Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians
Founding Editor: Lewis Porter
Editors-in-Chief: Tim Wilkins and Ted Gioia
About The Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians
Over the course of many years, Lewis Porter collected biographical information on thousands of jazz musicians. Starting in the late 1990s, he began soliciting information by circulating an email worldwide, with the intention of eventually sharing all of this with the public. This on-line encyclopedia is built on Porter’s efforts, which focused on currently active players, and included many younger or lesser known musicians as well as established stars. Jazz.com intends to expand and update this work, with particular emphasis on adding entries on important historical figures who have contributed to the evolution of the music.
Many of the musicians profiled here are not included in any other reference works. Almost every one of the biographies has contact info such as an email address, and a link to the musicians' website. Often a photo has been provided by the musician as well. A number of well known jazz figures have been kind enough to send their information as well. Because of the amount of detail requested, these biographies usually include material never published anywhere else. Hence, we hope that this site will quickly become a "first stop" for fans, researchers, and fellow musicians looking to contact and learn about other jazz performers.
Note: Jazz.com is not accepting updates to encyclopedia entries at the present time.
