Researching Professional Musicians

Make a list of five professional musicians that play your instrument. Pick your favorite and write a one page review on your musician.

• 1 paragraph on why you chose this musician. What stands out to make you want to research them?

• 1 paragraph on their life. When and where were they born? What was their childhood like? Why did they begin playing music? What was the highlight of their career?

• 1 paragraph on the album/symphony (featuring your artist as a soloist) you chose to listen to. When was it recorded? Where? Who else was playing on the album? Anything important about the meaning behind the album or songs?

• 1 paragraph on why you enjoyed the album/symphony/quaretwork. What musical elements do you like most? What song stood out to you and why?

• 1 paragraph describing the “sound” of your musician. Use “music” terms. How do they approach playing?

Classical List

Violin: Joshua Bell, Nicola Benedetti, Sarah Chang, George Enescu, Julia Fischer, Midori Gotō, Hilary Hahn, Jascha Heifetz, Janine Jansen, Nigel Kennedy, Fritz Kreisler, Gidon Kremer, Yehudi Menuhin, Viktoria Mullova, Anne-Sophie Mutter

Viola: William Primrose, Tabea Zimmerman, Lionel Tertis, Yuri Bashmet, Nobuko Imai, Lawrence Power, Carl Stamitz

Cello: Pablo Casals, Pierre Fournier, Natalia Gutman, Steven Isserlis, Julian Lloyd Webber, Yo-Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky, David Popper, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, Heinrich Schiff, Alisa Weilerstein

Bass: Leon Bosch, Jurek Dybal, Gerald Drucker, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Heinz Karl Gruber, Teppo Hauta-Aho, Jorma Katrama, Edicson Ruiz, Rodney Slatford, Frank Proto, Joel Quarrington, Hal Robinson, Stuart Sankey, Karl E. H. Seigfried, Peter Seymour

Jazz List Saxophone: Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Paul Desmond, Stan Getz, Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson, Art Pepper, Sonny Rollins, Michael Brecker, Lester Young, Dexter Gordon, Gerry Mulligan

Trumpet: Miles Davis, Lee Morgan, Louis Armstrong, Chet Baker, Maynard Ferguson, Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Clifford Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Art Farmer, King Oliver, Kenny Dorham, Freddie Hubbard, Arturo Sandoval, Cootie Williams

Trombone: J.J Johnson, Curtis Fuller, Ray Anderson, Frank Rosolino, Al Grey, Tommy Dorsey, Slide Hampton, Kid Ory, Carl Fontana, Lawrence Brown, Jack Teagarden, Robin Eubanks

Clarinet: Benny Goodman, Sidney Bechet, Omer Simeon, Johnny Dodds, Jimmy Noone, Ed Hall, Artie Shaw, George Lewis, Eddie Daniels, Ken Peplowski, Pee Wee Russell, Buddy DeFranco

Flute: Herbie Mann, James Moody, Jim Newsom, Hubert Laws, David “Fathead” Newman, Joe Farrell, James Galway, Dave Valentin, Eric Dolphy, Bud Shank

Piano: Chick Corea, Chucho Valdes, Horace Silver, Bud Powell, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Art Tatum, Herbie Hancock, Count Basie, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Michel Camilo, McCoy Tyner, Cecil Taylor, Wynton Kelly

Guitar: Wes Montgomery, Django Reinhardt, Pat Metheny, Joe Pass, Charlie Christian, John McLaughlin, Allan Holdsworth, Grant Green, John Scofield, Jim Hall, Larry Coryell, Kenny Burrell, Bill Frisell, Larry Carlton, Pat Martino, Mike Stern

Bass: Jimmy Blanton, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, Paul Chambers, Scott LaFaro, Charles Mingus, Steve Swallow, Stanley Clarke, Jaco Pastoruis, Percy Jones, Jeff Berlin, Marcus Miller, Oscar Pettiford

Drums: Buddy Rich, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Roy Haynes, Jack DeJohnette, Tony Williams, Billy Cobham, Art Blakey, Joe Morello, Kenny Clarke, Gene Krupa, Dave Weckl, Harvey Mason, Peter Erskine, Chick Webb, Louis Bellson