Randolph Denard Ornette Coleman was an American jazz saxophonist, trumpeter, violinist, and composer. He was best known as a principal founder of the free jazz genre, a term derived from his 1960 album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation. His pioneering works often abandoned the harmony-based composition, tonality, chord changes, and fixed rhythm found in earlier jazz idioms. Instead, Coleman emphasized an experimental approach to improvisation, rooted in ensemble playing and blues phrasing. AllMusic called him "one of the most beloved and polarizing figures in jazz history," noting that while "now celebrated as a fearless innovator and a genius, he was initially regarded by peers and critics as rebellious, disruptive, and even a fraud."
Norah Jones is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and, as of 2023, had sold more than 50 million records worldwide. Billboard named her the top jazz artist of the 2000's decade. She has won nine Grammy Awards and was ranked 60th on Billboard magazine's artists of the 2000s decade chart.
"Giant Steps" is a jazz composition by American saxophonist John Coltrane. It was first recorded in 1959 and released on the 1960 album Giant Steps. The composition features a cyclic chord pattern that has come to be known as Coltrane changes. The composition has become a jazz standard, covered by many artists. Due to its speed and rapid transition through the three keys of B major, G major and E♭ major, Vox described the piece as "the most feared song in jazz" and "one of the most challenging chord progressions to improvise over" in the jazz repertoire.
Tutu is an album by American jazz trumpeter Miles Davis, released in 1986 by Warner Bros. Records. It was recorded primarily at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles and Clinton Recording in New York, except the song "Backyard Ritual", which was recorded at Le Gonks in West Hollywood. Davis received the 1986 Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Soloist Grammy Award for his performance on the album.
Yazz is a British pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population.
Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer from South Orange, New Jersey.
Gwyneth Herbert is a British singer-songwriter, composer, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. Initially known for her interpretation of jazz and swing standards, she is now established as a writer of original compositions, including musical theatre. She has been described as "an exquisite wordsmith" with "a voice that can effortlessly render any emotion with commanding ease" and her songs as being "impressively crafted and engrossing vignette[s] of life's more difficult moments".
Bright Size Life is the debut album by Pat Metheny, released in 1976 on ECM. The album features Jaco Pastorius on bass and Bob Moses on drums.
Martin France is one of the top jazz drummers in the UK. He has recorded on over 100 albums and is a Professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. He is sponsored by Paiste cymbals
Chet Baker Sings is the debut vocal album by jazz musician Chet Baker, released in 1954 by Pacific Jazz Records. In 2001, the album received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award. Baker would return to selections from this album throughout his career. "My Funny Valentine" was regularly included in his concert performances, and is considered by some to be his signature song.
Forest Floor is the third studio album by Scottish jazz pianist Fergus McCreadie, released on 8 April 2022 by Edition Records. The album was recorded 6–8 July 2021 by McCreadie, bassist David Bowden, and drummer Stephen Henderson. It was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and won the Scottish Album of the Year Award. The lead single "Law Hill" was released 28 March.
Industrial Zen is a studio album recorded by English jazz musician John McLaughlin in 2006. It was released on 22 May 2006 by Verve Records as a compact disc. Following the release of Thieves and Poets (2003), he began creating an album that was more ambitious and one that he could consider unique to him. He collaborated with various musicians for the project, such as vocalist Shankar Mahadevan, saxophonist Bill Evans, and tabla player Zakir Hussain. A jazz fusion and electric jazz album, Industrial Zen features the use of several instruments, including drums, keyboards, the electric bass, and the tabla. Additionally, McLaughlin wrote and produced all eight songs that appear on the record.
Born to Sing: No Plan B is the 34th studio album recorded by Northern Irish singer/songwriter Van Morrison, released by Blue Note Records on 2 October 2012. It is his first studio album of original songs since 2008's Keep It Simple, with its four-year gap being the longest between two studio albums to date from the artist. It was well received by critics with most reviewers giving it four out of five stars, including Allmusic and Rolling Stone. It debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200. It was Morrison's first album since the merger of EMI and Universal Music Group, which consolidated ownership of all his albums from 1984 onward.
Maciek Pysz is a jazz musician, guitarist and composer. He is known for his clear lyrical phrasing, his virtuosity and his imaginative, cinematic compositions inspired by people, places and experiences.
Tomorrow's Warriors is a jazz music education and artist development organisation that was co-founded in 1991 by Janine Irons and Gary Crosby, committed to championing diversity, inclusion and equality across the arts through jazz, with a special focus on "Black musicians, female musicians and those whose financial or other circumstances might lock them out of opportunities to pursue a career in the music industry". Crosby drew inspiration from having been a member of the Jazz Warriors, a London-based group of musicians that in the 1980s showcased many young Black British musicians who went on to achieve international success. Tomorrow's Warriors, which has a multiracial make-up, provides a platform for young musicians wishing to pursue a career in jazz, and aims "to inspire, foster and grow a vibrant community of artists, audiences and leaders who together will transform the lives of future generations by increasing opportunity, diversity and excellence in and through jazz." Alumni of Tomorrow's Warriors have gone on to win several awards.
Yazz Ahmed is a British-Bahraini trumpeter, flugelhornist and composer. Her music mixes Arabic and Western influences.
Trilogy 2 is a live album by Chick Corea with Christian McBride and Brian Blade. It was first released in 2018 in Japan on the Universal Music label, and in 2019 by Concord Records. The album is a follow-up to Trilogy, which was issued in 2013.
The News is an album by drummer Andrew Cyrille. It was recorded in August 2019 at Sound on Sound Studios in New Jersey, and was released by ECM Records in 2021. On the album, Cyrille is joined by guitarist Bill Frisell, David Virelles on synthesizer and piano, and Ben Street on bass. The musicians on the album are identical to those on Cyrille's 2016 album The Declaration of Musical Independence with the exception of Virelles, a last-minute replacement for Richard Teitelbaum, who was suffering from health problems at the time of the recording session, and who died in 2020.
Fergus McCreadie is a Scottish jazz pianist and composer. His style revolves around a fusion of contemporary jazz with Scottish folk music. He has released three albums as bandleader to date, with all three being listed for the Scottish Album of the Year Award – Turas was shortlisted in 2019, Cairn was longlisted in 2021, and Forest Floor won in 2022. Forest Floor was also nominated for the 2022 Mercury Prize, and won the Scottish Jazz Award for Best Album.
Empire Central is the fifteenth album and seventh live album by American band Snarky Puppy. It was released on September 30, 2022, on GroundUP Music. It won Best Contemporary Instrumental Album at the 65th Grammy Awards.
