Who are some great jazz musicians other than Louis Armstrong?

This question has always seemed a bit ridiculous to me. Greatness is bestowed upon musicians by us non-musical folk when we sort of connect to the music being played. Which is all fine if the music genre in itself wasn't defined by improvisations and syncopation (out of beat) - and that's precisely what Jazz music is. read more

Louis Armstrong; Miles Davis; If bass is your thing then you should listen to Charles Mingus. All the artists I've mentioned are some of the greatest of the greats. Revered by every Jazz lover. But the whole point of Jazz is to keep exploring. Listen to any of these artists on streaming radios like Pandora or iTunes radio and keep discovering new ones. read more

Rather than mostly performing jazz originals and New Orleans standards as earlier, Armstrong explored popular songs from the Great American Songbook, changing the compositions of Gershwin, Porter, Berlin, Rodgers and others into jazz through his interpretations. read more

Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May 17, 1947, featuring Armstrong with trombonist/singer Jack Teagarden, Armstrong's manager, Joe Glaser dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947, and established a six-piece traditional jazz group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other top swing and Dixieland musicians, most of whom were previously leaders of big bands. read more