* Music/KennyG: He has to be mentioned to some extent. An American saxophonist, Kenny G is probably the most successful jazz musician worldwide in terms of record sales, but he's probably the most controversial musician on this list. He's the best known exponent of "smooth jazz", a sub-genre which has been criticized by jazz critics and fans for being barely one step above Easy Listening lounge music. He defines his own music as "instrumental pop" rather than jazz, but his critics (most memorably, Pat Metheny) have pointed out that since he is an improvising musician working within an instrumental framework, he deserves be treated as a jazz musician.[[note]]Virtually anyone who enjoys the music made by ANY of the musicians listed here would seriously dispute whether Kenny G can be called a jazz musician, but Metheny had a very good reason for calling him one. After Kenny G released a track which consisted of him overdubbing himself onto Louis Armstrong's recording of "What A Wonderful World", the normally mild-mannered and easygoing Metheny subjected him to a blistering TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, based on the argument that if a player of Kenny G's dubious level of competence thinks that he has earned the right to play on a recording by the undisputed godfather of jazz, even if it's not one of the all-time greatest Armstrong recordings ever, then he's demanding to be assessed according to the same criteria as any other jazz musician -- on which basis Mr G comes out very, very poorly indeed. It can be read in all its awesomeness [[http://www.jazzoasis.com/methenyonkennyg.htm here]].[[/note]]

Jazz itself probably started out in a small band format in many different cities throughout the US, most famously New Orleans. It became the most popular type of music in the US in its BigBand format (10-30 musicians) during the [[TheRoaringTwenties Twenties]] to [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Forties]]. Big bands had large horn section with saxophones, trumpets, and trombones, along with a rhythm section consisting of chordal instruments (piano, guitar, etc), double bass and drums, often along with vocalist and a string section (violins and violas). This large ensemble needed written arrangements and a bandleader, but the soloists still improvised their solos.

The emphasis also changed back to playing more in jazz clubs and having fewer concerts (with some important exceptions, such as the Newport Jazz Festival). The ascension of pop music and RockAndRoll in TheFifties led to the fading of jazz's popularity. Jazz today has, for the most part, a relatively small, but enthusiastic audience, somewhat of a 'cult' following. Somewhat amusingly (and probably shockingly to the original founders of the genre), jazz has become "respectable" music thanks to the development of its technical artistry and a sophisticated pedagogical approach. Jazz is now taught alongside ClassicalMusic in many university music departments across the US--unheard-of for any other popular music genre.

** Marshall Allen: The Arkestra's longtime alto saxophonist, who eventually stepped up as the bandleader after the deaths of Sun Ra and John Gilmore. He continues to perform to this day as both a leader and sideman at the age of ''ninety-six''.