Al Di Meola　

Guitarist Al Di Meola first rose to prominence as a blazing jazz fusion artist before his playing matured and he began to conquer other styles, such as acoustic Latin music. Born on July 22, 1954 i ..more

Allan Holdsworth　

Guitarist Allan Holdsworth was widely considered one of the finest instrumentalists in all of jazz fusion, yet never truly received the recognition that he so rightfully deserved. Born on August 6, ..more

Azymuth　

Brazilian electrified trio Azymuth called their music samba doido, which means crazy samba. The actual sounds, though, were not so crazy： the intelligent, high-voltage blend of Brazilian r ..more

Bob James　

Bob James’ recordings have practically defined pop/jazz and crossover during the past few decades. Very influenced by pop and movie music, James has often featured R＆B-ish soloists ( ..more

Brecker Brothers　

In the ’70s, brothers Michael and Randy Brecker co-led a band of New York session big shots that included, at various times, David Sanborn, Don Grolnick, Will Lee, and George Duke, a ..more

Brian Bromberg　

A very versatile acoustic and electric bassist capable of playing straight-ahead jazz, funk, and fusion, Brian Bromberg is also one of the few bassists to master the tapping technique made ..more

CASIOPEA　

Chris Botti　

Though best known as a contemporary jazz performer, trumpeter Chris Botti made his initial splash on the pop music scene. A native of Oregon, he started playing at the age of ten, and began perform ..more

Crusaders　

David T.Walker　

A top session guitarist since the ’70s, David T. Walker has never been an up-front soloist or flashy stylist. But his rhythm guitar and steady timekeeping skills have been heard on sessions by nume ..more

Fourplay　

This all-star group -- comprised of keyboardist Bob James, guitarist Lee Ritenour, bassist Nathan East, and drummer Harvey Mason -- was formed in 1991 after the quartet came together on pa ..more

George Benson　

George Benson is simply one of the greatest guitarists in jazz history, but he is also an amazingly versatile musician, and that frustrates to no end critics who would paint him into a narrow {\ ..more

Grover Washington Jr.　

One of the most popular saxophonists of all time, Grover Washington, Jr. was long the pacesetter in his field. His roots were in R＆B and soul-jazz organ combos, but he also fared very well on ..more

Herb Alpert　

One of the most successful instrumental performers in pop history, trumpeter Herb Alpert was also one of the entertainment industry’s shrewdest businessmen： A＆M, the label he co-founded with par ..more

Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass　

Jaco Pastorius　

Jaco Pastorius was a meteor who blazed on to the scene in the 1970s, only to flame out tragically in the 1980s. With a brilliantly fleet technique and fertile melodic imagination, Pastorius made ..more

Jean-Luc Ponty　

It has been a long, fascinating odyssey for Jean-Luc Ponty, who started out as a straight jazz violinist only to become a pioneer of the electric violin in jazz-rock in the ’70s and an inspir ..more

John Scofield　

One of the big three of late 20th and early 21st century jazz guitarists (along with Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell), John Scofield’s influence grew in the ’90s and continued into the 21st ..more

Julian Lage　

Jazz guitarist Julian Lage is somewhat of a child prodigy -- playing his instrument at the age of five and performing in public a year later. Shortly thereafter, Lage began playing with such ren ..more

Kenny G　

A phenomenally successful instrumentalist whose recordings routinely made the pop, R＆B, and jazz charts during the 1980s and ’90s, Kenny G’s sound became a staple on adult contemporary and smooth j ..more