz standard. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Holiday had mainstream success on labels such asColumbia andDecca. However, by the late 1940s, she was beset with legal troubles and drug abuse. After a short prison sentence, Holiday performed a sold-out concert atCarnegie Hall.
  She was a successful concert performer throughout the 1950s, with two further sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall. Because of personal struggles and an altered voice, Holiday's final recordings were met with mixed reaction, but were mild commercial successes. Her final album,Lady in Satin, was released in 1958. Holiday died of cirrhosis and heart failure on July 17, 1959, at age 44. (Full article...)
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  Byard in 1979

  
  John Arthur "Jaki"Byard (/ˈbaɪˌɑːrd,ˈbaɪərd/; June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an Americanjazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger. Mainly a pianist, he also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for his eclectic style, incorporating everything fromragtime andstride tofree jazz.
  
  Byard played with trumpeterMaynard Ferguson in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was a member of bands led by bassistCharles Mingus for several years, including on several studio and concert recordings. The first of his recordings as a leader was in 1960, but, despite being praised by critics, his albums and performances did not gain him much wider attention. In his 60-year career, Byard recorded at least 35 albums as leader, and more than 50 as a sideman. Byard's influence on the music comes from his combining of musical styles during performance, and his parallel career in teaching. (Full article...)
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  Photograph byHarry Warnecke and Gus Schoenbaechle, 1947

  
  Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an Americanjazz andblues trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several eras in the history of jazz. Armstrong received numerous accolades including theGrammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance forHello, Dolly! in 1965, as well as a posthumous win for theGrammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1972. His influence crossed musical genres, with inductions into theDownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame, theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, and theNational Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, among others.
  
  Armstrong was born and raised inNew Orleans. Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet andcornet player, he was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. Around 1922, Armstrong followed his mentor,Joe "King" Oliver, to Chicago to play in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong earned a reputation at "cutting contests", and his fame reached band leaderFletcher Henderson. Armstrong moved to New York City, where he became a featured and musically influential band soloist and recording artist. By the 1950s, Armstrong was an international musical icon, appearing regularly in radio and television broadcasts and on film. Apart from his music, he was also beloved as an entertainer, often joking with the audience and keeping a joyful public image at all times. (Full article...)
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  Vaughan, c. 1946

  
  Sarah Lois Vaughan (/vɔːn/, March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an Americanjazz singer and pianist. Nicknamed "Sassy" and "The Divine One", and the "Queen of Bebop", she won twoGrammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards. She was given anNEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989. CriticScott Yanow wrote that she had "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century". (Full article...)
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  Metheny in 2010

  
  Patrick Bruce Metheny (/məˈθiːni/məth-EE-nee; born August 12, 1954) is an Americanjazz guitarist and composer.
  
  He was the leader of thePat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progressive and contemporary jazz,latin jazz, andjazz fusion. He has threegold albums and 20Grammy Awards, and is the only person to have won Grammys in 10 categories. (Full article...)

"Livery Stable Blues" by the Original Dixieland Jass Band, recorded on 26 February 1917