Jazz musicians
Ella Fitzgerald
Born: April 25, 1917
Died: June 15, 1996
Fitzgerald’s clear tone and wide vocal range were complemented by her mastery of rhythm, harmony, intonation, and diction. She was an excellent ballad singer, conveying a winsome, ingenuous quality.
She garnered 14 Grammy Awards, including one for lifetime achievement. She also received a Kennedy Center Honor for lifetime achievement (1979) and the National Medal of Arts (1987).
Nat King Cole
Born: March 17, 1919
Died: February 15, 1965
At the age of 20, Cole started a jazz trio with two musician friends, Oscar Moore and Wesley Prince. The trio produced a unique sound with the absence of a drummer and was made up of only three instruments, piano, rhythm guitar and bass. He is most famous for "A Christmas Song," "Mona Lisa," and "Unforgettable." He lived on by his daughter Natalie Cole who turned many of her fathers songs into duets.
Duke Ellington
Born: April 29, 1899
Died: May 24, 1974
He was one of the greatest jazz artists of the swing era (1930s–early 1940s). He was a true composer. Many jazz artists do not actually write much music themselves. Duke Ellington was different. He wrote loads of music! He didn’t just write jazz. He also wrote film music, popular music, religious music, and even some music that could be called classical.
He led an orchestra from 1923 until 1974. This orchestra is still going today and is called the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
Louis Armstrong
Born: August 4, 1901
Died: July 6, 1971
Armstrong was the dominant influence on the swing era. His swing-style trumpet playing influenced virtually all jazz horn players who followed him, and the swing and rhythmic suppleness of his vocal style were important influences on singers from Billie Holiday to Bing Crosby.
With his great sensitivity, technique, and capacity to express emotion, Armstrong not only ensured the survival of jazz but led in its development into a fine art.