Subgenre

Mainstream Jazz

415 profiles tagged Mainstream Jazz, A-Z.

Mainstream jazz is not a genre with a discrete origin story or a defined set of founding pioneers, but a stylistic umbrella term, in wide use since roughly the 1950s, for jazz that retains swing- and bebop-descended conventions -- walking bass, swung eighth notes, functional tonal harmony, and standards-based repertoire -- without pursuing free improvisation or fusion's electric instrumentation. It is best understood as a description of continuity: veteran swing and bebop musicians, and later generations following in their harmonic and rhythmic vocabulary, are commonly labeled mainstream regardless of decade. Because of this, the term overlaps substantially with straight-ahead jazz and resists attribution to specific pioneering figures.

Aaron Goldberg Piano Aaron Parks Piano Akiko Grace Piano Akiko Tsuruga Organ ✦ 1967–2025 Akiko Yano Piano Akira Ishikawa Drums ✦ 1934–2002 Akira Miyazawa Tenor saxophone ✦ 1927–2000 Akitoshi Igarashi Alto saxophone Aldo Bassi Trumpet ✦ 1962–2020 Aldo Romano Drums Alessandro Turchet Double Bass Ali Jackson Drums Allan Harris Voice (baritone) Alon Yavnai Piano Amit Friedman Tenor saxophone Amy London Vocals Andrea Pozza Piano Andrea Tofanelli Trumpet Anli Sugano Vocals ✦ 1949–2000 Anthony Pinciotti Drums ✦ 1975–2024 Antonio Faraò Piano Antonio Pitzoi Guitar Ares Tavolazzi Double bass Art Farmer Trumpet ✦ 1928–1999 Asaf Harris Saxophone Asaf Sirkis Drums Assaf Kehati Guitar Avi Adrian Piano Avri Borochov Double bass Ayako Hosokawa Vocals ✦ 1938–2020 Ayako Shirasaki Piano ✦ 1969–2021 Baptiste Trotignon Piano Barak Mori Double bass Battista Lena Guitar Bebo Ferra Guitar (acoustic and electric) Ben Tiberio Double bass Ben Webster Tenor saxophone ✦ 1909–1973 Ben Wendel Tenor saxophone Benny Golson Tenor saxophone ✦ 1929–2024 Beppe Castellani Tenor saxophone Bobby Shew Trumpet Brad Mehldau Piano Bruno De Filippi Guitar ✦ 1930–2010 Bucky Pizzarelli Guitar (six-string and seven-string) ✦ 1926–2020 Buster Williams Double bass Carla Marcotulli Voice Caterina Zapponi Voice; lyricist and record producer Cesare Mangiocavallo Drums Chiara Izzi Vocals Chick Corea Piano ✦ 1941–2021 Chie Ayado Vocals Chihiro Yamanaka Piano Choi Se-jin Drums ✦ 1931–2008 Choi Sun Bae Trumpet Chris Anderson Piano ✦ 1926–2008 Christophe Panzani Tenor and soprano saxophone Chuck Redd Vibraphone Chuck Riggs Drums Claudio Filippini Piano Claudio Ottaviano Double Bass Coleman Hawkins Tenor saxophone ✦ 1904–1969 Colin Stranahan Drums Craig Handy Tenor saxophone Cyrille Aimée Vocals Dado Moroni Piano Dan Gottfried Piano Daniel Dor Drums Daniel Zamir Alto & soprano saxophone Daniela Panetta Vocals Daniela Schächter Piano Daniele di Bonaventura Bandoneon Daniele Di Gregorio Vibraphone Daniele Sorrentino Double Bass Dario Deidda Electric Bass Dario Rosciglione Double bass David Kikoski Piano David Michaeli Double bass Davide Ragazzoni Drums Dekel Bor Guitar (electric and acoustic) Devin Roth Piano Diane Schuur Vocals Dianne Reeves Vocals Dick Spencer Alto saxophone Domenico Sanna Piano Don Baldwin Double bass ✦ 1940–2024 Don Grusin Keyboards Donald Kontomanou Drums Dora Musumeci Piano ✦ 1934–2004 Doron Tirosh Drums Earl Gardner Trumpet Eddie Gómez Double bass Eden Bareket Baritone saxophone Ehud Ettun Double bass Eiji Kitamura Clarinet Eleonora Strino Guitar Eliot Zigmund Drums Elisabetta Serio Piano Emilio Soana Trumpet ✦ 1943–2025 Enrico Pieranunzi Piano Enzo Pietropaoli Double bass Erez Bar-Noy Tenor saxophone ✦ 1966–2021 Eric Harland Drums Erroll Garner Piano ✦ 1921–1977 Esperanza Spalding Double bass Ettore Fioravanti Drums Fabio Zeppetella Electric Guitar Fabrizio Bosso Trumpet Federico Gili Accordion Fourplay Keyboards (Bob James) Francesco Lo Cascio Vibraphone Franco D'Andrea Piano Franco Piana Trumpet Frank London Trumpet Frank Wess Tenor saxophone ✦ 1922–2013 Fred Nardin Piano Fred Nardin Trio Trio Fulvio Sisti Alto Saxophone ✦ 1955–1998 Fumika Asari Guitar Furio Di Castri Double bass Gabriele Comeglio Alto Saxophone Gabriele Mirabassi Clarinet Gadi Lehavi Piano Gadi Stern Piano Gary Foster Alto & tenor saxophone ✦ 1936–2026 Gary Smulyan Baritone saxophone Gary Versace Piano Gary Wang Double Bass George Cables Piano George Kawaguchi Drums ✦ 1927–2003 George Mraz Double bass ✦ 1944–2021 George Otsuka Drums ✦ 1937–2020 Giacomo Uncini Trumpet ✦ 1980–2025 Giampaolo Casati Trumpet Giancarlo Barigozzi Saxophones ✦ 1930–2008 Gianluca Petrella Trombone Gianni Coscia Accordion Gianni Sanjust Clarinet ✦ 1934–2020 Gilad Hekselman Guitar Giorgio Rosciglione Double bass Giovanni Ceccarelli Piano Giovanni Guidi Piano Giovanni Mirabassi Piano Giovanni Monteforte Guitar Giuliano Perin Vibraphone Giulio Scianatico Double Bass Giuseppe Costa Double Bass Giuseppe Pucciarelli Guitar Glenn Zaleski Piano Grant Geissman Guitar GTO Trio Piano (Gadi Lehavi) Guido Di Leone Guitar ✦ 1964–2025 Guy Levy Double bass Guy Mintus Piano Hae In Cho Vocals Haggai Cohen Milo Double bass Hamilton de Holanda 10-string bandolim (mandolin) Hamish Smith Double bass Hank Jones Piano ✦ 1918–2010 Harry Allen Tenor saxophone Haruka Yabuno Piano Harvey Mason Drums Herb Ellis Guitar ✦ 1921–2010 Hiromasa Suzuki Piano ✦ 1940–2001 Hiromi Uehara Piano Hiroshi Hatsuyama Vibraphone Hiroshi Ozone Alto saxophone Howard Alden Seven-string guitar Immanuel Wilkins Alto saxophone Ingrid Jensen Trumpet Isoo Fukui Double bass Issi Rozen Guitar Itamar Borochov Trumpet Jan Lundgren Piano Jay Anderson Double bass Jay Lawrence Drums Jay Sawyer Drums Jeremy Pelt Trumpet Jesper Bodilsen Double bass Jim Pugh Tenor trombone Jimmy Rowles Piano ✦ 1918–1996 Joe Martin Double bass Joe Pass Guitar ✦ 1929–1994 Joe Strasser Drums Joel Forbes Double bass ✦ 1956–2024 Joel Frahm Tenor saxophone Joey Alexander Piano John Hicks Piano ✦ 1941–2006 Jongkuk Kim Drums Jorge Rossy Drums Joseph Lepore Double bass Julian Oliver Mazzariello Piano Jumaane Smith Trumpet Junior Mance Piano ✦ 1928–2021 Junko Mine Vocals ✦ 1945–2004 Junko Onishi Piano Kazumasa Akiyama Guitar Kazumi Watanabe Guitar Kei Kobayashi Vocals Keiko Lee Vocals Ken Peplowski Clarinet ✦ 1959–2026 Kenny Barron Piano Kenny Washington Drums Kevin Hays Piano Kimiko Itoh Vocals Koji Moriyama Vocals Koji Yamashita Double bass Konosuke Saijo Tenor Saxophone ✦ 1931–2023 Kunihiko Sugano Piano Kunimitsu Inaba Double bass Kurt Rosenwinkel Guitar Larry Grenadier Double bass Larry Rosen Drums ✦ 1940–2015 Laymon Jackson Double bass ✦ 1932–1993 Leroy Vinnegar Double bass ✦ 1928–1999 Letizia Gambi Vocals Lewis Nash Drums Lewis Saccocci Piano Lex Korten Piano Lihi Haruvi Alto and soprano saxophone Lorenzo Petrocca Guitar Luca Aquino Trumpet Luca Bulgarelli Double Bass Luciano Biondini Accordion Luigi Bonafede Piano Marc Johnson Double bass Marc Miralta Drums Marcello Di Leonardo Drums Marcello Sirignano Violin Marcello Tonolo Piano Marco Castelli Saxophones (Tenor, Soprano, Sopranino) Marco Panascia Double bass Marco Tamburini Trumpet ✦ 1959–2015 Marco Vaggi Double Bass Marco Zurzolo Alto Saxophone Marcus Gilmore Drums Marcus Miller Bass Mari Nakamoto Vocals Maria Pia De Vito Voice; also composer and arranger Marianne Solivan Vocals Mario Rusca Piano Mark Shane Piano Mark Turner Tenor saxophone Martha Miyake Vocals ✦ 1933–2025 Martin Wind Double bass Masahiko Ozu Drums ✦ 1941–1997 Masanaga Harada Double bass Massimo Biolcati Double bass Massimo Colombo Piano Massimo Manzi Drums Massimo Morganti Trombone Massimo Moriconi Double bass Massimo Pirone Trombone Matan Assayag Drums Matt Brewer Double bass Matt Wilson Drums Mattia Cigalini Alto Saxophone Mauro Beggio Drums Max De Aloe Chromatic Harmonica Max Ionata Tenor saxophone Michel Legrand Piano ✦ 1932–2019 Michel Rosciglione Double bass Michele Polga Tenor Saxophone Mike Mainieri Vibraphone Milena Jančurić Flute Minsarah Piano (Florian Weber) Mitsuaki Kanno Piano ✦ 1939–1983 Mitsuaki Katayama Drums ✦ 1951–2024 Monty Alexander Piano Morten Lund Drums Naoko Terai Violin Naosuke Miyamoto Double Bass Nathan East Bass Nicki Parrott Double bass Nicola Angelucci Drums Nicola Mingo Guitar Nicole Glover Tenor saxophone Nitai Hershkovits Piano Nnenna Freelon Voice Nobuyoshi Ino Double Bass Norio Maeda Piano ✦ 1934–2018 Ofri Nehemya Drums Omer Avital Double bass Omer Klein Piano Omri Mor Piano Or Bareket Double bass Osamu Kawakami Double Bass Oscar Peterson Piano ✦ 1925–2007 Paolino Dalla Porta Double bass Paolo Birro Piano Paolo Passalacqua Piano Paolo Vicari Drums Pat Metheny Guitar Patrizia Scascitelli Piano Paul Sikivie Double bass Paul West Double bass Peo Alfonsi Acoustic and classical guitar Peter Anderson Tenor Saxophone Peter Bernstein Guitar Peter Donald Drums Peter Erskine Drums Peter Guidi Saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor) ✦ 1949–2018 Peter Wertheimer Saxophone (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone) ✦ 1947–2020 Petros Klampanis Double bass Piero Odorici Tenor Pietro Condorelli Guitar Pietro Leveratto Double Bass Pietro Tonolo Tenor Saxophone Quentin Angus Guitar Rami Shuler Vibraphone Ray Gallon Piano Renato D'Aiello Tenor Saxophone Renato Sellani Piano ✦ 1926–2014 Riccardo Biancoli Drums Riccardo Fioravanti Double Bass Riccardo Zegna Piano Richard Galliano Accordion Richard Wyands Piano ✦ 1928–2019 Rick Rosato Double bass Rita Marcotulli Piano Riyoko Takagi Piano Robert Anchipolovsky Alto Saxophone Roberto Cipelli Piano Roberto Magris Piano Roberto Rossi Trombone Roberto Spizzichino Drums ✦ 1944–2011 Roger Kellaway Piano Roland Hanna Piano ✦ 1932–2002 Romano Mussolini Piano ✦ 1927–2006 Romeu Tristão Double bass Roni Ben-Hur Guitar Rosario Bonaccorso Double bass Rossano Sportiello Piano Rotem Sivan Guitar Roy Assaf Piano Rufus Reid Double bass Ruslan Sirota Piano Ryo Fukui Piano ✦ 1948–2016 Ryo Kusunose Alto saxophone Salvatore Bonafede Piano Samuel Cerra Vibraphone Sandro Gibellini Guitar Seby Burgio Piano Sergio Munafò Guitar Shachar Elnatan Guitar Shai Maestro Piano Shalosh Piano Shigeko Toya Vocals Shinji Mori Drums Shoji Yokouchi Guitar Shuichi "Ponta" Murakami Drums ✦ 1951–2021 Silvia Manco Piano Soichi Noriki Piano Stefano Benini Flute Stefano Bollani Piano Stefano D'Anna Tenor Saxophone Stefano Di Battista Alto saxophone Stefano Travaglini Double Bass ✦ 1955–2025 Stéphane Belmondo Trumpet Steve Cardenas Guitar Tadayuki Harada Baritone saxophone Taka Nawashiro Guitar Takako Ueno Vocals ✦ 1936–2011 Takashi Matsunaga Piano Takashi Mizuhashi Double Bass Takeshi Inomata Drums ✦ 1936–2024 Takumi Awaya Double bass Tal Cohen Piano Tal Mashiach Double bass Tal Ronen Double Bass Tanya Darby Trumpet Teddy Wilson Piano ✦ 1912–1986 Terri Lyne Carrington Drums Tetsujiro Obara Drums ✦ 1941–2016 Thomas Morgan Double bass Tim Horner Drums Tineke Postma Alto and soprano saxophone Tiziana Ghiglioni Voice TOKU Vocals Tom Harrell Trumpet Tom Oren Piano Tommy Flanagan Piano ✦ 1930–2001 Toshihiro Akamatsu Vibraphone ✦ 1957–2025 Toshiko Akiyoshi Piano Toshio Oida Vocals ✦ 1925–2003 Toshio Osumi Drums Toshiyuki Miyama Alto Saxophone ✦ 1921–2016 Toshiyuki Sekine Piano Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Piano Ugonna Okegwo Double bass Vladimir Kostadinovic Drums Walter Norris Piano ✦ 1931–2011 Will Anderson Alto Saxophone Willie Jones III Drums Yael Nachshon Levin Vocals Yakir Arbib Piano Yaniv Taubenhouse Piano Yaron Herman Piano Yasuko Agawa Vocals Yoav Eshed Guitar Yonathan Avishai Piano Yoni Zelnik Double bass Yorai Oron Bass Guitar Yoshiaki Miyanoue Guitar Yoshiko Goto Vocals Yoshio Otomo Alto saxophone Yoshio Suzuki Double bass ✦ 1946–2026 Yoshitaka Akimitsu Piano ✦ 1929–2026 Yosuke Yamashita Piano Yu Kuga Tenor Saxophone Yudo Matsuo Guitar Yuji Ohno Piano ✦ 1941–2026 Yusuke Shima Trumpet Yuval Amihai Guitar Ziv Ravitz Drums Zoot Sims Tenor saxophone ✦ 1925–1985

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