By the end of the 1940s, the nervous energy and tension of

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

was replaced with a tendency towards calm and smoothness, with the sounds of

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and lighter tone, in contrast to the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz often employs formal arrangements an ...

, which favoured long, linear melodic lines. It emerged in New York City, as a result of the mixture of the styles of predominantly white

swing jazz Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

musicians and predominantly black bebop musicians, and it dominated jazz in the first half of the 1950s. The starting point were a series of singles on Capitol Records in 1949 and 1950 of a nonet led by trumpeter

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, collected and released first on a ten-inch and later a twelve-inch as the ''

Birth of the Cool ''Birth of the Cool'' is a compilation album by American jazz trumpeter and bandleader Miles Davis, released in February 1957 by Capitol Records. It compiles eleven tracks recorded by Davis's nonet for the label over the course of three sessio ...

''. Cool jazz recordings by Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck, Bill Evans,

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role i ...

, Stan Getz and the Modern Jazz Quartet usually have a "lighter" sound which avoided the aggressive tempos and harmonic abstraction of bebop. Cool jazz later became strongly identified with the

West Coast jazz West Coast jazz refers to styles of jazz that developed in Los Angeles and San Francisco during the 1950s. West Coast jazz is often seen as a subgenre of cool jazz, which consisted of a calmer style than bebop or hard bop. The music relied rela ...

scene, but also had a particular resonance in Europe, especially Scandinavia, with emergence of such major figures as baritone saxophonist

Lars Gullin Lars Gunnar Victor Gullin (4 May 1928 – 17 May 1976) was a Swedish jazz saxophonist. Career Lars Gullin was born in Visby, Sweden. He was a child prodigy on the accordion. At age thirteen, he played clarinet in a military band and later l ...

and pianist

Bengt Hallberg Bengt Hallberg (13 September 1932 – 2 July 2013) was a Swedish jazz pianist, composer and arranger.John Fordha"Bengt Hallberg obituary" theguardian.com, 7 August 2013 Born in Gothenburg, he studied classical piano from an early age, and wr ...

. The theoretical underpinnings of cool jazz were set out by the blind Chicago pianist

Lennie Tristano Leonard Joseph Tristano (March 19, 1919 – November 18, 1978) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and teacher of jazz improvisation. Tristano studied for bachelor's and master's degrees in music in Chicago before moving to New Yo ...

, and its influence stretches into such later developments as Bossa nova, modal jazz, and even free jazz. See also the list of cool jazz and West Coast musicians for further detail. Hard bop, an extension of bebop (or "bop") music that incorporates influences from

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

, gospel music, and blues, especially in the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

playing, developed in the mid-1950s, partly in response to the vogue for

in the early 1950s. The hard bop style coalesced in 1953 and 1954, paralleling the rise of rhythm and blues.

' performance of "Walkin'" the title track of his

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

of the same year, at the first

Newport Jazz Festival The Newport Jazz Festival is an annual American multi-day jazz music festival held every summer in Newport, Rhode Island. Elaine Lorillard established the festival in 1954, and she and husband Louis Lorillard financed it for many years. They hir ...

in 1954, announced the style to the jazz world. The quintet

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers The Jazz Messengers were a jazz combo that existed for over thirty-five years beginning in the early 1950s as a collective, and ending when long-time leader and founding drummer Art Blakey died in 1990. Blakey led or co-led the group from the o ...

, fronted by Blakey and featuring pianist

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sc ...

and trumpeter Clifford Brown, were leaders in the hard bop movement along with Davis. (See also List of Hard bop musicians)

Modal jazz Modal jazz is jazz that makes use of musical modes, often modulating among them to accompany the chords instead of relying on one tonal center used across the piece. Although precedents exist, modal jazz was crystallized as a theory by compose ...

recordings, such as

's '' Kind of Blue'', became popular in the late 1950s. Popular modal standards include Davis's " All Blues" and " So What" (both 1959),

John Coltrane John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Born and raise ...

's " Impressions" (1963) and Herbie Hancock's " Maiden Voyage" (1965). Later, Davis's "second great quintet", which included saxophonist

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

and pianist Herbie Hancock, recorded a series of highly acclaimed albums in the mid-to-late 1960s. Standards from these sessions include Shorter's "

Footprints Footprints are the impressions or images left behind by a person walking or running. Hoofprints and pawprints are those left by animals with hooves or paws rather than feet, while "shoeprints" is the specific term for prints made by shoes. The ...

" (1966) and Eddie Harris's "

Freedom Jazz Dance ''Freedom Jazz Dance'' is an album by Ethnic Heritage Ensemble, a jazz band formed by percussionist Kahil El'Zabar, who is joined by trombonist Joseph Bowie, saxophonist Ernest Dawkins and special guest guitarist Fareed Haque. It was recorded ...

" (1966). In

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, a new style of music called bossa nova evolved in the late 1950s. The

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

movement, coming to prominence in the late 1950s, spawned very few standards. Free jazz's unorthodox structures and performance techniques are not as amenable to transcription as other jazz styles. However, " Lonely Woman" (1959) a blues by saxophonist Ornette Coleman, is perhaps the closest thing to a standard in free jazz, having been recorded by dozens of notable performers.

1950s jazz standards

1950–1954

* 1950 – "

If I Were a Bell "If I Were a Bell" is a song composed by Frank Loesser for his 1950 musical ''Guys and Dolls''. Guys and Dolls In the show ''Guys and Dolls'', it is sung by the character Sister Sarah, originally performed by Isabel Bigley on Broadway, and memor ...

". Written by

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

. * 1951 – " Night Train" Composed by Jimmy Forrest, Lewis P. Simpkins and Oscar Washington. * 1951 – " Straight, No Chaser". Composed by

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk (, October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including " 'Round Midnight", ...

* 1952 – "

Lullaby of Birdland "Lullaby of Birdland" is a jazz standard and popular song composed by George Shearing with lyrics by George David Weiss (under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster"). Background George Shearing wrote "Lullaby of Birdland" in 1952 for Morris Levy, the ...

". Composed by

George Shearing Sir George Albert Shearing, (13 August 1919 14 February 2011) was a British jazz pianist who for many years led a popular jazz group that recorded for Discovery Records, MGM Records and Capitol Records. Shearing was the composer of over 300 ...

with lyrics by

George David Weiss George David Weiss (April 9, 1921 – August 23, 2010) was an American songwriter and arranger, who was a president of the Songwriters Guild of America. He is an inductee in the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Biography Weiss was born in a Jewish fa ...

. * 1952 – "

My One and Only Love "My One and Only Love" is a 1953 popular song with music written by Guy Wood and lyrics by Robert Mellin.Gioia, T. (2012). ''The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire''. Oxford University Press. . pp. 284-285. Notable renditions by Frank Sina ...

" Composed by

Guy Wood Guy B. Wood (24 July 1911 – 23 February 2001) was a musician and songwriter born in Manchester, England. Wood started his career in music playing saxophone in dance bands in England. He moved to the United States in the 1930s, where he worked f ...

with lyrics by

Robert Mellin Israel Melnikoff (September 22, 1902 – July 10, 1994), known professionally as Robert Mellin, was a Russian Empire-born American composer and lyricist and music publisher. Born in Kyiv and raised in Chicago, where his first job was music plug ...

. * 1952 – " That's All". Written by Bob Haymes and Alan Brandt. * 1952 – "

When I Fall in Love "When I Fall in Love" is a popular song, written by Victor Young (music) and Edward Heyman (lyrics). It was introduced in the film ''One Minute to Zero'' as the instrumental titled "Theme from One Minute to Zero". Jeri Southern sang on the firs ...

". Composed by

Victor Young Albert Victor Young (August 8, 1899– November 10, 1956)"Victor Young, Composer, Dies of Heart Attack", ''Oakland Tribune'', November 12, 1956. was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. Biography Young is commonly said to ...

with lyrics by

Edward Heyman Edward Heyman (March 14, 1907October 16, 1981) was an American lyricist and producer, best known for his lyrics to " Body and Soul," "When I Fall in Love," and " For Sentimental Reasons." He also contributed to a number of songs for films. Biog ...

. * 1953 – " Here's That Rainy Day". Composed by Jimmy Van Heusen with lyrics by Johnny Burke. * 1953 – " Jordu". Composed by

Duke Jordan Irving Sidney "Duke" Jordan (April 1, 1922 – August 8, 2006) was an American jazz pianist. Biography Jordan was born in New York and raised in Brooklyn where he attended Boys High School. An imaginative and gifted pianist, Jordan was a regul ...

. * 1953 – "

Satin Doll "Satin Doll" is a jazz standard written by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Written in 1953, the song has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, 101 Strings, Terry Callier, and Nancy Wilson. Its chord progressio ...

". Composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. * 1954 – "

Airegin "Airegin" is a jazz standard composed by American jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins in 1954. Rollins chose the name "Airegin", as it is an anadrome of "Nigeria". Recording history "Airegin" was first recorded in 1954 by the Miles Davis Quintet and ...

".Listed in ''New Real Book, Volume I''Listed in '' The Real Jazz Book'' Composed by Sonny Rollins. * 1954 – " All of You". Written by Cole Porter. * 1954 – "

Blue Monk This is a list of compositions by jazz musician Thelonious Monk. 0-9 52nd Street Theme A contrafact based loosely on rhythm changes in C, and was copyrighted by Monk under the title "Nameless" in April 1944. The tune was also called "Bip Bop" ...

". Composed by

. * 1954 – " Django". Composed by

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

. * 1954 – " Doxy". Composed by Sonny Rollins. * 1954 – "

Fly Me to the Moon "Fly Me to the Moon", originally titled "In Other Words", is a song written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The first recording of the song was made in 1954 by Kaye Ballard. Frank Sinatra's 1964 version was closely associated with the Apollo missions ...

" (a.k.a. "In Other Words"). Written by

Bart Howard Bart Howard (born Howard Joseph Gustafson, June 1, 1915 – February 21, 2004) was an American composer and songwriter, most notably of the jazz standard " Fly Me to the Moon", which has been performed by Kaye Ballard, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, ...

. * 1954 – " Joy Spring". Composed by Clifford Brown with lyrics by

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and re ...

. * 1954 – "

Misty Misty may refer to: Music * ''Misty'' (Ray Stevens album), an album by Ray Stevens featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Richard "Groove" Holmes album), an album by Richard "Groove" Holmes featuring the above song * ''Misty'' (Eddie "Lockjaw" ...

". Composed by

Erroll Garner Erroll Louis Garner (June 15, 1921 – January 2, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and composer known for his swing playing and ballads. His instrumental ballad " Misty", his best-known composition, has become a jazz standard. It was first r ...

with lyrics by Johnny Burke. * 1954 – " Oleo". Composed by Sonny Rollins. * 1954 – " Solar". Composed by

1955–1959

* 1956 – "

Au Privave "Au Privave" is a bebop jazz standard composed by Charlie Parker in 1951. Parker recorded "Au Privave" on January 17, 1951, for the American record label Verve. From French, the title translates to "in Privave" or "at the Privave." A variant of th ...

". – Bebop composition by

Charlie Parker Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...

. * 1956 – "

Blues for Alice Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the African- ...

". Composed by

. * 1956 – "

Canadian Sunset "Canadian Sunset" is a popular song with music by jazz pianist Eddie Heywood and lyrics by Norman Gimbel. An instrumental version by Heywood and Hugo Winterhalter reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and No. 7 on the R&B chart in 19 ...

". Composed by

Eddie Heywood Edward Heywood Jr. (December 4, 1915 – January 3, 1989) was an American jazz pianist particularly active in the 1940s and 1950s. Biography Heywood was born in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. His father, Eddie Heywood Sr., was also a jazz m ...

with lyrics by

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including " Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both wit ...

. * 1956 – "

Con Alma "Con Alma" is a jazz standard written by Dizzy Gillespie, appearing on his 1954 album '' Afro''. The tune incorporates aspects of bebop jazz and Latin rhythm, and is known for its frequent changes in key centers (occurring every two bars), while s ...

". Composed by Dizzy Gillespie. * 1956 – "

Nica's Dream "Nica's Dream" is a jazz standard composed by Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer ...

". Composed by

. * 1956 – " Waltz for Debby". Composed by Bill Evans with lyrics by

Gene Lees Frederick Eugene John Lees (February 8, 1928 – April 22, 2010) was a Canadian music critic, biographer, lyricist, and journalist. Lees worked as a newspaper journalist in his native Canada before moving to the United States, where he was a music ...

. * 1957 – " Blue Train". –

Jazz blues The 12-bar blues (or blues changes) is one of the most prominent chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly based o ...

composition by

from his album '' Blue Train''. * 1957 – " I Remember Clifford". Composed by Benny Golson with lyrics by

. * 1958 – " Bags' Groove". Composed by Milt Jackson. * 1958 – "

Chega de Saudade "Chega de Saudade" (), also known as "No More Blues", is a bossa nova jazz standard. It is often considered to be the first bossa nova song to be recorded. Like "The Girl from Ipanema", the music for "Chega de Saudade" was composed by Antônio Ca ...

" (a.k.a. "No More Blues").Listed in '' The Real Vocal Book'' Composed by

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ma ...

with lyrics by

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

(Portuguese) and

and Jessie Cavanaugh (English). * 1958 – " Milestones". Composed by

. * 1959 – "

Afro Blue "Afro Blue" is a jazz standard composed by Mongo Santamaría. Santamaria version Mongo Santamaria recorded his composition "Afro Blue" in 1959 when playing with the Cal Tjader Sextet. The first recorded performance was on April 20, 1959, at th ...

". Composed by

Mongo Santamaría Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez (April 7, 1917 – February 1, 2003) was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga an ...

. * 1959 – " All Blues". Composed by

. * 1959 – "

The Best Is Yet to Come "The Best Is Yet to Come" is a 1959 song composed by Cy Coleman to lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. It is associated with Frank Sinatra, who recorded it on his 1964 album ''It Might as Well Be Swing'' accompanied by Count Basie under the direction ...

". Composed by Cy Coleman with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. * 1959 – " Blue in Green". –

composition from

's album '' Kind of Blue''. Credited solely to Davis on ''Kind of Blue'' and to Davis and Bill Evans on Evans's ''

Portrait in Jazz ''Portrait in Jazz'' is an album by American jazz pianist Bill Evans, released in 1960. It is the first of only two studio albums to be recorded with his famous trio featuring bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian. History Eight months a ...

'', the song's authorship is disputed; Evans and Earl Zindars claim that Evans alone composed the tune. * 1959 – "

Desafinado "Desafinado" (a Portuguese word, usually rendered into English as "Out of Tune", or as "Off Key") is a 1959 bossa nova song and jazz standard composed by Antônio Carlos Jobim with lyrics (in Portuguese) by Newton Mendonça. Background "Desafin ...

" (a.k.a. "Slightly Out of Tune", also "Off Key"). Composed by

with lyrics by

Newton Mendonça Newton Ferreira de Mendonça (February 14, 1927 – November 22, 1960) was a musician, composer, and lyricist. He began as a pianist in 1950. Mendonça was born in Rio de Janeiro. In 1953 he started working with Antônio Carlos Jobim, somethin ...

(Portuguese), and

and Jessie Cavanaugh (English). * 1959 – " Freddie Freeloader". Composed by

. * 1959 – " Giant Steps". Composed by

. * 1959 – "

Goodbye Pork Pie Hat "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat" is a jazz instrumental composed by Charles Mingus, originally recorded by his sextet in 1959 and released on his album '' Mingus Ah Um''. It was subsequently released on his 1963 album, '' Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Ming ...

". Composed by Charles Mingus. * 1959 – " Goodbye Tristesse" (a.k.a. "A Felicidade"). Composed by

with lyrics by

(Portuguese) and Hal Shaper (English). * 1959 – " Killer Joe". Composed by Benny Golson. * 1959 – "

Manhã de Carnaval "Manhã de Carnaval" ("Carnival Morning") is a song by Brazilian composer Luiz Bonfá and lyricist Antônio Maria. "Manhã de Carnaval" appeared as a principal theme in the 1959 Portuguese-language film ''Orfeu Negro'' by French director Marcel ...

" (a.k.a. "A Day in the Life of a Fool", also "Black Orpheus"). Written by

Luiz Bonfá Luiz Floriano Bonfá (17 October 1922 – 12 January 2001) was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was best known for the music he composed for the film ''Black Orpheus''. Biography Luiz Floriano Bonfá was born on October 17, 1922, in ...

and

Antônio Maria Antônio Maria de Araújo Morais, known as Antônio Maria (17 March 1921—15 October 1964), was a Brazilian writer of pop music lyrics as well as radio sports commentator, poet, composer, and chronicler.Luiz Artur Ferraretto, ''E o rádio? : no ...

with English lyrics by Carl Sigman. * 1959 – "

Mr. P.C. "Mr. P.C." is a twelve-bar jazz piece in minor blues form, composed by John Coltrane in 1959. The song is named in tribute to the bass player Paul Chambers, who had accompanied Coltrane for years. It first appeared on the album '' Giant Steps' ...

". Composed by

. * 1959 – " My Favorite Things". Composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. * 1959 – "

Naima "Naima" ( ) is a jazz ballad composed by John Coltrane in 1959 that he named after his then-wife, Juanita Naima Grubbs. Coltrane first recorded it for his 1959 album '' Giant Steps'', and it became one of his first well-known works. History Co ...

" (a.k.a. "Niema"). Composed by

. * 1959 – " Nostalgia in Times Square". Written by Charles Mingus. * 1959 – " Sidewinder". Composed by

Lee Morgan Edward Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording on John Coltrane's '' Blue Train'' (1 ...

. * 1959 – " So What". Composed by

. * 1959 – "

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album ''Time Out'' at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it b ...

". Composed by

Paul Desmond Paul Desmond (born Paul Emil Breitenfeld; November 25, 1924 – May 30, 1977) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and composer, best known for his work with the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for composing that group's biggest hit, " Take Five". He ...

1950

Album releases

: ''

'' *

Stan Kenton Stanley Newcomb Kenton (December 15, 1911 – August 25, 1979) was an American popular music and jazz artist. As a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, he led an innovative and influential jazz orchestra for almost four decades. Though K ...

: '' Presents'' * Ralph Sutton: '' Ralph Sutton'' *

: '' Wow'' * Stan Getz: '' Quartets''

Deaths

Fats Navarro Theodore "Fats" Navarro (September 24, 1923 – July 6, 1950) was an American jazz trumpet player. He was a pioneer of the bebop style of jazz improvisation in the 1940s. He had a strong stylistic influence on many other players, including Cl ...

(September 24, 1923 – July 7)

1951

Album releases

: '' City of Glass'' *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

: ''

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

'' *

Shorty Rogers Milton "Shorty" Rogers (born Milton Rajonsky; April 14, 1924 – November 7, 1994) was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arrang ...

: ''

Modern Sounds ''Modern Sounds'' is the debut album by trumpeter and bandleader Shorty Rogers featuring performances recorded in late 1951 and originally released as a 10-inch LP on the Capitol label.Edwards, D., Eyries, P. and Callahan, MCapitol Album Discog ...

1952

Album releases

*''

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

: '' Mulligan Quartet'' *

Johnny Smith Johnny Henry Smith II (June 25, 1922 – June 11, 2013) was an American cool jazz and mainstream jazz guitarist. He wrote "Walk, Don't Run" in 1954. In 1984, Smith was inducted into the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame. Early life During the Great D ...

: '' Moonlight in Vermont''

Deaths

* Midge Williams (May 27, 1915 – January 9) * John Kirby (December 31, 1908 – June 14) * Fletcher Henderson (December 18, 1897 – December 28)

1953

Album releases

* Duke Ellington: '' Piano Reflections'' *

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

: '' King of the Tenors'' *

: ''

Cool and Crazy ''Cool and Crazy'' is an album by American jazz trumpeter, composer and arranger Shorty Rogers originally released by RCA Victor in 1953 as a 10-inch LP.Jay Jay Johnson: '' Four Trombones''

Deaths

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

(January 23, 1910 – May 16)

1954

Album releases

* Frank Sinatra: '' Songs for Young Lovers'' * Sarah Vaughan: '' Sarah Vaughan'' * Chet Baker: ''

Sextet A sextet (or hexad) is a formation containing exactly six members. The former term is commonly associated with vocal ensembles (e.g. The King's Singers, Affabre Concinui) or musical instrument groups, but can be applied to any situation where six ...

'' *

Tal Farlow Talmage Holt Farlow (June 7, 1921 – July 25, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist. He was nicknamed "Octopus" because of how his large, quick hands spread over the fretboard. As Steve Rochinski notes, "Of all the guitarists to emerge in th ...

: '' The Tal Farlow Quartet'' *

: '' The Tal Farlow Album'' * John Serry Sr.: ''

RCA Thesaurus thumb RCA Thesaurus, a brand owned by RCA Victor, was a supplier of electrical transcriptions. Efforts were made as early as 1936 to consolidate The RCA Victor Transcription service with NBC's independent transcription service within the NBC radio ...

'' featuring John Serry & his ensemble The Bel-cordions

Births

* Donald Brown (March 28), pianist * Al Di Meola (July 22), guitarist.

1955

Album releases

* Herbie Nichols: '' The Third World'' * Ahmad Jamal: '' Poinciana'' *

: ''

Concert by the Sea ''Concert by the Sea'' is a live album by pianist Erroll Garner that was released by Columbia Records, Columbia in 1955. It sold over a million dollars' worth of retail copies by 1958, qualifying for gold record status by the music recording sale ...

'' *

: '' Spell'' *

: ''

Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers ''Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers'' is a 1956 repackage of 1955 10” LPs by jazz pianist Horace Silver with drummer Art Blakey and featuring Hank Mobley on tenor saxophone, Kenny Dorham on trumpet, and Doug Watkins on bass. By the time ...

'' *

: ''

'' *

: '' Al Zardis'' *

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

: ''

'' * Herbie Nichols: '' Herbie Nichols Trio''

Deaths

(August 29, 1920 – March 12), saxophonist * James P. Johnson (February 1, 1894 – November 17), stride pianist *

Wardell Gray Wardell Gray (February 13, 1921 – May 25, 1955) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods. Biography Early years Gray was born in Oklahoma City, the youngest of four children. He spent his early chil ...

(February 13, 1921 – May 25), saxophonist

1956

Album releases

* Charles Mingus: '' Pithecanthropus Erectus'' * Modern Jazz Quartet: '' Django'' * Modern Jazz Quartet: '' Fontessa'' *

: ''

Brilliant Corners ''Brilliant Corners'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Thelonious Monk. It was his third album for Riverside Records, and the first, for this label, to include his own compositions. The complex title track required over a dozen take ...

'' * Sonny Rollins: '' Saxophone Colossus'' * George Russell:'' The Jazz Workshop'' *

: '' Manhattan Studio/ New York Improvisations'' *

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He work ...

: '' Plus Four'' *

: '' Grand Encounter'' *

: '' Six Pieces of Silver'' *

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

: '' All Night Long'' *

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing the soprano sa ...

: '' Tricotism'' *

Phineas Newborn Phineas Newborn Jr. (December 14, 1931 – May 26, 1989) was an American jazz pianist, whose principal influences were Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, and Bud Powell. Biography Newborn was born in Whiteville, Tennessee, and came from a musical famil ...

: '' Piano Artistry'' *

: ''

Round About Midnight ''Round About Midnight'' is an album by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis that was originally released by Columbia Records in March 1957. It was Davis' first album with Columbia. Background At the Newport Jazz Festival in 1955, Davis performed the song ...

'' *

Zoot Sims John Haley "Zoot" Sims (October 29, 1925 – March 23, 1985) was an American jazz saxophonist, playing mainly tenor but also alto (and, later, soprano) saxophone. He first gained attention in the "Four Brothers" sax section of Woody Herman's big ...

: '' Tonite's Music Today'' *

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

: ''

Touch In physiology, the somatosensory system is the network of neural structures in the brain and body that produce the perception of touch ( haptic perception), as well as temperature ( thermoception), body position (proprioception), and pain. It ...

'' *

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

: '' This Is How I Feel About Jazz'' *

: '' Cuban Fire'' *

Jimmy Giuffre James Peter Giuffre (, ; April 26, 1921 – April 24, 2008) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating f ...

: '' The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet'' * Jimmy Smith: '' A New Star A New Sound'' * Cecil Taylor: '' Jazz Advance'' * John Serry Sr.: '' Squeeze Play'' featuring The Bel-cordions

Deaths

* Clifford Brown (October 30, 1930 – June 26) *

Richie Powell Richard Powell (September 5, 1931 – June 26, 1956) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. He was not assisted in his musical development by Bud, his older and better known brother, but both played predominantly in the bebop style. ...

(September 5, 1931 – June 26) *

Art Tatum Arthur Tatum Jr. (, October 13, 1909 – November 5, 1956) was an American jazz pianist who is widely regarded as one of the greatest in his field. From early in his career, Tatum's technical ability was regarded by fellow musicians as extraord ...

(October 13, 1909 – November 5) *

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

(November 19, 1905 – November 26)

Births

* Wayne Krantz (July 26) * Wolfgang Puschnig (May 21)

1957

Album releases

: ''

'' * Charles Mingus: ''

Tijuana Moods ''Tijuana Moods'' is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1957 but not released until June 1962. It was reissued in 1986 on CD as ''New Tijuana Moods'' with four additional alternate takes and as a double LP with five alternate takes. Two-CD ex ...

'' * Art Blakey: '' Orgy In Rhythm'' *

Yusef Lateef Yusef Abdul Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston; October 9, 1920 – December 23, 2013) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and prominent figure among the Ahmadiyya Community in America. Although Lateef's main instruments ...

: '' Jazz Mood'' *

: '' Blue Train'' *

: ''

Piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

'' * Milt Jackson: '' Soul Brothers'' *

: '' Miles Ahead'' *

: '' All Day Long'' *

: '' Soulville'' * Sonny Rollins: '' Way Out West'' *

: '' Tenor Giants'' * Art Pepper: '' Meets the Rhythm Section'' * Art Taylor: '' Wailers'' *

: ''

Jazz in 3/4 time ''Jazz in ¾ Time'' is an album by American jazz drummer Max Roach featuring tracks recorded in late 1956 and early 1957 and released on the EmArcy label.

'' * Jay Jay Johnson: '' Blue Trombone'' * Hank Mobley: ''

Hank Mobley Quintet ''Hank Mobley Quintet'' is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1550. It was recorded on March 8, 1957 and features Mobley, trumpeter Art Farmer, bassist Doug Watkins, pianist Horace Silver, and ...

'' *

Herbie Mann Herbert Jay Solomon (April 16, 1930 – July 1, 2003), known by his stage name Herbie Mann, was an American jazz flute player and important early practitioner of world music. Early in his career, he also played tenor saxophone and clarinet (inclu ...

: '' Flute Souffle'' *

Tito Puente Ernest Anthony Puente Jr. (April 20, 1923 – June 1, 2000), commonly known as Tito Puente, was an American musician, songwriter, bandleader, and record producer of Puerto Rican descent. He is best known for dance-oriented mambo and Latin jazz ...

: '' Top Percussion''

Deaths

* Sonny Parker (May 5, 1925 – February 7), singer-dancer-drummer * Joe Shulman (September 12, 1923 – August 2), bass * Walter Page (February 9, 1900 – December 20), bass *

Jimmy Dorsey James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...

(February 25, 1904 – June 12), saxophone

Births

* George Letellier (October 11), American pianist and composer

1958

Album releases

* Sonny Rollins: '' Freedom Suite'' * Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, Sonny Rollins: '' Sonny Side Up'' *

: ''

Western Suite ''Western Suite'' is an album by American jazz composer and arranger Jimmy Giuffre which was released on the Atlantic label in 1960.Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...

: '' Jazz in Silhouette'' * Art Blakey: ''

Moanin' ''Moanin'' (originally titled ''Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers'') is a jazz album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded in 1958 for the Blue Note label and released in 1959. Background This was Blakey's first album for Blue Note ...

'' * Cecil Taylor: '' Looking Ahead!'' * Jimmy Smith: ''

The Sermon! ''The Sermon!'' is an album by jazz organist Jimmy Smith. It was produced by the Blue Note record label, and was Smith's fifteenth album in three years. AllMusic's Lindsay Planer described the album as "a prime example of Smith and company's ...

'' *

Blue Mitchell Richard Allen "Blue" Mitchell (March 13, 1930 – May 21, 1979) was an American trumpeter and composer who worked in jazz, rhythm and blues, soul, rock and funk. He recorded albums as leader and sideman for Riverside, Mainstream Records, and ...

: '' Big Six'' *

: '' Deeds, Not Words'' * Clark Terry: '' In Orbit'' * Cannonball Adderley: '' Somethin' Else'' * Chico Hamilton: '' Gongs East'' * Hank Mobley: '' Peckin' Time'' *

Mongo Santamaria Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributa ...

: '' Yambu'' *

Cal Tjader Callen Radcliffe Tjader Jr. ( ; July 16, 1925 – May 5, 1982) was an American Latin Jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform music of Afro-Jazz, ...

: '' Latin Concert'' *

Toots Thielemans Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Isidor, Baron Thielemans (29 April 1922 – 22 August 2016), known professionally as Toots Thielemans, was a Belgian jazz musician. He was mostly known for his chromatic harmonica playing, as well as his guitar and whistl ...

: '' Man Bites Harmonica!'' *

: '' Misterioso'' *

: '' The Four Brothers Sound'' * John Serry Sr. '' Chicago Musette - John Serry et son Accordéon'' *

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday had an innovative influence on jazz music and pop s ...

: '' Lady in Satin''

Deaths

Tiny Bradshaw Myron Carlton "Tiny" Bradshaw (September 23, 1907 – November 26, 1958)
- accessed July 2010 was an American

(September 23, 1905 – November 26)

Births

Ulf Wakenius Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The ...

(April 16), Swedish guitarist

1959

Events

*August 25: Between sets at Birdland in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

is beaten by police and jailed.

Album releases

* Dave Brubeck – '' Time Out'' (Columbia) * Ornette Coleman – ''

The Shape of Jazz to Come ''The Shape of Jazz to Come'' is the third album by jazz musician Ornette Coleman. Released on Atlantic Records in 1959, it was his debut on the label and his first album featuring the working quartet including himself, trumpeter Don Cherry, bass ...

'' (Atlantic) *

– '' Giant Steps'' (Atlantic) *

– '' Kind of Blue'' (Columbia) *

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

and Duke Ellington – '' Back to Back: Duke Ellington and Johnny Hodges Play the Blues'' (Verve) * Milt Jackson and

– '' Bags & Trane'' (Atlantic) * Charles Mingus – ''

Mingus Ah Um ''Mingus Ah Um'' is a studio album by American jazz musician Charles Mingus which was released in October 1959 by Columbia Records. It was his first album recorded for Columbia. The cover features a painting by S. Neil Fujita. The title is a co ...

'' (Columbia) * Art Pepper – '' Art Pepper + Eleven – Modern Jazz Classics'' (Contemporary/OJC) *

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

– ''

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook ''Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Song Book'' is a box set by American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald that contains songs by George and Ira Gershwin with arrangements by Nelson Riddle. It was produced by Norman Granz, Fitzgerald' ...

'' (Verve)

Deaths

Lester Young Lester Willis Young (August 27, 1909 – March 15, 1959), nicknamed "Pres" or "Prez", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and occasional clarinetist. Coming to prominence while a member of Count Basie's orchestra, Young was one of the most ...

(August 27, 1909 – March 15) *

Sidney Bechet Sidney Bechet (May 14, 1897 – May 14, 1959) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer. He was one of the first important soloists in jazz, and first recorded several months before trumpeter Louis Armstrong. His erratic tempe ...

(May 14, 1897 – May 14) *

Boris Vian Boris Vian (; 10 March 1920 – 23 June 1959) was a French polymath: writer, poet, musician, singer, translator, critic, actor, inventor and engineer who is primarily remembered for his novels. Those published under the pseudonym Vernon Sull ...

(March 10, 1920 – June 23) *

(April 7, 1915 – July 17)

Births

Stanley Jordan Stanley Jordan (born July 31, 1959) is an American jazz guitarist noted for his playing technique, which involves tapping his fingers on the fretboard of the guitar with both hands. Music career Jordan was born in Chicago, Illinois, United St ...

(July 31), guitarist * Marcus Miller (June 14), bassist and composer * Torsten Zwingenberger (Januar12), German drummer

Awards

Grammy Awards of 1959 The 1st Annual Grammy Awards were held on May 4, 1959. They recognized musical accomplishments by performers for the year 1959. Two separate ceremonies were held simultaneously on the same day; the first hotel in Beverly Hills, California, and th ...

** Best Jazz Performance Solo or Small Group *** ** Best Jazz Performance Large Group *** ** Best Jazz Composition of More Than Five Minutes Duration ***

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1950s in music 20th century in jazz Jazz by decade 1950s decade overviews