Known as the “Jazz Age,” the 1920s was a time of cultural and creative shifting within the United States. The unique style of music originated and grew in post-World War I New Orleans. Jazz connected communities of people artistically and musically, offering many an outlet for freedom after World War I. Long before jazz, there was the blues, which originated from African American slave songs from the 19th century. Decades later, the blues were made the root of jazz and combined with other African American musical styles, including ragtime and Afro-Caribbean music.  

Still to this day, jazz remains an influential style of art. Some films focus on the art of jazz, modern musicians who use elements of the unique style in their work, and many jazz bands that perform, at both the professional and school level.  

Here are five Black jazz musicians who have shaped the art of jazz and have made an impact on the music industry as a whole.  

Ella Fitzgerald

Named “The First Lady of Song,” Fitzgerald has shaped the art of jazz in a way that no one has done before. She could sing smooth ballads, sweet jazz, and imitate any musical instrument. According to her biography, she has sung alongside other greats including but not limited to Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra. Fitzgerald’s story is one that many look up to and continue to be inspired by.  

After her mother died in 1932, Fitzgerald entered a rough patch in her life. She struggled in school and was sent to a reform school. The conditions in this school were nothing but horrible; she faced beatings from her caretakers. She was eventually able to escape the reformatory but found herself left to live in the Great Depression as a fifteen-year-old. Her memories and experiences from this time in her life have helped her gather emotions for her performances, aiding her to later succeed in the music industry.  

According to an artist spotlight by the Hoffman Academy Team, throughout her career, Fitzgerald won thirteen Grammys and recorded over 200 albums, along with being awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1987 by President Reagan. Her resilience in facing racism and discrimination has paved the way for other Black musicians during her time. In addition to all of her musical accolades, Fitzgerald had also generously donated to organizations for child welfare.  

Louis Armstrong

It all started with the purchase of his first cornet when with his money earned from an early job.  

According to his biography, Armstrong grew up in Louisiana in a neighborhood called “The Battlefield.” He was raised by his mother and dropped out of school early to work. He was mentored by the city’s most skilled cornetist, Joe “King” Oliver. Soon after, he became one of the most in-demand cornetists in town.  

Armstrong’s records created with his Hot Seven are some of the most influential in jazz.  His improvised solos transformed jazz from a mostly ensemble-performed art to one that focuses more on soloist improvisation. The fame of him and his Hot Seven got him sent to New York, where he performed at the popular Broadway revue, “Hot Chocolates.” During the 1930s he flourished on the radio, on records, and in films, and began touring in the 40s. Armstrong was also a Civil Rights pioneer, and spoke out against the public’s treatment of the “Little Rock Nine.”

Billie Holiday

Having grown up in Baltimore in an area that was heavily influenced by jazz, Holiday began her music journey very young. When her mother moved to New York in search of more employment opportunities, Holiday joined her. It was in New York where she “began showing up at jazz clubs to audition and sing with resident pianists,” according to her biography.  

By the age of eighteen, Holiday had much experience under her belt that allowed her to be spotted by producer John Hammond. In the mid-1930s she began performing and recording alongside well-known jazz musicians, and she soon became an unstoppable force in the world of jazz.  

One of her greatest accomplishments was in 1938 when she was invited to front Artie Shaw’s orchestra, making her the first black woman to work with a white band. One of her most notable songs is “Strange Fruit,” which originally started out as a poem that depicted the horror of the lynchings that had been happening in the South. Considered as the first protest song of the civil rights era, Holiday did everything she could to be able to sing this song. Not only was Holiday an artist, but an inspiration for people everywhere to continue the fight for civil equality.    

Nancy Wilson

A performer of both jazz and pop, Wilson preferred to be called a “song stylist.” She performed in a talent show in Columbus, Ohio, and at the mere age of fifteen, was given her own twice-a-week television show called Skyline Melodies. She was brought out to New York after her raw talent was discovered.  

Upon arriving in the Big Apple, Wilson had a plan: “to launch a national singing career with John Levy as her manager and Capitol as her record label,” according to her biography.  From then on it only went up from there.

Throughout the 60s and 70s, Wilson released albums and singles that became staples on jazz radio. These titles included “Guess Who I Saw Today,” a version of “Save Your Love For Me,” and “You’re As Right As Rain.” She had won many Grammys for her pieces, been awarded an Emmy Award for her network series, and was inducted into the Jazz Hall of Fame in 1999. Wilson was an influential figure in the civil rights marches during the 60s, and in 2005 was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site. When looking back at this induction, Wilson stated that that award meant more to her than anything else she had ever received.

Miles Davis

Davis began playing the trumpet at the age of thirteen in East St. Louis, Illinois. In 1944, he was offered a scholarship to attend Juilliard, and soon after became immersed in the scene of New York. By 1945 he dropped out of school to pursue a career as a full-time jazz musician.

According to his biography created by the National Endowment for the Arts, Davis was arguably “the most influential jazz musician in the post-World War II period, being at the forefront of changes in the genre for more than 40 years.” Throughout the 50s and 60s, he joined a variety of bands alongside other talented jazz musicians and shaped his own style of jazz by playing in modes rather than the standard chord changes. One of his albums, Kind of Blue, which was released in 1959, is still to this day the biggest-selling jazz album.  

Davis also had a large impact on the birth of the new jazz style known as be-bop, which was more of a soloist’s art. The style highlighted the transition of jazz from its role as a dance and social tune to more modern, artistic music. Davis met and performed alongside Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, who were two other musicians who led the growth of be-bop.  

Davis won more than five Grammys and numerous best-selling albums. His influences on the art of jazz and the rise of be-bop continue to be praised by many today.  

The art of jazz is its own world, full of talented, influential, and impactful artists. These artists have not only shaped the style into what it is today but have also fought for change and civil rights. Learning about those who have paved the way for jazz to grow over the past century can bring more meaning to their songs, making the style even more special and unique for generations to come.