Best Mainstream Jazz

The Bill Charlap Trio is an American jazz piano trio led by Bill Charlap, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington forming its long-standing core lineup. The group is known for close ensemble interaction and interpretations of standards, particularly music associated with the Great...

The Diana Krall Trio is a piano, bass, and drums format centered on Canadian jazz pianist and vocalist Diana Krall. Born in 1964, Krall became internationally known during the 1990s through recordings that combined standards, restrained piano improvisation, and a low contralto singing voice. The tri...

The Monty Alexander Trio is a piano-led jazz ensemble associated with Jamaican-born pianist Monty Alexander, who began building his international career during the 1960s. Across changing bass-and-drum lineups, Alexander has combined the swing vocabulary of mainstream jazz with rhythmic and melodic e...

The Benny Green Trio is a jazz piano trio led by American pianist Benny Green, generally using the standard piano, double bass, and drums format. Green developed his hard-bop vocabulary through work with musicians including Betty Carter, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, and the Ray Brown Trio. The ense...

The Jan Lundgren Trio is an acoustic jazz ensemble led by Swedish pianist Jan Lundgren, typically organized around piano, double bass, and drums. Lundgren's playing combines mainstream jazz language with Scandinavian melodic sensibilities, and his trio work includes both standards and original compo...

The Dave McKenna Trio was a jazz ensemble led by American pianist Dave McKenna, usually using the conventional piano, bass, and drums format. McKenna was known for a powerful, stride-influenced left hand that could sustain bass lines and rhythmic momentum beneath his right-hand improvisation. His re...

Von Freeman (1922-2012) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist closely associated with Chicago, where he became a respected bandleader, mentor, and longtime club performer. Known for an individual sound and rhythmically flexible phrasing, he worked in hard bop and related jazz traditions while maint...

The Roland Hanna Trio was a jazz piano trio led by Detroit-born pianist and composer Roland Hanna, usually using the standard piano, double bass, and drums format. Hanna combined formal classical training with a broad jazz vocabulary encompassing swing, bebop, and later mainstream styles. Awarded an...

The Cyrus Chestnut Trio is a jazz piano trio led by Baltimore-born pianist Cyrus Chestnut, with bass and drums personnel varying by recording and performance. Chestnut's approach combines mainstream and post-bop jazz with audible influences from gospel music, blues, and the Black church tradition in...

The Makoto Ozone Trio is a jazz piano trio led by Japanese pianist and composer Makoto Ozone, with double bass and drums completing the conventional instrumentation. Ozone studied at Berklee College of Music and established an international career as both a jazz improviser and a classical concert pe...

Charles McPherson is an American jazz alto saxophonist, born in 1939, whose playing is rooted in the bebop tradition associated with Charlie Parker. He worked extensively with bassist and composer Charles Mingus during the 1960s and early 1970s while also recording as a bandleader. McPherson perform...

Peter King was a British alto saxophonist, born in 1940, who became a prominent figure in modern British jazz. His playing was strongly influenced by Charlie Parker and rooted in bebop, while also incorporating later harmonic and rhythmic developments. King began attracting attention as a teenager a...

Lew Tabackin is an American jazz musician known for both tenor saxophone and flute. Born in 1940, he co-led the Toshiko Akiyoshi-Lew Tabackin Big Band with pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi, whose arrangements gave the ensemble a distinctive place in modern big-band jazz. Tabackin is recognized...

Don Rendell was a British jazz saxophonist and flautist who lived from 1926 to 2015. Primarily known for tenor saxophone, he worked in British jazz from the postwar period onward and co-led the Don Rendell and Ian Carr Quintet during the 1960s. The ensemble combined modern jazz language with distinc...

Eric Alexander is an American jazz tenor saxophonist, born in 1968 in Galesburg, Illinois. He is associated with the hard bop and post-bop traditions and is known for a robust tone, fluent improvisation, and repertoire grounded in jazz standards and original compositions. Alexander has recorded exte...

Bobby Wellins was a Scottish jazz tenor saxophonist who lived from 1936 to 2016. He became closely associated with pianist Stan Tracey and supplied the distinctive, lyrical saxophone voice on Tracey's 1965 suite and album Under Milk Wood, which drew inspiration from Dylan Thomas's radio drama. Welli...

Gary Smulyan is an American jazz musician, born in 1956, whose primary instrument is the baritone saxophone. He has been closely associated with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and has also performed with major large ensembles, including the Woody Herman and Mel Lewis orchestras. Known for working in be...

Houston Person is an American tenor saxophonist, born in 1934, whose playing is associated with soul jazz, hard bop, and mainstream jazz. He is recognized for a warm, full tone and a repertoire grounded in blues, ballads, and standards rather than highly abstract improvisation. Person recorded and t...

The Michel Legrand Trio was a jazz ensemble led by French pianist, composer, and arranger Michel Legrand, whose career encompassed jazz, popular song, and film music. Trio performances placed his piano alongside bass and drums, allowing him to interpret standards and his own compositions through imp...

The Eric Reed Trio is a jazz piano group led by American pianist and composer Eric Reed, born in 1970. Reed became widely known through his work with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and he has also recorded extensively under his own name. His trio format generally centers o...

Steve Wilson is an American jazz saxophonist, born in 1961, who performs primarily on alto and soprano saxophones. He has worked with bandleaders including Dave Holland, Chick Corea, Maria Schneider, and George Duke, while also recording and leading ensembles under his own name. Wilson is additional...

Dado Moroni is an Italian jazz pianist based in Genoa, known for his virtuosic technique and prolific recordings alongside prominent American jazz soloists.

American baritone saxophonist born 1941, known for his commanding hard bop style and sideman work with George Benson, Lee Konitz, and many others.

American alto saxophonist born 1964, a hard bop specialist known for sideman work alongside Horace Silver, Nat Adderley, and Jack DeJohnette in the 1980s and 1990s.

American alto and tenor saxophonist born 1945 who won two Grammy Awards and is known for wide-ranging session work and collaborations with Charlie Haden.

Tony Coe (born 1934) is a British jazz musician known for his work on the tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, and clarinet. Over a career spanning several decades, he has played with prominent bandleaders including Humphrey Lyttelton, John Dankworth, and the Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band. Coe...

American tenor saxophonist born 1954, worked with Charles Mingus in the 1970s and has since led many recordings rooted in hard bop and post-bop traditions.

American tenor saxophonist born 1970, known for his versatility as a New York sideman and for notable collaborations with pianist Brad Mehldau.

British alto saxophonist and clarinettist born 1959, one of the most prolific UK jazz musicians with dozens of recordings as leader since the 1980s.