Artist Index How to use Artist INDEX

Babyface Willette　

Barbara Carroll　

In the year 2005, Barbara Carroll could boast that she has began playing piano for a grand total of 75 years. Not without a pause to sleep and eat, obviously, but with a determination that might su ..more

Barney Kessel　

One of the finest guitarists to emerge after the death of Charlie Christian, Barney Kessel was a reliable bop soloist throughout his career. He played with a big band fronted by Chico Ma ..more

Beegie Adair　

Beegie Adair grew up in Cave City, Kentucky, where she began taking piano lessons at age five. She continued to study piano throughout college, earning a B.S. in Music Education at Western State Un ..more

Ben Webster　

Ben Webster was considered one of the big three of swing tenors along with Coleman Hawkins (his main influence) and Lester Young. He had a tough, raspy, and brutal tone on stomps (with h ..more

Benny Golson　

Benny Golson is a talented composer/arranger whose tenor playing has continued to evolve with time. After attending Howard University (1947-1950) he worked in Philadelphia with Bull Moose Jackson ..more

Benny Goodman　

Benny Goodman was the first celebrated bandleader of the Swing Era, dubbed The King of Swing, his popular emergence marking the beginning of the era. He was an accomplished clarinetist whose dist ..more

Benny Green　

Although not yet an innovator himself, Benny Green has managed to combine the styles of Bobby Timmons, Wynton Kelly, Gene Harris, and especially Oscar Peterson in his playing; his fast ..more

Bernat Font　

Betty Blake　

Vocalist Betty Blake made one fine recording for Bethlehem in 1960, Betty Blake Sings in a Tender Mood. On the strength of it, she deserved more opportunities and exposure. ~ Ron Wynn, Rovi ..more

Beverly Kenney　

Singer Beverly Kenney remains one of jazz’s great tragedies -- an exquisitely nuanced stylist whose sophisticated phrasing perfectly complemented the cool jazz sensibilities of the late ’5 ..more

Bill Evans　

With the passage of time, Bill Evans has become an entire school unto himself for pianists and a singular mood unto himself for listeners. There is no more influential jazz-oriented pianist -- o ..more

Bill Evans / Jim Hall　

Bill Frisell　

The defining characteristic of any given jazz musician is frequently his sound. The more control a player has over the nature of that sound, the more likely he is to project a distinctive musical p ..more

Billie Holiday　

The first popular jazz singer to move audiences with the intense, personal feeling of classic blues, Billie Holiday changed the art of American pop vocals forever. More than a half-century ..more

Billy Cobham　

Generally acclaimed as fusion’s greatest drummer, Billy Cobham’s explosive technique powered some of the genre’s most important early recordings -- including groundbreaking efforts by Miles Da ..more

Billy Taylor　

Billy Taylor was such an articulate spokesman for jazz, and his profiles on CBS’ Sunday Morning television program (where he was a regular beginning in 1981) were so successful at intr ..more

Bing Crosby　

Bing Crosby was, without doubt, the most popular and influential media star of the first half of the 20th century. The undisputed best-selling artist until well into the rock era (with over half ..more

Blossom Dearie　

A distinctive, girlish voice, crisp, impeccable delivery, and an irrepressible sense of playful swing made Blossom Dearie one of the most enjoyable singers of the vocal era. Her warmth and sparkle ..more

Blue Mitchell　

Owner of a direct, lightly swinging, somewhat plain-wrapped tone that fit right in with the Blue Note label’s hard bop ethos of the 1960s, Blue Mitchell tends to be overlooked today perhaps beca ..more