One of the most significant musicians based in the Kansas City area in the 1990s, Ahmad Alaadeen started to make a stronger impression outside of the city limits in the late '90s on his own ASR label. Primarily known as Alaadeen, the saxophonist studied at the Kansas City Conservatory of Music, St. Mary's College and Chicago's DePaul University.... [+] Read More

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The oldest of the four musical Marsalis brothers, Branford Marsalis has had an impressive career. After studying at Southern University and Berklee, Branford toured Europe with the Art Blakey big band in the summer of 1980 (playing baritone), played three months with Clark Terry, and then spent five months playing alto with Art Blakey's Jazz... [+] Read More

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Joe Henderson is proof that jazz can sell without watering down the music; it just takes creative marketing. Although his sound and style were virtually unchanged from the mid-'60s, Joe Henderson's signing with Verve in 1992 was treated as a major news event by the label (even though he had already recorded many memorable sessions for other... [+] Read More

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One of the most individual of all altoists (and one of the few in the 1950s who did not sound like a cousin of Charlie Parker), the cool-toned Lee Konitz has always had a strong musical curiosity that has led him to consistently take chances and stretch himself, usually quite successfully. Early on he studied clarinet, switched to alto and... [+] Read More

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Paul Desmond is widely recognized for his genius as a melodic improviser and as the benchmark of cool jazz sax players. His warm, elegant tone was one that he admittedly tried to make sound like a dry martini. He and Art Pepper were virtually the only alto players of their generation not directly influenced by Charlie Parker. Desmond was... [+] Read More

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The son of a piano and trumpet player, Phil Davis has built his own legacy as a highly-demanded session player and bandleader. In addition to performing with the Phil Davis Quartet and multi-genre group, The Chronicle, Davis has performed with Will Downing, Jonathan Butler, George Duke, Rachelle Farrell, Gerald Albright, Boney James and Najee.... [+] Read More

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In a musical career that has spanned six decades, Quincy Jones has earned his reputation as a renaissance man of American music. Jones has distinguished himself as a bandleader, a solo artist, a sideman, a songwriter, a producer, an arranger, a film composer, and a record label executive, and outside of music, he's also written books, produced... [+] Read More

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Best known as a sideman in Chick Corea's Origins and many other famed jazz ensembles, Steve Wilson developed his fluid style and versatility through years of study, touring and session work with artists like Jon Hendricks, Ellis Marsalis, Don Byron, the Mingus Big Band, Out of the Blue and Frank Foster. By the early '90s, Wilson was stepping out... [+] Read More

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Although sometimes grouped with Spyro Gyra, the Yellowjackets are actually one of the most creative regular groups in the "rhythm & jazz" genre. Founded in 1981 as an R&B-oriented band that starred guitarist Robben Ford, the group took a giant step forward when, after Ford's departure, altoist Marc Russo took his place. With original members... [+] Read More

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Though some will argue about whether Wayne Shorter's primary impact on jazz has been as a composer or as a saxophonist, hardly anyone will dispute his overall importance as one of jazz's leading figures over a long span of time. Though indebted to a great extent to John Coltrane, with whom he practiced in the mid-'50s while still an... [+] Read More

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