Though the trumpet has been around since the 18th century, it wasn’t until the emergence of jazz in the early 20th century that it became one of the most essential instruments in American music.
While there are many different styles of jazz, there are some trumpeters who stand out as legends in their field, ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis to Wynton Marsalis. For both aspiring and experienced musicians alike, here are the ten best jazz trumpet players throughout history.
Louis Armstrong
Any list trying to bring together the best trumpet players of all time often begin with Louis Armstrong who trumped his way to become perhaps, the most important figure in the development of jazz music. This popular singer and jazz trumpeter is arguably the first major jazz soloist.
Before his antics, Jazz was all about collective performance but he changed that and shifted the genre towards solo performances. His operatic playing style, trumpet approach, and sophisticated rhythms paved the way for the evolution of jazz music.
The list of artists that have been inspired by his music is simply astounding, and he was a huge force in popularizing jazz music among mainstream audiences. He will forever be remembered as a jazz trumpet player, but he also played cornet and was a vocalist. His live performances were legendary and transformed live jazz concerts into must-see events.
Expert Tip: If you want to study how to play trumpet for fun or learn what you need to get started playing at a professional level, get your hands on some Louis Armstrong tracks today!
Miles Davis
Smooth jazz would never have developed into what it is were it not for Miles Davis. Thanks to his contribution to jazz music and his playing style, he is considered one of the best jazz trumpeters of all time. Unlike other players. Davis could play in various styles.
His discography revealed his versatility since he could play hard bop, modal jazz, and classic bebop. He is famous for playing in the middle register and also for his activity as a composer and bandleader.
His career spanned 5 decades and his contribution to the evolution of jazz music, talent, and trumpet mastery have resulted in an exceptional list of achievements. Over his career, he has released a noteworthy number of albums and garnered 8 Grammy awards. His album “King of Blues” is one of the most popular and appreciated jazz albums to date
Chet Baker
Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker is famous for his role in developing cool jazz during his career, which spanned more than five decades. Born on December 23, 1929. Baker began playing the trumpet at the age of 13 and took lessons from Los Angeles trumpeter Harry James before performing with him regularly at the age of 17.
Baker turned to baritone saxophone briefly before returning to the trumpet, he played with local bands around Southern California while also serving time in jail after pleading guilty to possession of narcotics. He moved north to San Francisco soon after his release and began making a name for himself as a soloist as well as a member of Stan Kenton’s band.
Fats Navarro had a stellar career with his warm, deep tone and inventive style. He was an acclaimed trumpet player who toured across Europe in his early years before returning to New York. There, he became one of jazz’s biggest stars, recording more than 60 albums with big names like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Clifford Brown.
Sadly, Navarro passed away at just 31 years old in 1950 after suffering from health complications due to drug use. His earlier recordings give us a glimpse into what could have been if he hadn’t died so young. It’s said that Miles Davis idolized him and listened to Navarro’s music often as inspiration for his own music.
Charlie Parker
Parker, who was known as Bird because of his quick tempo and complex melodies, was a legendary jazz trumpeter in part because of his incredible improvisational skills. In 1949, he appeared on stage with bebop pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell at Massey Hall in Toronto.
He eventually split from bebop to pursue his own style, which some called avant-garde. The bird died prematurely in 1955 but is often called one of jazz music’s greatest performers, many cite him as one of jazz trumpet players throughout history.
Clifford Brown
Clifford Brown was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. From 1953 until he died in 1956. Brown’s small group recordings for Blue Note Records were considered by many to be the definitive sounds of hard bop, influencing subsequent generations of musicians including trumpeters Miles Davis and Lee Morgan.
He is regarded as one of jazz’s most influential trumpeters. Jazz critic Martin Williams once wrote that Brown has been idolized as perhaps no other trumpet player since Louis Armstrong. Although not his first exposure to professional music-making, he had previously toured with Lionel Hampton.
Brown made his recording debut with Art Farmer’s big band in 1950 at age 16. The following year he also joined trombonist J.J.
Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham was a Texas-born trumpeter, perhaps best known for his distinctive style and for helping to bring attention to bebop. He spent much of his childhood in Louisiana and Arkansas before joining up with Max Roach’s big band, where he played alongside Dizzy Gillespie.
In 1945, he joined Count Basie’s band before going on to form his own band in 1947, which was known as The Kenny Dorham Sextet. In 1949, he recorded with Charlie Parker for Savoy Records under his own name as well as Jay Jay Johnson’s name.
Wynton Marsalis
Few trumpet players have pushed jazz forward like Wynton Marsalis. When he released his album. Black Codes (From The Underground), in 1985, critics compared it to James Brown’s similarly revolutionary 1964 album, Live at The Apollo. It was later hailed as one of Rolling Stone magazine’s 500 greatest albums of all time.
Expert Tip: As one of only two jazz musicians, the other being Quincy Jones to have won nine Grammys in both categories. In classical and Jazz music, he has brought a level of class and respect to Jazz that few others have matched. This man could play that trumpet well!
Freddie Hubbard
In a career that spanned 50 years, Freddie Hubbard recorded more than 50 albums and performed on hundreds of records as a sideman. Widely considered one of jazz’s greatest trumpeters. Hubbard played in styles ranging from soul to rock to free jazz and everything in between.
He made his recording debut with Dizzy Gillespie when he was just 19 years old and later joined Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers. In 1963, he started his own group called The Hub-Tones 1966. They were rechristened Cannonball Adderley’s Big Band (with Hubbard on trumpet). They released two albums together before disbanding after Adderley’s death in 1975.
Art Farmer
During his lifetime, Art Farmer was known for being one of jazz’s most popular trumpeters. As a musician, he played with dozens of artists, ranging from Miles Davis to Duke Ellington. In addition to leading his own bands and performing with other musical talents. Farmer also released several solo albums.
He won countless awards throughout his life including being inducted into Down Beat Magazine’s Jazz Hall of Fame in 1995. Few jazz trumpet players can compare to Farmer, he is up there with legends like Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong.
Donald Byrd
During his formative years, Donald Byrd studied classical music at Howard University. His mother, a piano teacher, encouraged him to take up the trumpet in high school. He joined Lionel Hampton’s band during his early 20s and began playing with more influential bands over time. He rose to fame for his recordings on Blue Note Records during his 50s and 60s.
Some of Byrd’s notable contributions include Little Sunflower (1962), Wail & Ride (1962), Free Form (1963), and Blackjack (1965). During his career, he also played alongside Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, and Charles Mingus.
Wynton Marsalis
Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is widely considered to be one of jazz’s greatest trumpeters. He has been a bandleader since 1980 and has received 17 Grammy Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes.
He is also credited with bringing jazz to a wider audience by combining classical and other genres into his music, paving way for future innovators like J Dilla and The Roots. One of his most successful collaborations was with Branford Marsalis (yes, that’s his real name) on Blood on the Fields in 1992.
Their duets earned them a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (by Group) in 1993, it was Wynton’s third win after multiple nominations throughout his career.
Woody Shaw
One of Shaw’s most memorable performances was at President Jimmy Carter’s 1977 inauguration. His trumpet perfectly captured the celebratory mood of an optimistic America, and his soulful approach to jazz is considered by many as one of his greatest contributions to music.
Before his death in 1989, Shaw played with some of jazz’s most famous musicians, including Benny Goodman and Lester Young. Perhaps most memorably, he jammed with John Coltrane on Bye Bye Blackbird. Despite being only 44 years old when he died. Woody Shaw left behind a legacy that will continue to inspire generations for years to come.
Roy Eldridge
Eldridge was one of jazz’s greatest trumpet players and inspired countless musicians to take up playing. He got his start in 1928 with Elmer Snowden’s band in Connecticut, before moving on to work with Don Redman’s band in 1930.
As a soloist, Eldridge was among the most powerful players in jazz history, known for his capacity to play at deafening volume levels without losing any of his clarity or grace. During his lengthy career. Eldridge recorded over 600 songs and worked alongside numerous great musicians like Benny Goodman and Billie Holiday.
Expert Tip: Today he is considered one of history’s greatest and most innovative trumpet players and is remembered for his unique style that redefined what could be done with a traditional trumpet.
Nat Adderley
Adderley’s father Cootie, was a drummer. Nat learned to play trumpet at an early age (he was four when he first got serious about it) and played with his dad in several different bands over his childhood. But after seeing Dizzy Gillespie perform with Charlie Parker, he quickly switched instruments.
Adderley made his debut performance with Parker when he was only 18 years old. From there. Adderley went on to help establish hard bop before making a name for himself as an up-and-coming jazz musician in New York City in the late 1950s.
Alongside Cannonball Adderley, is another musician in his family tree. Nat helped bring jazz into a new era of popularity something that still stands today.
Kenny Dorham
A native of Houston, Texas. Kenny Dorham helped establish hard bop as a genre during his long tenure with trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s big band. After playing trumpet in Gillespie’s bebop orchestra from 1943 to 1947. Dorham began leading his own groups with pianist Sonny Clark and drummer Max Roach.
While part of Gillespie’s ensemble, he absorbed some lessons from Miles Davis on how to incorporate jazz harmony into hard bop compositions. He also was influenced by saxophonist Dexter Gordon when they both appeared at Chicago clubs in 1948.
Charlie Parker
Parker, who was known as Bird because of his quick tempo and complex melodies, was a legendary jazz trumpeter in part because of his incredible improvisational skills. In 1949, he appeared on stage with bebop pioneers Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Powell at Massey Hall in Toronto.
He eventually split from bebop to pursue his own style, which some called avant-garde. The bird died prematurely in 1955 but is often called one of jazz music’s greatest performers, many cite him as one of jazz trumpet players throughout history.
Who is the most famous jazz, trumpet player?
If you are asking yourself “Who is the most famous jazz trumpet player?”, most people will tell you with certainly one man’s name, “Louis Armstrong”. He is infamous for his masterful skills, enchanting millions of people with his music.
Anyone loving jazz will be familiar with his name. Anyone would recommend you his probably most memorable set of records: Hot Fives and Sevens. Recorded between 1925 and 1929, they took the world of jazz and flipped it upside down. The expressive and brilliant improvisations are a testament to the peak of jazz culture.
The stop-time solos, the melodies, and his unique scat vocals all merged to reveal his incredible talent. His passion for jazz was unbeaten. He and his music climbed to heights never seen before. He later turned into an international show biz star. And what a wonderful world the realm of jazz has become because of him.
Who Is The Best Trumpet Player Now?
The best trumpet player now is Alison Balsom. The award-winning Alison Balsom is one of Britain’s most celebrated musicians.
The Daily Telegraph review of the album “Airmail” said: ‘It would be hard to think of anyone since her fellow Yorkshireman Maurice Murphy who has made such a powerful statement…’ and Gramophone Magazine wrote,’…she has done more than any other player in recent years to raise the profile of ‘new’ music for her instrument’.
She has received numerous awards, including Best Classical Instrumentalist (Female) at the Classic Brits, a Gramophone Award, and a Royal Philharmonic Society Award.
Alongside mainstream classical trumpet repertoire, she has commissioned over 100 new composers, including Sir Peter Maxwell Davis, Sir Harrison Birtwistle, and Sir James Macmillan. She has been given world premieres of works for solo trumpet by John Adams, Oliver Knussen, Jonathan Harvey, Joby Talbot, and many others.
Alison is also a sought-after educationalist. Her latest album, “Trumpet Masterclass,” was chosen by the Sunday Times as one of their top ten best classical recordings of 2013.
Conclusion
This list covers just 15 jazz trumpet players throughout history. They have left their marks on music in so many ways, and they should be remembered for their skills, but most importantly, their passion.