4 Extraordinary Jazz Musicians Who Were Blind

Right-Hear
Aug 28, 2017 · 3 min read

28 August 2017 / RightHear / Mollie Cole, Community & Content Manager

4 extraordinary jazz musicians who were blind cover picture of a jazz singer.

To listen to this blog post as an audio file on YouTube, click the link here.

We’ve all heard of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, but the field of jazz has so many other amazing artists that were also blind. Why jazz? Jazz is one of the musical styles that relies most heavily on improvisation, rather than reading or memorizing a set of notes. So, jazz, and the styles that came off from it, was much easier for musicians who were blind because they were able to focus on the sound and feeling of the music rather than the written structure.

Without further ado, here were four outstanding jazz musicians who were also blind who you should definitely check out.

1. Art Tatum

Art Tatum was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1909. He learned to play music through Braille sheet music and recordings of songs on a phonograph. He received little formal training and truly accomplished something incredible as a musician. He was a heavily admired piano player who worked in Chicago, New York, as well as internationally. Listen to “Tea for Two”, one of Tatum’s most famous tunes, here.

2. George Shearing

George Shearing was a British jazz pianist. He was born fully blind and was formally trained in piano at the Linden Lodge School for the Blind. He then moved to playing in pubs and clubs, often with other musicians who were blind. Shearing moved to the USA in 1947 and gained quickly in popularity. Listen to the jazz standard that he composed, Lullaby of Birdland, at the link here.

3. Lennie Tristano

Lennie Tristano was a multi-talented jazz artist. He sang, composed, played multiple instruments, and taught jazz improvisation. Tristano was born with weak eyesight and totally blind by 10, and he studied music at the Illinois School for the Blind. He went on to both study, and teach, at the university level. He was a leading innovator in improvisation and played with some of the most influential jazz musicians of the time, including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. Listen to Turkish Mambo, one of Tristano’s most famous songs, at the link here.

4. Diane Schuur

Diane Schuur is a modern American jazz singer. Schuur has a wide range of vocal styles and has performed with some of the best musicians in the world in top venues. She was born blind, and learned music at the Washington School for the Blind. Schuur has perfect pitch memory, and has been singing since the age of 3 and singing at events at the early age of 10. She is a strong advocate for both the jazz community as well as the blind community. Click here to hear a recording of Schuur singing the jazz song Deedles’ Blues.

Who are your favorite musicians or artists who are blind? jazz or otherwise? Tell us in the comments and don’t forget to share this post on Twitter and Facebook!

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