* Louis Armstrong
* Duke Ellington
* Bessie Smith
* Billie Holiday
* Coleman Hawkins
* Miles Davis
* Charlie Parker
* Dizzy Gillespie
* Thelonious Monk
* John Coltrane
Bebop Musicians (1940s-1950s)
* Charlie Parker
* Dizzy Gillespie
* Thelonious Monk
* Miles Davis
* John Coltrane
Cool Jazz Musicians (1950s-1960s)
* Miles Davis
* Chet Baker
* Gerry Mulligan
* Stan Getz
* Paul Desmond
Hard Bop Musicians (1950s-1960s)
* Art Blakey
* Horace Silver
* Cannonball Adderley
* Sonny Rollins
* Blue Mitchell
Post-Bop Musicians (1960s-1970s)
* John Coltrane
* Miles Davis
* Ornette Coleman
* Cecil Taylor
* Albert Ayler
Fusion Musicians (1970s-1980s)
* Herbie Hancock
* Chick Corea
* Weather Report
* Return to Forever
* Mahavishnu Orchestra
Neo-Bop Musicians (1980s-1990s)
* Wynton Marsalis
* Branford Marsalis
* Terence Blanchard
* Christian McBride
* Joshua Redman
Contemporary Jazz Musicians (1990s-present)
* Roy Hargrove
* Robert Glasper
* Esperanza Spalding
* Kamasi Washington
* Snarky Puppy
* BadBadNotGood