Who Ever Said Jazz Had To Be Drab?

This Grammy-winning, Mississippi-born songstress always strives for red-carpet elegance when she graces the stage. Blessed with a curvaceous figure, radiant skin and smile, Wilson channels the glamour of divas such as Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson while topping it off with a modern twist with her signature sun-kissed dreadlocks. Suggested Reading 3 Ways to Think…

This Grammy-winning, Mississippi-born songstress always strives for red-carpet elegance when she graces the stage. Blessed with a curvaceous figure, radiant skin and smile, Wilson channels the glamour of divas such as Sarah Vaughan and Nancy Wilson while topping it off with a modern twist with her signature sun-kissed dreadlocks.

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3 Ways to Think Like a Businessman, According to Executive Walter Davis
3 Ways to Think Like a Businessman, According to Executive Walter Davis

CAPTIONS BY JOHN MURPH

David Sanchez is a tenor titan with a sinewy body built for the runway. Itโ€™s no surprise that Banana Republic plucked this Puerto Rican saxophonist for its 2009 โ€œCity Storiesโ€ campaign. Oftentimes, thereโ€™s an athletic swagger to his dress code, sometimes hinting at those 50s Italian suits that Miles Davis wore which accentuated his boxerโ€™s physique. And even when Sanchez dresses casually, thereโ€™s an undeniable machismo to his swag.

Bassist/singer phenom also rocked urban sophistication in the same Banana Republic โ€œCity Storiesโ€ campaign. Often seen flashing an incandescent smile and a mushroom cloud shaped afro, Spalding channels early-โ€™70s Minnie Riperton (sometimes even back to the Rotary Connection years), effortlessly, while also making sure her style isnโ€™t too throwback a la neo-soul mimicry.

Forward-thinking alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader Greg Osby always goes for a no-frills, natty look when he hits the stage. Strutting with a vintage Fedora hat and smart eyewear, Osbyโ€™s crisp fashion sense epitomizes the timeless modernity associated with the well-dressed jazz saxophonists.

This pint-sized breakout jazz singer of the year shows that you can grace a nightclub stage without getting all stodgy ballroom gown with it. Never too flashy, thereโ€™s always a spunky coyness to her attire that reminds people that a new younger generation of jazz artists is indeed emerging.

At the risk of playing into a clichรฉ, this pianist plays the way she looksโ€•as if sheโ€™s some superhero from a Japanese anime flick with a multicolored asymmetrical hairdo and 21st-century โ€œon-the-goโ€ attire. She's always energetic and cutting-edge. Not too many jazz artists can get away with Hiromiโ€™s daring style, but on her it looks ideal if not iconic.

No other jazz singer gives you nerd chic like German-born Theo Bleckmann. Far more envelope-pushing than any hipster with a signature look that surpasses merely trendy, Bleckmann makes โ€œbeing smartโ€ look sexy, whimsical and adventurous.

If there is anyone whose look epitomizes the jazz musician of the hip-hop generation, it is Texas-born pianist/composer Robert Glasper, who takes fashion cues from various eras and musical genres and contextualizes them into his own signature bo-ho look, which juxtaposes hip-hop swagger with jazzโ€™s cool detachment.

Georgia-born singer and songwriter Lizz Wright strikes the perfect balance between dressing sassy and sophisticated but never slutty. With her statuesque physique and a shy, girl-next-door allure, she gives a new template for how modern jazz divas should dress.

Swiss-born pianist/keyboardist Leo Tardin puts a hipster twist to his fashion sense without it being painfully ironic. Often seen peacocking around in plastic, clear-colored glasses, a skinny tie and monochrome pants and shirts, heโ€™s already nailed down an iconic look to call his own without being too obvious about it.

Had he not been a jazz musician, saxophonist/composer Joshua Redman could have easily landed a job as a model. Itโ€™s no coincidence that he once endorsed Donna Karan in the โ€™90s as he wore well-tailored suits that reminded everyone how to โ€œdress to impress.โ€ Debonair to a default, Redman simply knows how to rock a suit.

Bald, baby-faced and apparently brilliantโ€•according to the MacArthur Foundation, which granted him a 2008 โ€œgeniusโ€ awardโ€•the Puerto Rican alto saxophonist exudes an urbane sophistication with a fashion sense that's street-wise, contemporary and always well put together but never fussy.

Top-ranking jazz singer Dianne Reeves has a look that never goes out of style. Carrying on the regal tradition of Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McCrae, Reevesโ€™ โ€œeasy on the eyes, knowing-how-to-age-gracefullyโ€ flair exudes comely confidence.

Youthful ebullience and erudition typify both the music and look of vibraphonist/composer Stefon Harris. He has an โ€œalways tightโ€ style that works on the bandstand, in a nightclub or in a posh hotel cocktail lounge.

โ€œSouthern comfortโ€ is the best description for pianist/composer Jason Moran, who opts for well-tailored blazers and top-line shirts versus โ€œoff the rackโ€ suits. His look often suggests the young jazz lions of the '80s and '90s, but thereโ€™s an elusive X-factor that also puts some distance between him and the rest of the pack.

Straight From The Root

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