Jazz Legends

Singer/songwriter/pianist Matt Dennis (born Feb 11, 1914), while not exactly a household name,  wrote some of the most enduring gems of the Great American Songbook. "Angel Eyes", "Everything Happens to Me", "Let’s Get Away from it All", "The Night We Called it a Day", and "Violets for Your Furs" are all standards that will be played for years to come.

Songwriter Vincent Youmans (born Sept 7, 1898) was one of the leading Broadway composers of his day, and collaborated with most of the top lyricists of his generation. While he is only credited with around 100 tunes, 18 of them are recognized as standard songs, many of which have been embraced by jazz musicians over many years. Tunes like 'Tea For Two', 'More Than You Know', 'Sometimes I’m Happy' and 'Without a Song' have been recorded innumerable times over the years.

Brazilian singer/songwriter Ivan Lins (born June 16, 1945), has been active for over fifty years. His composition 'Love Dance', a hit in 1989, is one of the most recorded songs in contemporary music. He has won several Latin Grammy awards and his tunes have been recorded by myriad artists, a veritable who’s who of the jazz world.

Vibraphonist / composer Bobby Hutcherson (born  January 27, 1941), was inspired to take up the vibraphone at the age of twelve after hearing Milt Jackson, and became the inspiration for younger musicians like Joe Locke, Stefon Harris, and Steve Nelson. He recorded for Blue Note records from 1963 to 1977, longer than anyone else was associated with that label with the exception of Horace Silver.

Pianist/composer Michel Legrand (born Feb 24, 1932) is credited with composing over 200 film and television scores. He was active in the jazz world for most of his life. A musical milestone was his recording "Legrand Jazz" which released in 1958 and featured luminaries like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Hank Jones and many others. His recordings over the years featured his virtuoso piano playing and his compositions have been embraced by jazz musicians for decades.