The Top 50 Jazz Musicians of All Time

Jazz: Top 50 Acts

These are the top 50 jazz artists of all time according to Dave’s Music Database. The term “jazz” is used to incorporate instrumental jazz performed by small ensembles, big band jazz, vocal jazz, and traditional pop. That means this list includes musicians, singers, and band leaders. The list was determined by aggregating 17 best-of lists. Those acts appearing on 3 or more lists were re-ordered based on overall status in Dave’s Music Database. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. 1. Frank Sinatra 2. Benny Goodman 3. Louis Armstrong 4. Glenn Miller 5. Nat “King” Cole 6. Duke Ellington 7. Billie Holiday 8. Ella Fitzgerald 9. Miles Davis 10. Fats Waller 11. Bessie Smith 12. Artie Shaw 13. Count Basie 14. John Coltrane 15. Woody Herman 16. Herbie Hancock 17. Nina Simone 18. Thelonious Monk 19. Charles Mingus 20. Sarah Vaughan 21. Charlie Christian 22. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton 23. Charlie Parker 24. Dizzy Gillespie 25. Teddy Wilson 26. Dave Brubeck 27. Art Tatum 28. Lionel Hampton 29. Erroll Garner 30. Bill Evans 31. Stan Kenton 32. Oscar Peterson 33. Django Reinhardt 34. Max Roach 35. Stan Getz 36. Wes Montgomery 37. Sonny Rollins 38. Coleman Hawkins 39. Bud Powell 40. Scott Joplin 41. Keith Jarrett 42. Lester Young 43. Art Blakey 44. Ornette Coleman 45. Cannonball Adderley 46. Wayne Shorter 47. Benny Carter 48. John McLaughlin 49. McCoy Tyner 50. Jimmy Smith Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre Dave’s Music Database: Top 50 Jazz Albums of All Time Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Jazz Songs of All Time First posted 12/23/2011; last updated 3/8/2026.

Dave's Music Database Hall of Fame: Music Maker Inductees (December 2021)

Top 20 Jazz Acts Originally posted 12/22/2021. January 22, 2019 marked the 10-year anniversary of the DMDB blog! To honor that, Dave’s Music Database announced its own Hall of Fame. This twelfth class of music maker inductees is comprised of the top jazz acts (see the full top 50 list here). That includes traditional pop and vocal jazz singers as well as jazz musicians and bandleaders. These are the top 20 from that list, minus previous inductees Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Glenn Miller, and Frank Sinatra. See the full list of music maker inductees here.

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz singer, trumpeter, and bandleader born in Corona, Queens, NY. Nicknamed “Satchmo.” He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. His version of “St. Louis Blues” with Bessie Smith is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song, “West End Blues,” “All of Me,” “Hello, Dolly!,” and “What a Wonderful World” rank in the top 1% of all time. The latter is also featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era. His box set, The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, ranks as one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Count Basie (1904-1984) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz/big band leader and pianist born William James Basie in Red Bank, NJ. Learned to play the organ from Fats Waller. One of only seven recipients of both the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Trustees Award. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. “One O'Clock Jump” and “April in Paris” rank in the top 1% of all time. Read more.

Nat “King” Cole (1919-1965) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Traditional pop singer and pianist born Nathaniel Adams Coles in Montgomery, AL. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He is also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” and “Mona Lisa” are in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Those two, along with “I Love You for Sentimental Reasons,” “Nature Boy,” and “Too Young” also rank in the top 1% of all time. After his death, his daughter recorded his famous “Unforgettable” song with him as a duet. It is also in the top 1% and won Grammys for Record and Song of the Year. Read more.

John Coltrane (1926-1967) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz musician born in Hamlet, NC. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. The songs “Giant Steps,” “My Favorite Things,” “In a Sentimental Mood,” “Lush Life,” and “Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme, Part 1)” all rank in the top 100 jazz songs. His album, A Love Supreme, is in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. That album and Giant Steps both rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Miles Davis (1926-1991) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz musician born in Alton, IL. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He is also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The songs “So What,” “Blues in Green,” and “All Blues” rank in the top 100 jazz songs. All three are featured on Kind of Blue, which is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. That album, as well as Birth of the Cool, Sketches of Spain, In a Silent Way, and Bitches Brew rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Read more.

Duke Ellington (1899-1974) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz/big band leader and pianist born Edward Kennedy Ellington in Washington, D.C. One of only seven recipients of both the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and Trustees Award. He has also been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He also won the Pulitzer Prize. “Mood Indigo” and “Take the ‘A’ Train” are DMDB Hall of Fame inductees and are both in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Those songs, as well as “It’ Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” and “Sophisticated Lady” the top 1% of all time. His box set The Blanton-Webster Band and live album At Newport rank in the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Herbie Hancock (1940-) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Hancock was a jazz pianist born in Chicago in 1940. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Kennedy Center Honoree. His albums Maiden Voyage and Head Hunters have both been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and River: The Joni Letters won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Read more.

Woody Herman (1913-1987) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz/big band leader, clarinetist, and composer born in 1913 in Milwaukee. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. “At the Woodchopper’s Ball,” “Early Autumn,” and “Four Brothers” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Charles Mingus (1922-1979) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz pianist, bassist, and composer born 1922 in Nogales, Arizona. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Mingus Dynasty and Ah Um are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. The latter is also in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Thelonious Monk (1917-1982) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz pianist born in Rocky Mount, NC. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and won the Pulitzer Prize. His song “Round Midnight” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, one of the top 100 jazz songs, and ranks in the top 1% of all time. His albums Genius of Modern Music Vol. 1, Genius of Modern Music, Vol. 2, and Brilliant Corners are all in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

Artie Shaw (1910-2004) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz clarinetist and bandleader born in 1910 in New York City. He has been inducted into the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Begin the Beguine,” “Frenesi,” and “Stardust” are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. Read more.

Nina Simone (1933-2003) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz/blues singer born 1933 in Tryon, North Carolina. Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame, and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “I Loves You, Porgy” and “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. “Mississippi Goddam” is in the National Recording Registry. Read more.

Bessie Smith (1894-1937) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Blues singer born in Chattanooga, TN. Known as “The Empress of the Blues.” Inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Blues Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Her version of “St. Louis Blues” with Louis Armstrong is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song and “Down Hearted Blues” rank in the top 1% of all time. Her compilation The Essential ranks as one of the top 1000 albums of all time. Read more.

Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz singer born 1924 in Newark, New Jersey. Inductee in the Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “If You Could See Me Now” and “Tenderly” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame, as is her self-titled 1954 album. Read more.

Fats Waller (1904-1943) Inducted December 2021 as a “Top 20 Jazz Act”

Jazz/big band songwriter and pianist born Thomas Wright Waller in New York, NY. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Big Band/Jazz Hall of Fame and Downbeat Jazz Hall of Fame. Also a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. “Ain’t Misbehavin’” is a DMDB Hall of Fame inductee and in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Pre-Rock Era. That song and “Honeysuckle Rose” rank in the top 1% of all time. Both of those songs and “Jitterbug Waltz” are in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Read more.

 

Jazz: Top 100 Songs of All Time

Jazz: Top 100 Songs

This is an aggregate of 30 lists (see sources at the bottom of the page) focused on the best jazz songs of all time. Many of these were not originally jazz compositions and have higher-ranked versions in Dave’s Music Database. As such, the listings here are not necessarily the most popular versions of the song, but the one attributed specifically to a jazz artist. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. 1. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Summertime” (1957) 2. Dave Brubeck “Take Five” (1961) 3. Duke Ellington “Take the ‘A’ Train” (1941) 4. Coleman Hawkins “Body and Soul” (1940) 5. Thelonious Monk “‘Round Midnight” (1947) 6. Miles Davis “So What” (1959) 7. Louis Armstrong “What a Wonderful World” (1967) 8. Stan Getz with Joao Gilberto “The Girl from Ipanema” (1964) 9. Dizzy Gillespie “A Night in Tunisia” (1946) 10. Cannonball Adderley “Autumn Leaves” (1958) 11. Benny Goodman “Sing, Sing, Sing (With a Swing)” (1938) 12. Billie Holiday “Strange Fruit” (1939) 13. Frank Sinatra “Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words)” (1964) 14. Ray Charles “Georgia on My Mind” (1960) 15. Erroll Garner Trio “Misty” (1954) 16. Glenn Miller “In the Mood” (1939) 17. Miles Davis “All Blues” (1959) 18. John Coltrane “Acknowledgement (A Love Supreme, Part I)” (1965) 19. John Coltrane “My Favorite Things” (1960) 20. Miles Davis “Blue in Green” (1959) 21. Weather Report “Birdland” (1977) 22. Fats Waller “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (1929) 23. Duke Ellington “Sophisticated Lady” (1933) 24. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane “In a Sentimental Mood” (1962) 25. Bessie Smith & Louis Armstrong “St. Louis Blues” (1925) 26. Duke Ellington “Mood Indigo“ (1931) 27. Louis Armstrong “West End Blues” (1928) 28. Count Basie Orchestra “One O’Clock Jump” (1937) 29. Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers “Moanin’” (1958) 30. Etta James “At Last” (1961) 31. Benny Goodman “Stompin’ at the Savoy” (1936) 32. Duke Ellington “Satin Doll” (1953) 33. John Coltrane “Giant Steps” (1959) 34. Dizzy Gillespie “All the Things You Are” (1945) 35. Louis Armstrong “On the Sunny Side of the Street” (1933) 36. Artie Shaw “Stardust” (1941) 37. Dizzy Gillespie “Salt Peanuts” (1945) 38. Duke Ellington “It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got That Swing” (1932) 39. Glenn Miller “Moonlight Serenade” (1939) 40. Louis Armstrong “I Got Rhythm” (1932) 41. Dizzy Gillespie “Manteca” (1947) 42. Peggy Lee “Fever” (1957) 43. Cab Calloway “Minnie the Moocher” (1931) 44. Ella Fitzgerald “The Man I Love” (1959) 45. Ella Fitzgerald “Mack the Knife“ (1960) 46. Artie Shaw “Begin the Beguine” (1938) 47. Ella Fitzgerald “Night and Day” (1956) 48. Herbie Hancock “Watermelon Man” (1962) 49. Duke Ellington “Caravan” (1937) 50. Count Basie “April in Paris” (1955) 51. Paul Whitman with George Gershwin “Rhapsody in Blue” (1924) 52. John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman “Lush Life” (1963) 53. Louis Armstrong “Sweet Georgia Brown” (1955) 54. Billie Holiday “God Bless the Child” (1941) 55. Louis Armstrong “All of Me” (1932) 56. Ella Fitzgerald with the Daydreamers “How High the Moon” (1947) 57. Art Tatum “Tea for Two” (1939) 58. Natalie Cole with Nat “King” Cole “Unforgettable” (1991) 59. Glenn Miller “The Nearness of You” (1940) 60. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why” (2002) 61. Charlie Parker with Miles Davis & Dizzy Gillespie “Ko-Ko” (1945) 62. Louis Armstrong “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1939) 63. Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong “Cheek to Cheek” (1956) 64. Ferdinand “Jelly Roll” Morton “King Porter Stomp” (1923) 65. Billie Holiday “The Way You Look Tonight” (1936) 66. Fats Waller “Honeysuckle Rose” (1935) 67. Ella Fitzgerald “Someone to Watch Over Me” (1958) 68. Ray Charles “Come Rain or Come Shine” (1960) 69. Henry Mancini with Audrey Hepburn “Moon River” (1961) 70. Ella Fitzgerald with Chick Webb “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” (1938) 71. Bill Withers with Grover Washington, Jr. “Just the Two of Us” (1981) 72. Dizzy Gillespie “I Can’t Get Started” (1945) 73. Louis Armstrong “I’m in the Mood for Love” (1935) 74. Billie Holiday “Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)” (1945) 75. Benny Goodman “Moonglow” (1934) 76. Louis Armstrong “Hello Dolly!” (1964) 77. Benny Goodman with Mildred Bailey “Darn That Dream” (1940) 78. Woody Herman “Blues in the Night (My Mama Done Tol’ Me)” (1941) 79. Pee Wee Hunt “Twelfth Street Rag” (1948) 80. Nat “King” Cole “Mona Lisa” (1950) 81. Woody Herman “Laura” (1945) 82. Nat “King” Cole “Straighten Up and Fly Right” (1944) 83. Artie Shaw “Dancing in the Dark” (1941) 84. Bobby McFerrin “Don’t Worry Be Happy” (1988) 85. Lionel Hampton “Flying Home” (1942) 86. Frank Sinatra “One for My Baby and One for the Road” (1949) 87. Dinah Washington “What a Diff’rence a Day Makes” (1959) 88. Ella Fitzgerald “But Not for Me” (1959) 89. Tommy Dorsey “Opus One” (1943) 90. Charlie Barnet & His Orchestra “Cherokee (Indian Love Song)” (1939) 91. Duke Ellington “Perdido” (1942) 92. Chet Baker “My Funny Valentine” (1953) 93. Woody Herman “I’ll Remember April” (1942) 94. George Benson “On Broadway” (live, 1978) 95. George Benson “This Masquerade” (1976) 96. Stan Kenton “Artistry in Rhythm” (1944) 97. Herb Alpert “Rise” (1979) 98. Stan Getz & Charlie Bird “Desafinado” (1962) 99. Louis Armstrong “Potato Head Blues” (1927) 100. Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France “Nuages” (1940) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists The Best Jazz Songs of All Time (2016 album) Brides.com (9/11/2020). “The 50 Best Jazz Love Songs to Play at Your Reception” BuxtonWater.co.uk “The Best Jazz Songs for Your Playlist” Digital Dream Door (4/8/2017). “100 Greatest Jazz Ballads” edited by Alvin Digital Dream Door (2/26/2010). “100 Greatest Jazz Instrumentals” by Rick Varner Harlem Jazz (11/23/2020). “10 of the Most Famous Jazz Songs of All Time” HopeStreetMusicStudios.com “100 ‘Must Know’ Jazz Tunes” by Peter Spitzer HoustonPress.com (11/20/2014). “The 10 Most Quintessential Old Jazz Songs” by Angelia Leicht iTunes (4/20/2021). “Top 100 Jazz Songs” Jazz24.org (2011). “The Jazz 100: One Hundred Quintessential Jazz Songs” JazzFuel.com “Top 10 Most Famous Jazz Songs of All Time” JazzStandards.com “Songs and Instrumentals” LaToucheMusicale.com “The 15 Best Jazz Songs to Play on Piano” Listverse.com (5/25/2009). “10 Truly Great Jazz Performances” by gabi319 MusicGateway.com (3/19/2021). “The Top 10 Best Jazz Songs of All Time” by Maximilian Frattura MyWeddingSongs.com “75 Best Jazz Songs for Weddings” NME (7/29/2019). “20 of the Best Jazz Songs” by Iliyas Ong NPR (11/28/2011). “The Mix: 100 Quintessential Jazz Songs” by Kevin Kniestedt RateYourMusic.com “100 Greatest Jazz Standards of All Time” by vodenikov Reddit.com (2020). “The Absolute Most Famous Jazz Songs?” RollingStoneIndia.com (6/10/2015). “The 100 Greatest Jazz Songs” by Sunil Sampat Loren Schoenberg (2002). The NPR Curious Listener’s Guide to Jazz. The Berkley Publishing Group: New York, NY. Pages 163-200. Spinditty.com (4/23/2020). “100 Greatest Jazz Songs of All Time” by Illminatus Spotify.com (10/27/2012). “NPR’s Top 100 Jazz Songs of All Time” Spotify.com (6/25/2013). “Jazz Classics – Greatest Jazz Songs Ever” The-Top-Tens.com “Top 10 Best Jazz Songs” by Alexandr Udiscovermusic.com (3/24/2019). “15 Best Jazz Songs” USA Today (2/22/2021). “25 Essential Jazz Songs That Trace the Quintessential American Artform Through History” by Todd A. Price First posted 3/3/2011; last updated 4/22/2021.

Today in Music (1947): Thelonious Monk recorded “Round Midnight”

‘Round Midnight Thelonious Monk

Writer(s): Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams, Bernie Hanighen (see lyrics here) Recorded: November 21, 1947 First Charted: -- Peak: -- (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 6.04 video, 43.27 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Jazz is often romanticized as the sound of the city at night when the bustle has died down…but few of its composers ever managed to capture that last call feeling, and none did it quite like Thelonious Monk.” NPR “Round Midnight” is, according to JazzStandards.com, “the most-recorded jazz standard written by any jazz musician.” JS Jazz legend Herbie Hancock called it “a cornerstone in the whole evolution of jazz.” NPR It has even been called the “National Anthem of Jazz.” JS Pianist Thelonious Monk wrote the “darkly beautiful ballad with an after-hours feel” JS around 1940 or 1941. Monk’s producer, Harry Colomby, claims an early version may have been written as far back as 1936 when Monk was 19. WK In the book Thelonious Monk: His Life and Music, Thomas Fitterling says he wrote it even earlier when he was 18. JS Regardless of when he wrote it, Monk didn’t copyright it until September 24, 1943 under the title “I Need You So” with lyrics he wrote. WK He didn’t record it himself until November 21, 1947, WK by which time it was already well known NPR Trumpeter Cootie Williams recorded the song on August 22, 1944, after being persuaded by pianist Bud Powell. WK There are different accounts as to whether or not Williams modified the song, but he ended up with a writing credit. JS New lyrics were added by Bernie Hanighen, a songwriter and producer, and published on November 27, 1944, under the title “Grand Finale.” WK Jackie Paris introduced this new vocal version in 1949. JS In 1946, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie embellished the song JS with a new intro that was originally the end of his arrangement of “I Can’t Get Started.” WK It became a standard part of the song. JS Miles Davis recorded the song several times in the ‘50s and it became one of his signature songs. WK His “show-stopping performance of the song at the 1955 Newport Jazz Festival” JS was considered a major turning point for the song, Davis, and the world of jazz in general because it introduced the song to the jazz public at large. JS By the end of the ‘50s, the song “was firmly entrenched as a jazz standard” NPR thanks to Davis and versions by Dexter Gordon and Sarah Vaughan. NPR Resources: NPR (11/20/2000). “NPR 100: Round Midnight” JS JazzStandards.com WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/21/2021; last updated 5/13/2025.