Louis Armstrong-Possibly single-handedly defined jazz as a genre more than anyone else and certainly the person who did the most to make soloists the focus of jazz. Also a great entertainer who ignored the distinction between art and fun like it wasn't there and of perhaps more universally loved and revered by fellow jazz musicians than anyone else.

jacktheimprovident said:

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! His influence is astounding, not just instrumentally but vocally as well.

Not necessarily the 'greatest', but some of my favorites...

well, of course, quantifying art is subjective, and there's sometimes a subtle distinction between "who I think is the best" and "who I like the most". But a few candidates I would name.

Duke Ellington-Most consider him jazz's most accomplished and prolific composer and certainly he's one of the best of the big band era. Also he was a great pianist, although not a technical virtuoso. He had a major knack for assembling and channeling the abilities of large ensembles of musicians and making their talents work in the framework of his compositions. He remained pretty inventive and productive up until his last days and even managed to adapt to newer movements in jazz like bop and even avant-garde better than just about any other musician of his era.

miles davis-probably pioneered or catalized every major post-swing movement in jazz in some direct or indirect way. Was also very prolific and productive up until his last days. Like ellington, was a great player despite not being the most able technician on his instrument and was great at putting together and focusing extremely talented groups although was not particularly distinguished as a composer (at least nowhere near to the same extent as ellington, monk, mingus etc.). Nearly every significant figure in jazz since the 40s worked with or was connected to Miles Davis in some way.

Charles Mingus-Proficient on bass and piano, wrote compositions that could be very progressive or retro, or both at the same time; sometimes bordering on avant-garde, sometimes harkening back to the earliest Dixieland days of Jazz, sometimes both. Also a great cultivator of talent like miles And duke. personally, the first major jazz musician outside of Miles and Trane that I got into, and probably THE artist that got me seriously into album collecting.

John Coltrane-Probably among the most intense musicians of jazz or any other genre, still one of the few artists whose overall sound I can almost never get tired of. Could be achingly beautiful and lyrical or abrasively dissonant and atonal or both in the same piece. Probably the best example of a jazz musician whose music transcends genre and era as rock musicians, modern classical composers and even hip-hoppers have all cited him as an inspiration.

Sam Rivers-Highly skilled on Saxophone, flute, clarinet, and piano, and simultaneously incorporates intricately arranged, layered composing with the most "free" improvisation seamlessly. One of the absolute best at making "free jazz" as accessible as any other style without watering it down, and also probably made some of the funkiest non-electric jazz.

Jaki byard-Possibly the most accomplished multi-instrumentalist in jazz. As a pianist alone he was among the most technically proficient and stylistically versatile, and also more than competant on saxophone, trumpet, vibes and drums. although primarily known as a great player, also a distinctive composer.

Fats Waller-Although Seen as primarily a kitchy entertainer, was also a superb artist. In terms of recordings, possibly the most prolific of his era, and in terms of compositions probably right next to ellington. Possibly the most accomplished early jazz pianist next to Earl Hines and Art Tatum, But was a greater showman than, well, just about anyone i can think of in jazz. A dearth of people like fats is probably the reason why jazz since the big band era has become much more "art" than "entertainment": Fats was a great example of how one could be great at both simultaneously.

Louis Armstrong-Possibly single-handedly defined jazz as a genre more than anyone else and certainly the person who did the most to make soloists the focus of jazz. Also a great entertainer who ignored the distinction between art and fun like it wasn't there and of perhaps more universally loved and revered by fellow jazz musicians than anyone else.

Some personal favs who are great and possible candidates but I don't feel like writing a paragraph about: Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Archie Shepp, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Oscar Peterson.
[Edited 7/7/08 20:50pm]

I can't say that these people are the best, but I do love the following

Chet Baker - Trumpet
Art Tatum - Piano
Charlie Parker - Sax
Louis Armstrong - just for being Louis.

Not 2 many jazz heads up in here, it seems!

I don't know where Monk fits in. He seems to occupy his own universe. Weirdest melodies ever written.

NDRU said:

Yeah, Monk was a unique artist, but where he 'fits in' is pretty clear to me. He came out of the stride tradition, also hung around with a lot of gospel, blues and immigrant Caribbean musicians in his youth, and was heavily influenced by Ellington.

Monk himself was an important influence on the origins and development of 'be bop' in his role at the Minton's Playhouse crowd as 'house pianist' there from IIRC 1940-42-ish; especially Charlie Parker (who styled some of his more rhythmically 'out there' phrasings after Monk, like when he plays 'beyond the bar' [musically speaking ], and spoke of the debt he owed to Monk), Miles Davis (who I'd say got some of his phrasing and sense of 'space' in his playing from Monk among others) and Coltrane (who studied under Thelonius in a sabbatical from Miles' band in the late '50s).

So, strangely, Monk is at the same time a maverick outsider and yet at the heart of the jazz tradition

Monk's one of my main men. When you watch the live footage, the man GETS DOWN

jacktheimprovident said:

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner! His influence is astounding, not just instrumentally but vocally as well.

Weirdest melodies ever written.