Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong is one of the most famous musicians in jazz history. He was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. One New Year's Eve, he got his hands on a pistol and shot it in the air to celebrate. He was sent to a waif's home to live. This was kind of like a juvenile hall. In this home he learned to play the cornet. After two years in the waif's home, he was released and began playing with jazz groups and brass bands in New Orleans. Louis Armstrong was one of the first musicians to play swing music. Louis also had a unique singing style that was imitated by a countless number of listeners through the years.
 

Duke Ellington

Duke Elllington made tremendous contributions to American jazz music. He started playing the piano when he was seven. He started playing music in Washington, D.C. in 1917. His early group was called the Washingtonians. Soon he got a job at the Hollywood Club for his band. By 1940, Duke's orchestra had become very popular. Some of his songs include "Mood Indigo", "Rockin' in Rhythm", "Caravan", and "Boy Meets Horn".
 
 

Nat "King" Cole

Nat "King" Cole was an American singer from 1917-1965. He was born in Montgomery, Alabama. He was raised in Chicago, Illinois. He was also a pianist. In the early 1940's, Nat "King" Cole was considered one of the leading jazz pianists of his day. In 1943 his song "Straighten Up and Fly" won him fame as a singer. Cole's trio became one of the first black music groups to have its own radio show. In 1958 he portrayed composer W.C. Handy in the film St. Louis Blues.
 

Miles Davis

Miles Davis was born in Alton, Illinois. Miles had quite a career as a jazz musician. He was a great trumpeteer. He started playing the trumpet when he was nine or ten.  He played in the high school band. He got experience early by playing with Eddie Randall's Blue Devils. Jazz history would be much different without Miles Davis.
 
 

Cannonball Adderley

Cannonball Adderley was one of the greatest saxophonists of his generation. He was born on September 15, 1928 in Tampa, Florida. He died August 8, 1925 in Gary, Indiana. He played with the famous Miles Davis Quintet. This group was a group of extremely talented musicians which included John Coltrane playing tenor sax, Bill Evans playing piano, Paul Chambers playing brass, and Philly Joe Jones playing drums.
 

Freddie Hubbard

Freddie Hubbard was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 7, 1938. He began playing the trumpet as a child. When he was a teenager, he worked locally with Wes and Monk Montgomery. When he was 20 he moved to New York. He immediately began playing contemporary jazz with many great jazz musicians. In 1961, he joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Hubbard's rich full tone is never lost, even when he is playing dazzlingly fast passages. His 1995 Music Masters session highlighted his maturity toward more serious jazz by including recordings of four music giants. These include Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Cannonball Adderly.
 

Anthony Braxton

Anthony Braxton was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 4, 1945. Braxton began playing the clarinet in high school. He studied music for one semester at Wilson Junior College. Then he joined the United States Army where he played the clarinet and alto saxaphone. In the 80's, Braxton's music showed a growing concern with mysticism, theater, and collage-structures.
 
 

Hank Jones

Hank Jones was born on July 31, 1918 in Vicksburg, Mississippi. By the beginning of his teenage years, he played the piano professionally in local bands. In 1944 he went to New York where he joined the
"Oran eHot Lipsi Page Band". Jones has been an important influence on jazz music. This is for his professionalism as well as his immense talent.
 

Charlie Byrd

Charlie Byrd was born in Chuckatuck, Virginia on September 16, 1925. Byrd began playing the guitar while he was still a small child. By the start of World War II he was a proficient player. During the war, he met and played with Djano Reinhardt. After the end of the war, Byrd became a full-time professional musician. As a jazz soloist, he sometimes lacks the fluid swing of contemporaries such as Kessel and Ellis. Still he is a masterly technician.
 

Bobby Caldwell

Bobby Caldwell was born in New York City, New York on August 5, 1951. He first hit the US charts with a ballad her wrote called "What You Won't Do For Love". This song reached number eight in early 1979. Caldwell was a percussionist with blues/rock guitarist Johnny Winter in the early 1970's. He also wrote theme music for the US television show "The Mickey Mouse Club" and various television commercials.

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