Miriam Makeba
Zenzile Miriam Makeba, nicknamed Mama Africa, was a South African singer and civil rights activist known for becoming the first African artist to glob…
John Coltrane
John Coltrane remains one of the most influential artists in music history and has received numerous posthumous awards.
Wayne Shorter
Wayne Shorter was an American jazz saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Born in Newark, New Jersey; the son of Louise and Joseph Shorter. He graduated from…
Sonny Rollins
Walter Theodore “Sonny” Rollins is an African-American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a…
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an African-American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz…
McCoy Tyner
Alfred McCoy Tyner was an African-American jazz pianist and composer known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his…
Duke Ellington
Webster Duke Ellington was the most important composer in the history of jazz as well as being a bandleader who held his large group together…
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Emily Spalding (born October 18, 1984) is an American bassist, singer, songwriter, and composer. Her accolades include five Grammy Awards, a Boston Music Award,…
Carmen McRae
Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists…
Joséphine Baker
Freda Josephine Baker (née McDonald; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalised as Joséphine Baker, was an American-born French dancer, singer and actress. Her…