Legendary Jazz Musicians Trivia Word Search

Nicknamed 'Pres,' this tenor saxophonist's light, floating tone contrasted with Coleman Hawkins.

This British bassist joined Miles Davis's band after Davis heard him playing in a London club.

This husky-voiced singer earned the nickname 'The Divine One' for her operatic vocal range.

This trumpeter and flugelhorn player co-led the Jazztet with saxophonist Benny Golson.

This singer and bassist won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2011, upsetting several pop stars.

This flutist's early-1960s hit 'Comin' Home Baby' helped bring the instrument into the jazz spotlight.

This tenor and soprano saxophonist played in Miles Davis's 1960s quintet and co-founded Weather Report.

This Canadian-born flugelhorn player became a major voice in the British and European jazz scene.

This saxophonist's raw, wailing tone made him one of the most radical voices in 1960s free jazz.

This French accordionist brought the instrument into modern jazz with a virtuosic solo voice.

This modern harpist continues the instrument's jazz legacy pioneered by Dorothy Ashby.

Belgian harmonica player Thielemans, who also whistled while soloing, went by the nickname '_ _ _ _ _.'

This flutist and saxophonist amazed audiences by playing three horns simultaneously.

This Grammy-winning guitarist has led his own genre-blending group since the 1970s.

This blind pianist and singer blended jazz, gospel, and blues into what became known as soul music.

This bandleader and pianist led the Cotton Club's house orchestra and recorded Billy Strayhorn's 'Take the A Train.'

This pianist and composer helped found the soulful, gospel- and blues-infused hard bop style.

This pianist co-founded the fusion band Return to Forever after playing with Miles Davis.

This virtuoso drummer was famous for blistering technique and a fiery temper on the bandstand.

This guitarist helped popularize the amplified electric guitar in Benny Goodman's band before dying young.

This harmonica virtuoso was blacklisted in Hollywood during the 1950s Red Scare.

This pianist-composer boastfully, and wrongly, claimed to have invented jazz single-handedly.

This drummer's polyrhythmic power fueled John Coltrane's classic 1960s quartet.

Nicknamed 'Lady Day,' this singer recorded the haunting anti-lynching song 'Strange Fruit.'

This modern drummer founded the Fellowship Band, blending jazz with gospel and Americana roots.

This flutist and tenor saxophonist co-led a big band with his wife, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi.

This flutist and alto saxophonist was a fixture of the West Coast cool jazz scene.

This session drummer's iconic groove drives Steely Dan's 'Aja' and countless other classic tracks.

This drummer and civil rights activist co-led a classic quintet with trumpeter Clifford Brown.

This pianist's angular, dissonant style on tunes like 'Round Midnight' helped define bebop.

This electric bassist and producer has played on albums for Miles Davis, Luther Vandross, and dozens more.

This pianist blends jazz with hip-hop and neo-soul, winning Grammys for genre-crossing albums.

This blind British pianist composed the jazz standard 'Lullaby of Birdland.'

This tenor saxophonist's smooth tone made the bossa nova hit 'The Girl from Ipanema' a crossover success.

This Romani guitarist played dazzling solos despite two fingers on his left hand being burned in a fire.

This saxophonist's radical style, showcased on his album 'Free Jazz,' broke from fixed chord changes.

This tenor saxophonist recorded the spiritual jazz album 'A Love Supreme' in 1964.

Known as the Count, this pianist led a Kansas City-based swing big band famed for its tight rhythm section.

This alto saxophonist led Duke Ellington's saxophone section for decades.

This singer-pianist began her career while recovering from a serious car accident as a teenager.

Called the 'King of Swing,' this clarinetist filled dance floors with his big band in the 1930s.

This pianist's entirely improvised 1975 solo concert in Germany became jazz's best-selling piano album.

This Canadian pianist-singer is known for sultry renditions of the Great American Songbook.

This tenor saxophonist's warm tone on 'Body and Soul' influenced generations of players.

Often called the King of Ragtime, this pianist-composer wrote 'Maple Leaf Rag.'

This crooner's phrasing and swing-band roots made him a giant of vocal jazz standards.

This bassist and cellist helped establish the bass as a bebop solo instrument in the 1940s.

This New Orleans cornetist reportedly turned down an early chance to record, fearing rivals would copy him.

This drummer's explosive solos with his own big band made him a 1930s swing-era superstar.

This french horn player and composer wrote film scores including for 'The Manchurian Candidate.'

This french horn player was one of the first to make the instrument a serious jazz solo voice.

This drummer's career spanned from backing Charlie Parker to leading his own band into his 90s.

This modern guitarist blends jazz with Americana, country, and film-score textures.

This trumpeter's fiery hard-bop style made him one of the most in-demand horn players of the 1960s.

This bassist, one of the most recorded musicians in jazz history, also plays piccolo bass.

This Grammy-winning tenor saxophonist was a leading voice in jazz fusion from the 1970s onward.

This harpist was one of the first to establish the instrument as a serious jazz voice.

Often called the first man of jazz, this New Orleans cornetist never made a surviving recording.

This pianist's introspective, impressionistic chords shaped 'Kind of Blue' and his own trio recordings.

This drummer's thunderous fusion playing with the Mahavishnu Orchestra influenced rock drummers too.

This modern pianist is known for reworking pop and rock songs through a jazz trio lens.

This pianist's rich chords powered John Coltrane's classic 1960s quartet.

Singer Washington, nicknamed 'Queen of the Blues,' had the first name '_ _ _ _ _.'

Harpist Coltrane, widow of saxophonist John Coltrane, had the first name '_ _ _ _ _.'

This bent-horn trumpeter and bebop pioneer co-led a famous quintet with Charlie Parker.

This pianist's album 'Head Hunters' helped bring funk grooves into jazz fusion.

This contemporary vocalist is known for setting his own lyrics to recorded jazz instrumental solos.

This multi-instrumentalist ran a Manhattan loft that became a hub for 1970s avant-garde jazz.

The son of a saxophone legend, this tenor player blends tradition with new ideas.

This alto saxophonist's soulful sound became a signature of 1980s smooth jazz radio.

This flugelhorn player's smooth instrumental 'Feels So Good' became an unlikely pop radio hit.

This saxophonist and flutist's 1966 album 'Forest Flower' became a surprise hit with rock audiences.

This trumpeter and gravel-voiced singer recorded 'What a Wonderful World' and was nicknamed Satchmo.

This hard-bop drummer led the Jazz Messengers, a band that launched many young musicians' careers.

This drummer toured with rocker Lenny Kravitz while also building a serious jazz career of her own.

1920s cornetist Beiderbecke, who died young of alcoholism-related illness, went by the nickname '_ _ _.'

This Canadian pianist's blistering technique made him one of the most recorded jazz musicians ever.

This nearly blind pianist's dazzling technique left even classical virtuosos in awe.

This trumpeter helped define the laid-back 'West Coast cool' jazz sound of the 1950s.

This french horn player and composer coined the term 'Third Stream' for jazz-classical fusion.

Guitarist McLaughlin, who founded the fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra, had the first name '_ _ _ _.'

This singer's signature song declared he left his heart in San Francisco.

This trumpeter led the sessions for the best-selling jazz album of all time, 'Kind of Blue.'

Often compared to Charlie Parker, this saxophonist played alto, tenor, and baritone with equal fluency.

This cornetist and trumpeter was known for a warm, melodic tone that avoided flashy solos.

This stride pianist and entertainer composed the standard 'Ain't Misbehavin'.'

This innovative electric bassist called himself the greatest bass player in the world and played fretless.

This cornetist led a popular 1920s studio band called the Five Pennies.

This multi-instrumentalist played flute, alto sax, and bass clarinet, pushing jazz toward the avant-garde.

This trumpeter's playful scat singing became a novelty hit alongside his horn playing.

Nicknamed the 'Saxophone Colossus,' this tenor player once practiced alone on the Williamsburg Bridge.

This pianist and singer's smooth baritone made hits like 'Unforgettable' before he turned to pop.

This cornetist spent decades as a featured soloist in Duke Ellington's orchestra.

Dubbed the 'First Lady of Song,' this scat-singing legend's first name was '_ _ _ _.'

Nicknamed 'Bird,' this alto saxophonist co-created bebop alongside Dizzy Gillespie in the 1940s.