Jazz and Blues Music

Jazz music is actually rooted in Blues music. The first jazz music originated in New Orleans, Louisiana around the start of the 20th century. The genre was born out of a blend of African American musical styles with Western music technique and theory, jazz uses blue notes, syncopation, swing, call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation among its many stylistic markers.

Blues music is a vocal and instrumental form based on the use of the blue notes and a repetitive pattern that typically follows a twelve-bar structure. The music evolved in the United States in the communities of former African slaves, from spirituals, praise songs, field hollers, shouts, and chants.

Top 10 Jazz Songs
Top 10 Jazz Albums
Top 10 Jazz Artists

Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra transformed popular music. Often cited as the single finest interpreter of American standards, he influenced generations of vocalists such as Nat King Cole and Carmen McRae by focusing on phrasing and matching narrative nuance and emoti

Norah Jones

This young singer and pianist has so much talent that she can’t be
contained by one genre of music. The American-born, Texas-bred daughter of
Indian music legend Ravi Shankar has after-hours jazz, soul, country,
blues and folk music at her command, a

Sade

Sade hit the Day-Glo mid-1980s like a cool, monochromatic breeze. The singer updated the classic continental style of Audrey Hepburn and married it with a vocal approach that was more whisper than growl. It’s always worked, though, since Sade’s icy v

Diana Krall

Thanks to her maturely seductive voice, subtle piano chops, and a deep-rooted familiarity with the classic American songbook, Diana Krall is good enough to have earned the attention of older Vocal Jazz fans looking for a throwback to the good old day

Ray Charles

Heaven and earth battle it out in the music of Ray Charles, who combined gospel with the best of secular music and helped give birth to soul, rock, and hard bop. His early work showed the silky influences of the Nat “King” Cole trio and the piano blu

Chris Botti

If Kenny G ruled the smooth jazz roost during the 1980s and ’90s, Chris Botti claimed the modern instrumental throne during the 2000s. Botti is a solid musician who possesses a real feel for jazz, but the key to his success probably lies in the cool

Miles Davis

Arguably, no single artist has changed the face of modern music so profoundly, and so many times, as Miles Davis. As Charlie “Yardbird” Parker was busy revolutionizing the jazz world with his stripped-down, freewheeling style called Bop, he invited t

Nat King Cole

Nat King Cole’s great piano work with his jazz trio got overshadowed by his massive vocal success in the 1950s yet each phase of his career offers up so many riches that it proves that the lines between jazz and popular music just don’t matter. Cole’

Ella Fitzgerald

Thought by many to be the greatest female jazz singer ever, Ella Fitzgerald enjoyed unparalleled success via such standards as “Lady be Good” and “I Get a Kick Out of You.” At home fronting both large orchestras and intimate string sections, Fitzgera

Kenny G

Kenny G has single-handedly transformed jazz into a genre that actually sells records in numbers normally associated with modern pop stars (over 30 million sold so far). Unlike such Smooth Jazz pioneers as Grover Washington Jr. and David Sanborn, how

Top 10 Blues Songs

1. When the Saints Go Marching In - Louis Armstrong

When the Saints Go Marching In by Louis Armstrong from the album Louis Armstrong: The Ultimate Collection (Box Set)

2. Who Dat? - Olympia Brass Band

Who Dat? by Olympia Brass Band from the album Big Easy Tailgate Party!

3. What a Wonderful World (Single) - Louis Armstrong

What a Wonderful World (Single) by Louis Armstrong from the album Louis Armstrong’s All-Time Greatest Hits

4. When the Saints Go Marching In - Rebirth Brass Band

When the Saints Go Marching In by Rebirth Brass Band from the album New Orleans Ringtones

5. The Second Line - Stop, Inc.

The Second Line by Stop, Inc. from the album Ultimate Mardi Gras

6. When The Saints Go Marching In - Louis Armstrong

When The Saints Go Marching In by Louis Armstrong from the album Golden Legends: Louis Armstrong

7. Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra

Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles & The Count Basie Orchestra from the album Ray Sings, Basie Swings

8. Who Will Comfort Me - Melody Gardot

Who Will Comfort Me by Melody Gardot from the album My One and Only Thrill (Bonus Track Version)

9. Be My Baby - The Ronettes

Be My Baby by The Ronettes from the album Golden Hits Forever, Vol. 5

10. I’ll Be Seeing You (1944 Single) - Billie Holiday

I’ll Be Seeing You (1944 Single) by Billie Holiday from the album The Complete Commodore Recordings
Top 10 Blues Albums

1. My One and Only Thrill (Bonus Track Version) - Melody Gardot

My One and Only Thrill (Bonus Track Version) by Melody Gardot

2. The Very Best of Diana Krall - Diana Krall

The Very Best of Diana Krall by Diana Krall

3. My One and Only Thrill (Deluxe Version) - Melody Gardot

My One and Only Thrill (Deluxe Version) by Melody Gardot

4. Love Will Come - The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2 (Deluxe Version) - George Winston

Love Will Come - The Music of Vince Guaraldi, Vol. 2 (Deluxe Version) by George Winston

5. Orchestrion - Pat Metheny

Orchestrion by Pat Metheny

6. Esperanza - Esperanza Spalding

Esperanza by Esperanza Spalding

7. Ultimate Mardi Gras - Various Artists

Ultimate Mardi Gras by Various Artists

8. Kind of Blue - Miles Davis

Kind of Blue by Miles Davis

9. Worrisome Heart - Melody Gardot

Worrisome Heart by Melody Gardot

10. Quiet Nights (Bonus Track Version) - Diana Krall

Quiet Nights (Bonus Track Version) by Diana Krall
Top 10 Blues Artists

Eric Clapton

The weight of becoming a guitar god in the ’60s never seemed to slow Clapton’s creativity, though he has had some close calls while overcoming addiction and other tragedies. Originally lauded for his lightning-fast guitar licks, it’s arguably Clapton

Ray Charles

Heaven and earth battle it out in the music of Ray Charles, who combined gospel with the best of secular music and helped give birth to soul, rock, and hard bop. His early work showed the silky influences of the Nat “King” Cole trio and the piano blu

Stevie Ray Vaughan

The loss of Stevie Ray Vaughan in a 1990 helicopter crash was a rock (and blues) death on par with the loss of Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding, so deeply was the public moved. Vaughan had been the catalyst for a massive blues revival in the 1980s, with

B.B. King

The undisputed king of the blues, B.B. “Blues Boy” King will go down in history as one of the most important electric guitarists and blues singers ever. King’s vocals are smooth and rich as they emote wailing cries and good-hearted humor, while every

Bonnie Raitt

Bonnie Raitt’s mellifluous voice, accomplished guitar playing and classic catalog of blues, folk, R&B, and pop songs have made her one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation. Though she made her debut in in 1971, it was not until 1989’s Nick

Etta James

From the mid-1950s to the present, Etta James’ powerful, soul-charged voice has become deeper and rougher, with a rich texture and heartfelt inflections. It goes without saying that the woman known as “Mama” is aging like California wine, and she can

Muddy Waters

Muddy Waters was one of the few key players of the postwar Chicago Blues scene who actually influenced the music that influenced him. His swollen, grandiloquent vocals were an instrument unto themselves and his beefy electric slide playing breathed n

Keb’ Mo’

Keb’ Mo’s unique style lies somewhere between the soul of Delta Blues and the melodic feel of contemporary folk, bundled in a story-like framework. Whether delivering a sparse solo song or fully arranged bluesy pop, Mo’s rich vocals and earthy acoust

Howlin’ Wolf

Delta bluesman Howlin’ Wolf was one of the most influential musicians of the post-World War II era, and his electric Chicago blues — featuring his deep, lupine voice — shaped rock & roll.
Chester Arthur Burnett, named after the 21st presi

Taj Mahal

Here is a man who has closely studied and preserved the roots music of African Americans since he began playing the Boston folk scene in the 1960s. He studied the history and formulas of Caribbean, West African, Zydeco, rock, jazz, and R&B. In fact,

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Blues music later influenced American and Western artists as they forge popular music, as it became part of the genres of ragtime, jazz, bluegrass, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip-hop, country music and other forms pop songs.