The Original Dixieland Jazz Band (Very early jazz recordings around 1917 and big sellers; influenced the stream of New Orleans style groups. This credit is for being virtually first on record and for innovation.)
Jelly Roll Morton (A body of work that's delightful and influenced swing and stride pianists.)
Louis Armstrong. (Single most creative and influential jazz innovator, starting even in the early 20s accompanying blues singers...)
Charlie Parker (Alto sax. Extraordinary bebop creator. Every solo is just right with tons of innovation.)
Dizzy Gillespie (Co-creator of bebop.)
Miles Davis (Extraordinary melodic improvisations.)
Bud Powell (Great skilled pianist whose body of work has influenced every jazz pianist since 1945.)
Art Tatum (Piano genius in pre-bop era, who influenced Parker and the genesis of bebop.)
Duke Ellington (And orchestra. Stunning body of works, unmatched by any other jazz composer.)
Count Basie (And orchestra. Brought about the most swinging big band.)
Coleman Hawkins (Tenor saxophone, wrote the book on chordal improvisation prior to the bebop innovations.)
Lester Young (Tenor saxophone, the main alternative to the stylings of Hawkins. What a beautiful sound and technique, what a fusing of melody and rhythm in ways previously unheard on the planet.)
Harry James. (Amazing trumpet skills whose improvisations feature an amazing range of style devices, smears, rips, half-valves, mordants, grace notes, also led an orchestra with numerous beautiful recordings.)
Eddie Condon (He's here not for his banjo/guitar playing but as music leader who brought together many highly-talented and skilled players in the Chicago style of New Orleans bands.)
Django Reinhardt. (Extraordinary Romani guitarist and improvisor who teamed up with Stéphane Grappelli in the quintet of the Hot Club of France.)
Fats Navarro. (Trumpeter who died young, but he showed the way from bebop to a decade or more of hard bop.)
Kenny Clarke. (Innovative bebop drummer whose style changes fit the other innovators.)
Miff Mole. (Close listening will reveal that this trombonist was very creative during the 20s, thereby advancing the art of jazz trombone.)
Benny Goodman quartet. (With Benny, Lionel Hampton, Gene Krupa, Teddy Wilson, you have virtuosos and innovators on all their instruments.)
Billie Holiday. (Lady Day is the most emotional of jazz singers, unmatched in touching us. All her work is worth hearing, 30s through the 50s.)
Ella Fitzgerald. (Matchless capacity to handle a huge variety of songs, many in the Great American Songbook. A warm, friendly and upbeat voice, very satisfying.)
Roy Eldridge. (Trumpet giant of the swing era and pre-bop.)
It's possible that Earl Hines, Nat Cole, James P. Johnson, Jo Jones should be added to make 25. I'm unsure of their influence. I haven't any bass players on the list. Thelonious Monk is another possible, for creative contributions.
The internet has been a huge boon for me to collect nearly all the music of these players and others too numerous to fit into such a short list.
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