Jon Batiste
Black musicians have long shaped both jazz and classical music, yet the classical community has often been slow to recognize their contributions. Even today, orchestras remain overwhelmingly white, leaving many Black artists to forge their own paths
From Oscar Peterson to Esperanza Spalding, these musicians are among the many who didn’t just navigate both realms… they transcended and redefined them.
Duke Ellington
Duke Ellington (1899-1974) is one of the giants of jazz. A truly pivotal figure as a pianist and bandleader, Duke was a force within jazz for over half a century. But Ellington also dwelled in the classical music realm — deploying his big band sound to reimagine the grand orchestral scope. His Nutcracker is a colorful reworking of Tchaikovsky’s classic Christmas ballet, while The River is an evocative, lyrical work conceived for an Alvin Ailey ballet.
Hazel Scott
Hazel Scott (1920-1981) was a Trinidad-born pianist, singer, and entertainer equally at home in classical and jazz spaces. A child prodigy of the highest order, Scott received scholarships to study at Juilliard before she had turned 9. She was the first African American person to host her own TV show, and she was renowned for improvising over classical music in jazz idioms. Here she is, performing on two pianos at once in the 1943 film The Heat’s On.
Charles Mingus
Charles Mingus (1922-1979) studied trombone and cello, with an eye to pursue classical music. But Mingus faced significant impediments because of his race. So he turned his focus to jazz, in part inspired by Duke Ellington. Unfortunately, the cello was seldom used in jazz, so the iconoclastic musician took up the bass. Over his boundary-defying career, Mingus created richly original music, building on his classical music background and his dexterous improvisation. His bold work Half-Mast Inhibition was written for a 22-piece orchestra.
Oscar Peterson
Oscar Peterson’s (1925-2007) exquisite piano tone endeared him to audiences worldwide throughout his over-60-year career. Raised in a musical family, the Canadian artist was a dedicated student of the classical piano in his childhood, but it was jazz that caught his attention. Even though it would be jazz that would win out, Peterson still tapped into his classical music roots from time to time, including a jazz trio tribute to Bach.
Nina Simone
Nina Simone (1933-2003) was a vital figure in music and Civil Rights, showing how fluidly one can connect to the other. She was trained as a classical pianist but couldn’t continue in her career because of the racism she faced. She deftly turned to blues and jazz, leveraging her piano skills and combining it with an indelible contralto voice. Over the course of her career, she often revisited her classical piano foundation, as in this performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, where she imbues her song “Love Me or Leave Me” with a baroque sensibility.
Minnie Riperton
Chicago-born artist Minnie Riperton’s (1947-1979) exceptional voice took the artist across genres. Trained in classical music (as well as ballet and drama), Riperton held an astonishing five-octave range. She left her opera studies to pursue a recording career. In a life tragically cut short by cancer, Riperton’s great technical prowess only helped further her original musical ideas, drawing from jazz, soul, and R&B. Her vocal range is on full display in this 1975 live performance.
Wynton Marsalis
A member of the distinguished musical Marsalis family, Wynton Marsalis (1961-) is at home in both jazz and classical. He serves as the artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, where he introduces audience members to swing, blues, and big band music. But he’s also an accomplished classical composer, having fulfilled commissions for the Philadelphia Orchestra: penning a violin concerto and a tuba concerto, and his trumpet concerto had its world premiere with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2023. Marsalis often performs classical music, too. Here he is playing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto with the Boston Pops and conductor John Williams.
Victor Wooten
Victor Wooten (1964-) is recognized as one of the greatest bassists alive. And going beyond his incredible playing, his compelling presence, enthusiasm for teaching, and dynamic, genre-fusing music make him one of the greatest ambassadors for the bass as well! The Idaho-born musician and producer composed a classical concerto for electric bass — La Lección Tres — that received its first performances by the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2024, Wooten told WFMT that the work is an adaptation of a song he wrote wove into his book The Music Lesson. Enjoy his riveting insights in this crash course on musical improvisation.
Esperanza Spalding
Esperanza Spalding (1984-) is a bassist, vocalist, and composer whose work spans jazz, classical, and experimental music. Originally trained as a violinist, she switched to bass and gained recognition for her distinctive approach, blending intricate compositions with improvisation and rich vocal harmonies. Her 2010 album Chamber Music Society integrated elements of classical string arrangements into a jazz framework, a style she continued to evolve in later projects. Spalding has collaborated with major orchestras and composers while also pursuing interdisciplinary work, including exploring the therapeutic aspects of music.
Aaron Diehl
Pianist and composer Aaron Diehl (1985-) is a striking example of how diverse influences can shape sounds. Diehl was trained as a classical pianist before channeling his love for jazz into a successful career. But he hasn’t left classical music behind. He regularly collaborates with top orchestras of all scopes, having worked with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, The Knights, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and the Ravinia Festival, among many other distinguished ensembles. In 2023, the Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned composer Timo Andres to write a concerto for Diehl. Here, Diehl performs an arrangement of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the U.S. Air Force Concert Band
Jon Batiste
Arguably today’s most visible jazz musician, Jon Batiste (1986) is a bandleader and musician whose profile grew greatly during a 7-year stint anchoring the in-studio ensemble on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The artist’s ebullience attracted audiences. Batiste is releasing music at an impressive clip, racking up awards (he currently has seven Grammys) and spreading his fresh musical perspectives. In November 2024, his imaginative album Beethoven Blues was released to acclaim.
These multifaceted artists embody rich dynamism and creativity, effortlessly overcoming genre boundaries to novel — and stunning — effect.
