Jazz in the 1940s

Barbra Streisand b. 1942 · American singer and actress (born 1942) Frank Zappa 1940–1993 · American musician (1940–1993) Eric Clapton b. 1945 · British musician Joni Mitchell b. 1943 · Canadian musician Herbie Hancock b. 1940 · American jazz pianist and composer (born 1940) Paco de Lucía 1947–2014 · Spanish flamenco, classical, jazz guitarist & musician… Carlos Santana b. 1947 · American guitarist Tom Waits b. 1949 · American singer-songwriter and actor (born 1949) Gilberto Gil b. 1942 · Brazilian recording artist, singer, guitarist, songwriter… Chick Corea 1941–2021 · American jazz and fusion pianist, keyboardist, and… Jeff Beck 1944–2023 · English guitarist (1944–2023) José Feliciano b. 1945 · Puerto Rican musician (born 1945) Chico Buarque b. 1944 · Brazilian singer-songwriter Caetano Veloso b. 1942 · Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and… Al Jarreau 1940–2017 · American jazz and pop singer (1940–2017) Mina b. 1940 · Italian singer (born 1940) George Benson b. 1943 · American guitarist and singer (born 1943) Keith Jarrett b. 1945 · American jazz/classical pianist and composer (born 1945) Astrud Gilberto 1940–2023 · Brazilian-American singer and songwriter (1940–2023) Alan Kay b. 1940 · American computer scientist (born 1940) Al Green b. 1946 · American singer Robert Fripp b. 1946 · English guitarist, composer and record producer Sérgio Mendes 1941–2024 · Brazilian musician (1941–2024) John McLaughlin b. 1942 · English guitarist, founder of the Mahavishnu Orchestra Charlie Watts 1941–2021 · British drummer (1941–2021) Dr. John 1941–2019 · American singer-songwriter (1941-2019) Jack Bruce 1943–2014 · British musician (1943–2014) Jan Garbarek b. 1947 · Norwegian saxophonist and composer (born 1947) José José 1948–2019 · Mexican singer (1948–2019) Paquito D'Rivera b. 1948 · Cuban musician Toquinho b. 1946 · Brazilian musician SJ Scatman John 1942–1999 · American musician (1942–1999) Chucho Valdés b. 1941 · Cuban musician Arturo Sandoval b. 1949 · Cuban jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer Karl Jenkins b. 1944 · Welsh musician and composer (b. 1944) Barbara Hendricks b. 1948 · American operatic soprano and concert singer Pharoah Sanders 1940–2022 · American jazz saxophonist (1940–2022) Gary Burton b. 1943 · American vibraphonist Billy Cobham b. 1944 · Panamanian jazz drummer and composer (born 1944) Anthony Braxton b. 1945 · American musician, composer and philosopher (born 1945) Larry Coryell 1943–2017 · American guitarist (1943–2017) MI Mark Isham b. 1941 · American musician and film composer (born 1951) Allan Holdsworth 1946–2017 · British musician (1946–2017) Ivan Lins b. 1945 · Brazilian musician Tony Levin b. 1946 · American rock bass player (born 1946) George Duke 1946–2013 · American musician (1946–2013) Peter Brötzmann 1941–2023 · German jazz saxophonist and clarinetist (1941–2023) Fred Frith b. 1949 · English musician, composer and improvisor (born 1949) Larry Carlton b. 1948 · American guitarist (born 1948) Jan Hammer b. 1948 · Czech-born American musician, composer and record producer Andy Summers b. 1942 · British guitarist John Abercrombie 1944–2017 · American jazz guitarist (1944–2017) Monty Alexander b. 1944 · Jamaican pianist (born 1944) Jack DeJohnette 1942–2025 · American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer (1942–2025) Jean-Luc Ponty b. 1942 · French jazz violinist and composer Tomasz Stańko 1942–2018 · Polish trumpeter, composer and improviser (1942–2018) Philip Catherine b. 1942 · British-Belgian jazz rock guitarist David Sanborn 1945–2024 · American saxophonist (1945-2024) Roy Ayers 1940–2025 · American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player… Terje Rypdal b. 1947 · Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer Theo Jörgensmann 1948–2025 · German musician Laura Nyro 1947–1997 · American singer and songwriter (1947–1997) Grover Washington Jr. 1943–1999 · American jazz saxophonist (1943–1999) Tom Harrell b. 1946 · American composer, arranger, jazz trumpeter and… Pat Martino 1944–2021 · American jazz guitarist and composer (1944–2021) Jan Akkerman b. 1946 · Dutch guitarist Kenny Barron b. 1943 · American jazz pianist Woody Shaw 1944–1989 · American musician (1944-1989) Bobby Hutcherson 1941–2016 · American jazz vibraphone and marimba player (1941–2016) Chuck Mangione 1940–2025 · American jazz musician (1940–2025) Maceo Parker b. 1943 · American saxophonist and composer Timothy Buckley 1947–1975 · American musician (1947–1975) Miroslav Vitouš b. 1947 · Czech bass guitarist, jazz musician and contrabassist Randy Brecker b. 1945 · American flugelhorn and trumpet player (1945-) Boz Scaggs b. 1944 · American musician (born 1944) Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen 1946–2005 · Danish jazz upright bassist (1946–2005) John Surman b. 1944 · British saxophonist and clarinetist Djavan b. 1949 · Brazilian singer/songwriter Michał Urbaniak 1943–2025 · Polish jazz musician (1943–2025) Naná Vasconcelos 1944–2016 · Brazilian percussionist (1944–2016) Airto Moreira b. 1941 · Brazilian drummer and percussionist David Grisman b. 1945 · American mandolinist, composer, and record label owner Mulatu Astatke b. 1943 · Ethiopian musician Dave Liebman b. 1946 · American jazz composer, saxophonist and flautist Bill Bruford b. 1949 · English drummer Flora Purim b. 1942 · Brazilian jazz singer Dave Holland b. 1946 · British jazz musician Hank Marvin b. 1941 · English musician; guitarist for the Shadows Hugh Hopper 1945–2009 · English bass guitarist (1945–2009) Tom Scott b. 1948 · American jazz musician (born 1948) Arild Andersen b. 1945 · Norwegian jazz musician Michael Brecker 1949–2007 · American jazz saxophonist and composer (1949-2007) MM Michael Moriarty b. 1941 · American-Canadian actor and musician (b. 1941) Gavin Bryars b. 1943 · English composer and double bassist Enrico Pieranunzi b. 1949 · Italian jazz musician, classical pianist, composer… Yōsuke Yamashita b. 1942 · Japanese jazz pianist, composer and writer Marcos Valle b. 1943 · Brazilian musician and singer Ralph Towner 1940–2026 · American musician (1940–2026) Eberhard Weber b. 1940 · German musician Eugen Cicero 1940–1997 · Romanian-German jazz pianist Evan Parker b. 1944 · English saxophonist Barry Guy b. 1947 · British composer and jazz musician (born 1947) Marianne Mendt b. 1945 · Austrian musician and actress Tony Williams 1945–1997 · American jazz drummer (1945–1997) Ryo Kawasaki 1947–2020 · Japanese jazz guitarist (1947-2020) Egberto Gismonti b. 1944 · Brazilian musician and composer Judith Durham 1943–2022 · Australian singer and musician (1943–2022) Avery Brooks b. 1948 · American actor and director Roscoe Mitchell b. 1940 · American jazz musician (born 1940) Anneke Grönloh 1942–2018 · Dutch singer (1942–2018) James Blood Ulmer 1942–2026 · American jazz and blues guitarist and singer Richard Carpenter b. 1946 · American pop musician Vagif Mustafazadeh 1940–1979 · Azerbaijani musician (1940-1979) Butch Morris 1947–2013 · American cornetist (1947–2013) Chico Freeman b. 1949 · American saxophonist Steve Gadd b. 1945 · American jazz drummer, percussionist and session musician… Patrick Moraz b. 1948 · Swiss musician Sylvia Vrethammar b. 1945 · Swedish jazz and schlager singer Letta Mbulu b. 1942 · South African musician Donald Fagen b. 1948 · American recording artist, musician (born 1948)