Does Dixieland jazz get your toes tapping? Or perhaps you prefer the complex harmonies and improv of Bebop. Maybe cool jazz from the ’40s is your jam. Whatever you enjoy, these 10 influencers can provide something to fit your tastes. Thanks to their videos, you can learn to play jazz guitar, find music to set the mood on a rainy Sunday, or hear from a jazz singer about cursive singing.
10 jazz influencers playing their music on social
Mark Maxwell
Known by his 914K YouTube subscribers as Dr. SaxLove, Mark has created multiple jazz playlists, including his own performances of hit songs, like “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys and the theme song from “Game of Thrones.” Looking to relax with some smooth jazz, classic jazz standards, or jazz and nature sounds? Mark has plenty to choose from — even a 10-hour video of soft jazz with a video of crackling logs in a fireplace.
Don Kaart
Don’s All That Jazz channel on YouTube delights its 77.7K subscribers with a wide variety of jazz recordings. He does his best to name the musician, place, and date of the recordings, some of which include video of the original performances, while others are simply audio matched with the album cover. You’ll find a spectrum of artists, like Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, and Maxine Sullivan.
Jarvis X
Since 2017, Jarvis has worked to create an online museum of jazz music on his YouTube channel — often with input and identification assistance from his 59.1K subscribers. Occasionally he reviews legendary albums, unboxes jazz box-sets, and discusses new and well-known jazz musicians. In addition to just sharing music, he uploads jazz documentaries on Billie Holiday, Oscar Peterson, and Art Tatum.
Postmodern Jukebox
Scott Bradlee and his performers have launched one of the biggest revivals for vintage-style music in modern history. Reimagining modern songs with a jazz, swing, and Doo-Wop take, he’s helped grow a new generation of jazz aficionados. Listen to his version of The Weeknd’s “Can’t Feel My Face,” Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” and Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.”
Jazz Improvisers
Dedicated to modern, vintage and rare jazz influencers, this Facebook page has more than 919K followers. Check out videos of Sade’s performance of “The Sweetest Taboo” or Louis Armstrong’s “Mack the Knife” but don’t skip over the modern performances, like the Roy Hargrove Quintet’s show in Brussels. Some unlikely jazz influencers include Grace Jones and Amy Winehouse.
Marc-Andre Seguin
For anyone looking to improve their jazz guitar-playing skills, Marc-Andre’s YouTube channel, Jazz Guitar Lessons, can help. He holds multiple music degrees and teaches his viewers lessons on scales, chords, comping and more. There’s also a playlist dedicated to jazz guitar theory and one covering Bebop language for jazz guitar.
Jens Larsen
After touring with his band, jazz guitarist Jens started making YouTube videos to teach jazz guitar and music theory lessons. He shares clips of his own jazz guitars, including how they sound and how he uses them, as well as advice from great musicians, like Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk. If you’re a beginner, you may want to start with his Introduction to Jazz Guitar playlist.
Aimee Nolte
A Los Angeles-based jazz piano player and singer, Aimee has a YouTube channel with a mix of content, including scat singing, gear and app reviews, and jazz piano and singing practice methods. She explains guitar picking for piano, offers piano jazz tutorials on rhythm changes, and interviews famous musicians, like her mentor, Steve Call. There are also some live performances of Aimee playing the piano and singing.
Nubya Garcia
Composer, band leader, and saxophonist Nubya wows fans in concerts and with her jazz stylings in the studio. Her nearly 50K followers on Instagram are treated to remixes, snippets of shows, and danceable jams. In 2021, Nubya and her crew were nominated for Best Live Act by DJ Magazine.
Emmet Cohen
As a jazz pianist, the only thing Emmet may enjoy more than playing is sharing his music. With 72.2K subscribers on YouTube, his channel features live streams, quarantine jams, and performances by the Emmet Cohen Trio. He also plays with and speaks to jazz legends — including Ron Carter and Tootie Heath. His series, Emmet’s Place Education, which is moderated by Bryan Eng, introduces jazz fans to artists they may not know yet.
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