If you love jazz music playing when you are washing dishes or when rain calming your senses while you stay inside. Then you ought to know the incredible artists behind creating that jazzy music you swing back and fro.
So here are the five best jazz artists from around the world.
1.Ray Barretto
(April 29, 1929 – February 17, 2006) was a legend in Latin jazz and salsa. He is known for bringing the African congo drum into popular music. His first hit was “El Watusi.” In 1962, he made his first group named Charanga La Moderna. He helped popularise salsa, a blend of American Jazz and Latin dance music, listening to Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Benny Goodman. He was a fantastic percussionist; he actively worked as a music producer till his last breath.
2.Jon Balke
Born in 1955 in Furnes, Norwayhis primary instrument was piano, at the starting of his music career. He began composing for larger ensembles in 1982. He won Artist in residence award at Moldejazz in 2012. His younger brother is a saxophonist – Erik Balke. How own projects include JøKleBa and Magnetic North Orchestra.
3.Toshiko Akiyoshi
A Japanese American jazz pianist was receiving fourteen Grammy nominations. She was born on December 12, 1929, and Berklee College of Music. Oscar Peterson spotted her as a very talented piano player. In Raeder’s poll, she became the first woman to win the Best Arranger and Composer Award by DownBeat Magazine. She was NEA Jazz Master in 2007, by US National Endowments for the Arts.
4.Vijay Iyer
Born to Indian-Tamil parents in new york, he was named DownBeat Magazine’s Artist of the year, 2015. He self-taught himself piano though he ironically studied maths and physics at Yale. He has released 23 albums since 1995, with his writings published in Music Perception, JazzTimes, The Oxford Handbook of Critical Improvisation Studies. The most recent collaboration is with trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, A cosmic rhythm with each stroke. Released on March 26, 2016, is recommended track.
5.Kurt Elling
He was born in Chicago on November 2, 1967. A jazz singer and songwriter. Working under the blue note label, he has released seven albums. He is vice-chair of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science. And he is regularly featured at the Greenmill Cocktail Lounge at 4802 N. Broadway in Chicago. He became interested in music through choirs and playing instruments in church, as his father was a Kapellmeister at Lutheran church. He is viewed as an academic and intellectual authority on Jazz as much as a performer.
This top 5 artist has made jazz what it is now. The evolution of jazz music has been possible because of them. These artists have made the genre as popular as it was never before.