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Imagine having a 20-CD set that traces the history of the jazz piano from its beginnings and even before (in ragtime) up to the present time. Jazz Piano History is just [more]

To say that Benny Carter had a remarkable career would be an understatement. Although never the best known or flashiest performer in [more]

Buddy Rich was arguably the greatest drummer ever. He could play faster, more complex, louder and with more virtuosity than any other drummer, [more]

Charles Mingus was one of the giants of jazz. One of jazz's finest bassists, Mingus was a highly emotional individual who as a bandleader drove his sidemen to [more]

Harry James led the most popular big band of 1942-46, he was the most famous trumpeter to emerge from the Swing Era, and by the [more]

One of the top jazz singers of the 1940s and '50s, Anita O'Day had an unusual career. Born in 1919 as Anita Colton (she later switched [more]

One of the greatest legends in jazz history, Billie Holiday had an unlikely career. After surviving a childhood full of turmoil, she [more]

Because the guitar was originally acoustic and recording equipment from the early days had a difficult time picking it up, its role was largely taken by the banjo until the late [more]

The Rat Pack is best known as a group of major entertainers that included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop [more]

The 1945-54 period was a rather unique time in pop music history. While the Big Band Era ended in 1946 and swing was considered passé, the pop charts became dominated by [more]

Although not part of the New Orleans brass band tradition since it would be a difficult instrument to haul around during a parade, the piano has been a major jazz instrument for over [more]

The trumpet, and its predecessor the cornet, have been significant instruments in jazz ever since its beginning. Used in the early days to state the melody and to lead [more]

Doo-wop is a style of music that usually means R&Bish vocal groups that emphasizes smooth harmonies and are sometimes a capella. One could trace it back to barbershop [more]

Fletcher Henderson led what was arguably the first swinging jazz big band, working regularly during 1923-34 and 1936-39. He was an [more]

Pee Wee Russell was always a true individualist. Although he was technically skilled as a clarinetist, he developed a unique style that [more]

Ever since Coleman Hawkins caused a minor sensation with his chorus on The Stampede with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in 1926, the tenor-saxophone has been [more]

The trombone has been a major jazz instrument since the beginning of jazz. Evolving from the percussive tailgate style of Kid Ory who harmonized with the trumpet, to the [more]

One of the most important pioneers of both New Orleans jazz and the trombone, Kid Ory had the top rated band in New Orleans back in 1915. [more]

Although the saxophone was not a major part of early New Orleans jazz, it has symbolized jazz since the late 1920s. Coleman Hawkins was the first great [more]

The clarinet was one of the major jazz instruments up until the mid-1940s. In New Orleans jazz and classic jazz of the 1920s, it often was used to play countermelodies behind the [more]