Jazz is known as the “American art music” and is considered to be one of the five main jazz subgenres. Jazz is a highly improvisational music form. It also features a combination of solo and group performances, as well as spoken word, dance, and other interactive elements. With its origins in African-American slave songs, jazz has continued to develop over the years through countless variations. Today, there are more than 5,000 active jazz artists in the world. With that being said, let’s take a look at the top 5 most African American artists in jazz music.
Importance of Jazz music
Jazz began as an underground movement among African Americans, who were looking for new ways to express themselves. From blues, ragtime and gospel, jazz has found its way into almost every genre of music. With so many great jazz artists to choose from, it can be difficult to narrow the field. That being said, there are plenty of African American jazz artists that stand out from the rest. Here are 5 of the most well-known African American Jazz artists:
The various forms of jazz have long been a place for musicians to express their creativity and innovation. It’s also home to some of the most brilliant musicians in the world. While jazz remains mostly an African-American art form, there are many other minority artists who have succeeded in this genre as well. Even today, there aren’t many famous black jazz artists. However, with the emergence of singers like Eddie Redmayne and Harry Styles from our favourite boy band, we can see that there is still hope for aspiring musicians who put their passion for music first and foremost. Check out these top 5 most African American artists in Jazz music today.
Survey on Musician
In a BBC survey conducted in 2015, Miles Davis was named as the greatest musician of all time. Miles Davis was on the front line of many stylistic shifts in jazz music, moving from bebop, hard bop, cool jazz, and into funk and techno. During his five-decade career, Miles Davis helped jazz music to grow and change in ways that make him considered to be one of the most recognized figures in the history of jazz. In fact, he is known for being one of the key developers of jazz music, his achievements highlighted by the recent Miles Ahead (2015) movie. Charles Mingus toured with some of the famed big bands of the 1940s (including the Louis Armstrong Orchestra), accompanied many pioneering jazz musicians like Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, and led a variety of ensembles.
1. Louis Armstrong
Despite facing racism, Louis Armstrong was, nevertheless, an early and influential jazz performer who played with integrated bands and before integrated audiences. Armstrong was one of the first black Americans to achieve widespread popularity among white audiences. Louis Armstrong is generally considered to be the grandfather of jazz, his work in spreading music as an art form taking place during the Harlem Renaissance. Soon, he was leading the transition of jazz from ensemble music into a solitary art form we recognize to this day. Armstrong broke new ground as a black man during the 1930s, becoming one of the first African-American musicians to tour Europe, and later in that decade, he was the first to conduct nationally syndicated radio shows.
2. Ella Fitzgerald
With her powerful, multi-faceted voice, Ella Fitzgerald sang alongside several of her fellow jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong. Few things brought jazz music fans closer together than Ella Fitzgerald’s plainspoken singing voice, which became a real worldwide sensation. Add in vocals from (in particular) Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald, who are widely considered to be the greatest vocalists in the history of jazz.
3. Billie Holidays
The emotional richness of jazz is especially evident in the works of singers like Billie Holiday, whose expressive style of song made Billie Holiday’s name. During her life, Holiday struggled with racism and sexism — and, despite tremendous personal adversity, blossomed into one of jazz most revered vocalists of all time. Even in that roster of musical talents, few individuals in history could rightfully be called a musical genius, but Miles Davis may be just that. Davis’ evolution as an artist, taking him from the foundations of jazz, through to jazzy cool, rock, funk, and even hip-hop, represents America’s changing musical landscape.
4. Bessie Smith
There was Bessie Smith, one of the earliest African American jazz musicians recorded. Bessie Smith made over one hundred recordings, of both blues songs and folk songs, leading the way for later blues singers and jazz musicians. Her vast repertoire brought blues to a new audience from diverse backgrounds. Show Source Texts
5. Miles Davis
Just as Miles Davis inspired countless acts and performers through his music, so too was Davis herself inspired by Duke Ellington, perhaps the greatest group leader in jazz. Perhaps no musician, black or white, epitomises the spirit of American music more than Miles Davis. Daviss evolution as an artist, taking him from the foundations of jazz into the jazz chill out, into rock, into funk, even into hip-hop, represents America’s changing musical landscape
In fact, Miles Davis is known for being one of the key developers of jazz music, his achievements highlighted by the recent Miles Ahead (2015) movie. During his five-decade career, he helped jazz music to grow in such an important way that he is considered to be one of the most recognized figures in the history of jazz. John Coltrane is considered to be one of the premier jazz artists of the 50s and 60s.
6. Nat King Cole
Beginning his music career as a jazz pianist, Nat King Cole became one of the most popular singers of all time. Considered by many to be the greatest jazz vocalist of all time, NatKing Cole was a pioneer in the jazzy, smooth-crooning style that became popular during the 1940s. Few black artists in the 1950s proved to be as popular as Sam Cooke, the African-American performer who was his own equal.
Al Jolson, the Jewish immigrant who was well known during this period for performing jazz and blues on the minstrel stage, was also a champion for African-American artists, whom Al Jolson worked with. While modern Black American performers such as Lisa Simone and Denise King were able to get jobs in Paris, it is ironic that, in the 1970s and 80s, European musicians had learned how to play jazz well enough to displace African American jazz musicians at some of the same clubs that had made them popular. New Orleans was home to many early African American jazz musicians, but because of the racial violence and tensions there, many artists fled to other cities like Chicago, Kansas City, and New York.
In the first half of the 20th century, these eight major black jazz musicians, who helped to make one of the singular contributions of the musical canon in the United States, are brought to life through wonderful posters, photographs, and promo pieces which are part of the WalterFilm Collections African Americana. Trumpeter Louis Armstrong, clarinettist Sidney Bechet, alto saxophonist Charlie Parker, orchestral master Duke Ellington, and trumpeter Miles Davis are but a few among countless black American musicians who left their marks on Paris.
Jazz Forever
The various forms of jazz have long been a place for musicians to express their creativity and innovation. It’s also home to some of the most brilliant musicians in the world. While jazz remains mostly an African-American art form, there are many other minority artists who have succeeded in this genre as well. Even today, there aren’t many famous black jazz artists. However, with the emergence of singers like Eddie Redmayne and Harry Styles from our favourite boy band, we can see that there is still hope for aspiring musicians who put their passion for music first and foremost.
