Artists

• Ring Ring (1973)
• Waterloo (1974)
• ABBA (1975) with the big hit "Mamma Mia".
• Arrival (1976), highlighting the song "Dancing Queen".
• The Album (1977)
• Voulez-Vous (1979), which included the single "Chiquitita".
• Super Trouper (1980)
• The Visitors (1981)

Subsequently, almost 40 years later, in 2021, they released their ninth musical production: Voyage.

Most famous songs

ABBA has performed many catchy songs throughout a decade, but with 4 of them they have made history: "Waterloo", which launched them to international fame; "Mamma Mia", the theme song of a great musical and of major motion pictures; "Dancing Queen", number one on the Billboard Top 100; and "Chiquitita", their passport to the Spanish-speaking public.

Abba is one of the most famous musical quartets in the world. It was formed in the city of Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972 and has a great trajectory in pop music, being catalogued as the band with the best sales in the seventies. Their melodies are catchy, simple and light, typical of a style that marked a generation.

Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid "Frida", are the members of this group baptized with the initials of each of their names and that remained in the musical limelight until 1982, times that resulted in 8 record productions, hits like Dancing Queen and Mamma Mia, and a movie in musical format that launched them to success.

In the year 2021, a long-awaited reunion was achieved and their ninth studio album was released, which has given rise to new concerts.

Biography

As a group, ABBA was formed in the capital of Sweden in the early seventies (1972), but each of its members has a fruitful previous musical career and personal ties that were closely linked to their musical development.

Agnetha

Agnetha Åse Fältskog, originally from Jönköping, Sweden, was born on April 5, 1950. She started as a professional singer at the age of 17, when she recorded the first of her four solo albums.

Björn

Björn Kristian Ulvæus, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, on April 25, 1945, was Agnetha's husband (before and during the existence of the band), previously he entered the music world as a member of the traditional music group The Hootenanny Singers, of the record label Polar Music, owned by the businessman, musician and writer Stig Anderson. Björn continually wrote songs for the group and this skill soon led him to meet Benny Andersson at the prominent "Melody Festival".

Benny

Göran Bror Benny Andersson, born December 16, 1946 in Stockholm, Sweden, was part of a Swedish rock band called The Hep Star, where he was a keyboardist and began to develop his writing skills. The songwriting duo, formed by Benny and Björn, was encouraged to continue collaborating by the prominent Stig Anderson.

Frida

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad, better known as "Frida", was born in Ballangen, Norway, on November 15, 1945, and began her career as a singer at the age of 13, participating in different musical competitions, such as the "Melody Festival", which led her to meet her quartet mates, among them her husband Benny Andersson.

The formation of ABBA

After a previous duet between the male members, these four artists decided to bet on a joint collaboration, supported by Stig Anderson, managing to find the formula for success with the famous song "People Need Love".

In April 1972 they began recording their first album called "Ring Ring", which was released in March 1973 and included a sound technique called "wall of sound", which would become the characteristic tone of the group. That year the name ABBA starts to be used to refer to the band, an idea contributed by Stig (official representative of the boys).

Worldwide recognition

The fame of the quartet arrived in 1974, when they participated and won the Melodifestivalen of the season, singing the song "Waterloo". Later that same year and with the same song, ABBA surprises with a visually striking and original presentation in the XIX edition of the famous Eurovision Song Contest, where they also won, obtaining an automatic international recognition that led them to be promoted with great success in many countries of the world, and to reach the first places in the Billboard list of the 100 best-selling singles in the United States.

In 1975, the song "Mamma Mia" was released, one of the band's iconic singles that became the basis of a famous musical after reaching the top of the music charts worldwide.

The development and end of the band

In 1977, along with the release of their fifth studio album, "ABBA: The Movie" was released, a production that shows the ins and outs of the Australian tour and that years later was re-released in DVD format, receiving a Grammy in the category of "Best Music DVD".

In 1979, although the changes in the couples' personal lives were evident, bringing as a consequence the divorce between Agnetha and Björn, they managed to record several of their best known songs, being "Chiquitica" the one that achieved the greatest worldwide positioning, reaching the Spanish-speaking public, which led them to create a Spanish version that became the gateway for an album completely in this language, released in 1980.

In February 1981, Benny and Frida divorced, a fact that for many marked the definitive decline of the band, which would release its last studio album that same year and effectively disband in 1982.

The digital concert that sealed their reunion

To the surprise of their fans and even with the aftermath of a pandemic, in the year 2021, almost 40 years later, the famous musical group announces their reunion, promoted with their ninth album "Voyage", and with a virtual concert called: "ABBA Voyage", a presentation full of technology, with "ABBAtars" personifying the already older members of the famous quartet, but marked by nostalgia, by the songs of always and other songs recorded in the year 2018.

Musical influences

The typical sound of the band has been clearly influenced by pop, rock and disco music of the time, however, thanks to the "wall of sound" technique and the characteristic melodious voices of its female members, ABBA has a unique and special sound.

On the other hand, the 4 members of the band have prominent previous musical careers, so they have been influenced by other artists of great world renown; in the case of the boys: The Beetles and The Beach Boys (in the musical field), Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber (in the songwriting sector); in the case of the girls, their influence falls on great artists such as Connie Francis, Glenn Miller, Petula Clark, Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Peggy Lee and Lesley Gore; all of them prominent singers, songwriters and/or actresses in pop, jazz, Soul, R&B, etc.

Performance collaborators

During the decade of the seventies the musical quartet concentrated on developing as a solid group at international level, being its main collaborator the bassist Rutger Gunnarsson, who passed away on April 30, 2015. This musician participated in all the band's record productions and live performances around the world.

On the other hand, Stig Anderson, owner of the record company and manager of the band, also collaborated with the composition of the songs.

Discography

A decade of fame was enough to create 8 studio productions, released between 1973 and 1981:

• Ring Ring (1973)
• Waterloo (1974)
• ABBA (1975) with the big hit "Mamma Mia".
• Arrival (1976), highlighting the song "Dancing Queen".
• The Album (1977)
• Voulez-Vous (1979), which included the single "Chiquitita".
• Super Trouper (1980)
• The Visitors (1981)

Subsequently, almost 40 years later, in 2021, they released their ninth musical production: Voyage.

Most famous songs

ABBA has performed many catchy songs throughout a decade, but with 4 of them they have made history: "Waterloo", which launched them to international fame; "Mamma Mia", the theme song of a great musical and of major motion pictures; "Dancing Queen", number one on the Billboard Top 100; and "Chiquitita", their passport to the Spanish-speaking public.

Throughout his career, Miles Davis managed to collaborate with various famous jazz artists on several of his songs, such as Brass Ensemble, Cannonball Adderley, Michel LeGrand, Tad Cameron, Kenny Garrett, Quincy Jones, Shirley Horn, Michel Legrand, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.

Discography

From 1949 to 1991, Miles Davis released 48 great albums, which are named as follows:

1. Birth of the Cool - Capitol Records (1949) 
2. Volume 1 - Blue Note (1952)
3. Volume 2 - Blue Note (1953)
4. Miles Davis and The Modern Jazz Giants - Prestige (1954)
5. 'Round about midnight - Columbia (1955)
6. Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
7. Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
8. Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
9. Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
10. Miles Ahead Miles Davis + 19 - Columbia (1957)
11. L'Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud - Fontana (1958)
12. Milestones - Columbia (1958)
13. Somethin' Else with Cannonball Adderley - Blue Note (1958)
14. '58 Stella By Starlight - Columbia (1958)
15. Porgy and Bess - Columbia (1958)
16. Sketches of Spain - Columbia (1959)
17. Kind of Blue - Columbia (1959)
18. Some Day My Prince Will Come - Columbia (1961)
19. In Person, Saturday Night at The Blackhawk, San Francisco - Columbia (1961)
20. Seven Steps to Heaven - Columbia (1963)
21. Quiet Nights w/Gil Evans - Columbia (1963)
22. My Funny Valentine + Four & More: The Complete Concert - Columbia (1964)
23. E.S.P. - Columbia (1965)
24. Cookin' at The Plugged Nickel - Columbia (1965)
25. Miles Smiles - Columbia (1966)
26. Sorcerer - Columbia (1967)
27. Nefertiti - Columbia (1967)
28. Filles De Kilimanjaro - Columbia (1968)
29. Miles in the Sky - Columbia (1968)
30. Water Babies - Columbia (1967-1968)
31. In a Silent Way - Columbia (1968)
32. Bitches Brew - Columbia (1970)
33. Live-Evil - Columbia (1971)
34. On the Corner - Columbia (1971)
35. Big Fun - Columbia (1974)
36. Dark Magus - Columbia (1974)
37. Get Up With It - Columbia (1974)
38. Agharta - Columbia (1975)
39. Pangea - Columbia (1975)
40. The Man with the Horn - Columbia (1981)
41. We Want Miles - Columbia (1981)
42. Star People - Columbia (1983)
43. Decoy - Columbia (1983)
44. You're Under Arrest - Columbia (1985)
45. Aura - Warner (1985)
46. Tutu - Warner (1986)
47. Amandla - Warner (1989)
48. Miles & Quincy Live at Montreaux - Warner (1991)

Most famous songs

There is no denying that all Miles Davis songs have greatly marked the jazz industry, but among the most famous hits are: "So What", "Milestones", "Freddy Freeloader", "It Never Entered my Mind", "Blue in Green", "Round Midnight", "Stella by Starlight", "Flamenco Sketches", "Autumn Leaves" and "Summertime".

If you love jazz and want to know more about it, including the most famous artists of this genre, such as Miles Davis, we invite you to continue enjoying the best music at Jazz Messengers.

Miles Davis was an American musician, composer and trumpeter, who was born in Alton (Illinois) on May 25, 1926 and died in Santa Monica (California) on September 28, 1991.

He managed to become one of the most recognized and representative figures in the history of Jazz after World War II and, with more than five albums, he marked a before and after in the evolution of this musical genre.

Biography

Miles Davis was of African-American descent. His father, Miles Dewey Davis Jr., was a dentist and his mother, Cleota Mae, was a music teacher. He had an older and a younger brother.

From a young age Davis developed a great love for music, so he began his first lessons with Elwood Buchanan, who gave him the advice to play without vibrato. A few years later, Miles joined his school band, directed by Buchanan.He later joined the "Blue Devils" orchestra, where he became its director.

Years later Miles enrolled at the Juilliard School in New York to broaden his knowledge of music theory. However, he soon lost interest in theoretical studies and began to follow his childhood idol, Charlie Parker, one of the most famous names in bebop.

His early career was as a jazz trumpeter, playing in various local bands in St. Louis. Davis managed to connect with Charlie Parker in New York and in 1945 he became part of his group, where he performed for several years before breaking up in 1948.

That same year Davis, along with 8 other musicians, formed the group "Miles Davis Nonet", which included pianist Gil Evan and saxophonist Gerry Mulligan. The band's goal was to recreate music similar to the human voice, making careful arrangements of the notes. However, their compositions went unnoticed for several years, until 1957, when they released the album "Birth of the Cool", where their main works were compiled. This led to the emergence of the cool jazz movement.

In the early 1950s, Davis became addicted to heroin, which was a major setback in his career, especially when reports of his addiction and temper became public.

The decade of the 1970s was not a good one for Davis, as his albums did not sell as well as those of the previous years. Davis fell into depression and returned to drug use.

However, during the following decades Davis' career only grew. He managed to work with companies such as Columbia Records and Warnes Bros. and went on to win a Grammy Award.

Musical influences

From the beginning, Davis was destined for greatness and his recording debut was one of the most promising. Even without completing his training at the prestigious Julliard School in New York, he was able to be part of Charlie Parker's band for several years.

He greatly influenced bebop and cool jazz and marked a before and after in the industry.

Performance collaborators

Throughout his career, Miles Davis managed to collaborate with various famous jazz artists on several of his songs, such as Brass Ensemble, Cannonball Adderley, Michel LeGrand, Tad Cameron, Kenny Garrett, Quincy Jones, Shirley Horn, Michel Legrand, Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane.

Discography

From 1949 to 1991, Miles Davis released 48 great albums, which are named as follows:

1. Birth of the Cool - Capitol Records (1949) 
2. Volume 1 - Blue Note (1952)
3. Volume 2 - Blue Note (1953)
4. Miles Davis and The Modern Jazz Giants - Prestige (1954)
5. 'Round about midnight - Columbia (1955)
6. Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
7. Steamin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
8. Relaxin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
9. Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet - Prestige (1956)
10. Miles Ahead Miles Davis + 19 - Columbia (1957)
11. L'Ascenseur pour l'Echafaud - Fontana (1958)
12. Milestones - Columbia (1958)
13. Somethin' Else with Cannonball Adderley - Blue Note (1958)
14. '58 Stella By Starlight - Columbia (1958)
15. Porgy and Bess - Columbia (1958)
16. Sketches of Spain - Columbia (1959)
17. Kind of Blue - Columbia (1959)
18. Some Day My Prince Will Come - Columbia (1961)
19. In Person, Saturday Night at The Blackhawk, San Francisco - Columbia (1961)
20. Seven Steps to Heaven - Columbia (1963)
21. Quiet Nights w/Gil Evans - Columbia (1963)
22. My Funny Valentine + Four & More: The Complete Concert - Columbia (1964)
23. E.S.P. - Columbia (1965)
24. Cookin' at The Plugged Nickel - Columbia (1965)
25. Miles Smiles - Columbia (1966)
26. Sorcerer - Columbia (1967)
27. Nefertiti - Columbia (1967)
28. Filles De Kilimanjaro - Columbia (1968)
29. Miles in the Sky - Columbia (1968)
30. Water Babies - Columbia (1967-1968)
31. In a Silent Way - Columbia (1968)
32. Bitches Brew - Columbia (1970)
33. Live-Evil - Columbia (1971)
34. On the Corner - Columbia (1971)
35. Big Fun - Columbia (1974)
36. Dark Magus - Columbia (1974)
37. Get Up With It - Columbia (1974)
38. Agharta - Columbia (1975)
39. Pangea - Columbia (1975)
40. The Man with the Horn - Columbia (1981)
41. We Want Miles - Columbia (1981)
42. Star People - Columbia (1983)
43. Decoy - Columbia (1983)
44. You're Under Arrest - Columbia (1985)
45. Aura - Warner (1985)
46. Tutu - Warner (1986)
47. Amandla - Warner (1989)
48. Miles & Quincy Live at Montreaux - Warner (1991)

Most famous songs

There is no denying that all Miles Davis songs have greatly marked the jazz industry, but among the most famous hits are: "So What", "Milestones", "Freddy Freeloader", "It Never Entered my Mind", "Blue in Green", "Round Midnight", "Stella by Starlight", "Flamenco Sketches", "Autumn Leaves" and "Summertime".

If you love jazz and want to know more about it, including the most famous artists of this genre, such as Miles Davis, we invite you to continue enjoying the best music at Jazz Messengers.

It has also been said that Miles Davis, his namesake in the world of Jazz and precursor of the style that characterized Baker would be a great influence on his music. Likewise, other artists of the stature of Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan, also influenced the type of Jazz that was played and sung at that time.

Discography

He released 143 recordings between 1952 and 1989, even after his death. His first album was "Live at the Trade Winds" (1952) and in that same year he recorded 3 more productions.

In 1953 he released his first solo album "Chet Baker Sings", a year in which he also recorded 4 additional albums. Between 1953 and 1954 he released "West Coast Live" in collaboration with Stan Getz.

From this point until 1968 there were 39 productions and from that moment the decline of his career began. However, with his return to the musical limelight in the seventies, he released 27 albums, among which stand out some collaborations with Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Astrud Gilberto, Rachel Gould, Enrico Pieranunzi, among others. And, of course, the interpretation of the Soundtrack of the movie "Flic ou Voyou".

In the eighties he made 66 works, the last of them "Chet on poetry" released the year after his death.

Special collaborations

Chat Baker played with several groups at the beginning of his career, but his collaborations with artists such as Art Pepper, Jazz saxophonist and Lee Konitz, another great saxophonist of the genre with great influence for the time, stand out. However, Charlie Parker was his boost to fame, as his collaboration with this Jazz star made him known to the world.

After his struggle with drug addiction that separated him momentarily from the musical limelight, in 1973 he made a special collaboration with Gerry Mulligan, one of the iconic figures of the saxophone in the world of Jazz, being a total success with his live performance at Carnegie Hall.

Most famous songs

One of the most famous songs of this great jazzman is "But Not For Me" from his first solo album "Chet Baker Sings", being so recognized that even today remains one of the main references of his music and jazz in general.

His version of Rodgers and Hart's original "My Funny Valentine" also stands out. Additionally, Why Should I?, Chetty's Lullaby and Almost Blue deserve to be mentioned, songs where he shows off not only his voice but also his innate talent in the interpretation of the trumpet.

Do you want to listen to Chet Baker? With Jazz Messengers Music you can do it

In Jazz Messengers Music we have everything a good Jazz lover could wish for: excellent recordings of the best artists of the genre and, among them, Chet Baker could not be missing.

What are you waiting for to get your hands on Chet Baker's hits?

The world of Jazz is full of great musicians and Chet Baker did not go unnoticed. His instrument was the trumpet, which he accompanied with a melodious voice of cool or relaxed style, and his good-looking profile that made him worthy of the title "The James Deam of Jazz", referring to one of the most popular Hollywood actors of his time with a very attractive appearance.
Since 1952 he formally dedicated himself to music, achieving a hundred complete record productions, special selections, compilations and even some films in which he played as an actor. Despite his drug addiction, he was part of great musical bands of the time and to date is considered one of the most representative exponents of his genre, in fact, for many, the last years of his life were the most productive as an artist.

Biography

Chesney Henry Baker, Jr. was born on December 23, 1929 in Payne County, in the city of Yale, Oklahoma, United States.

His beginnings in music

His father was a guitarist and it is said that his mother played the piano (although she did not play professionally), so his musical beginnings were encouraged by his parents, especially by his father, who gave him his first instrument as a gift during his adolescence.

From an early age he participated in competitions and sang in his church choir. Additionally, he had some professional training thanks to his classes at the Glendale High School, where his family moved to in the forties; at the end of that season he also attended a couple of years at a high school in Los Angeles, California; however, his talent and ability were truly innate and self-taught, so he continually withdrew from professional training.

At the age of 16 he entered the army and was sent to Berlin, and at this time he managed to play in the army band. After a break in the national defense corps, he returned to the institution and this time he joined the "Sixth Army Band" in the city of San Francisco.

At the end of his military career, he established himself as a professional jazz musician, joining several successful bands such as Vido Musso and Gerry Mulligan's quartet. In 1953 he created his own band and recorded an album, but in 1954 he released his own solo album "Chet Baker Sings" with the Pacific Jazz label.

His personal life

He was married 3 times and had 4 children. On the other hand, like many musicians of the time, Chat Baker struggled throughout his life with a drug addiction (heroin and occasionally cocaine), a situation that led him to have legal problems, being imprisoned on several occasions.

As a consequence of his addiction, he suffered injuries as a result of a blow that caused damage to his jaw, a situation that affected his instrumental performance for a while.

This situation led him to leave the stage completely in the sixties and, trying to focus his life, he took refuge in the consumption of methadone.

The world of acting

Chet Baker also dedicated part of his life to the film world. Between the fifties and the sixties, he made 8 films, and in 1988 a documentary was made about his life, released almost a year after his death.

The return of Chat Baker and his unexpected death

In the mid-seventies, with a little more focus and self-control, he decided to return to show business with great success, achieving excellent collaborations and playing like never before.

However, his addiction accompanied him even until the end of his days, with a tragic and unexpected death towards the end of the eighties. His demise still remains a mystery, as the event occurred after he fell from an Amsterdam hotel room on May 13, 1988, but details are unknown. However, there are some theories that revolve around a depressive process, drug problems and an accident.

Musical influences

Baker's style was smooth, of the "Cool type" very popular at the time. The first musical influence of this artist was undoubtedly his father, who played the guitar and instilled in him the love for the instruments.

It has also been said that Miles Davis, his namesake in the world of Jazz and precursor of the style that characterized Baker would be a great influence on his music. Likewise, other artists of the stature of Charlie Parker and Gerry Mulligan, also influenced the type of Jazz that was played and sung at that time.

Discography

He released 143 recordings between 1952 and 1989, even after his death. His first album was "Live at the Trade Winds" (1952) and in that same year he recorded 3 more productions.

In 1953 he released his first solo album "Chet Baker Sings", a year in which he also recorded 4 additional albums. Between 1953 and 1954 he released "West Coast Live" in collaboration with Stan Getz.

From this point until 1968 there were 39 productions and from that moment the decline of his career began. However, with his return to the musical limelight in the seventies, he released 27 albums, among which stand out some collaborations with Lee Konitz, Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall, Astrud Gilberto, Rachel Gould, Enrico Pieranunzi, among others. And, of course, the interpretation of the Soundtrack of the movie "Flic ou Voyou".

In the eighties he made 66 works, the last of them "Chet on poetry" released the year after his death.

Special collaborations

Chat Baker played with several groups at the beginning of his career, but his collaborations with artists such as Art Pepper, Jazz saxophonist and Lee Konitz, another great saxophonist of the genre with great influence for the time, stand out. However, Charlie Parker was his boost to fame, as his collaboration with this Jazz star made him known to the world.

After his struggle with drug addiction that separated him momentarily from the musical limelight, in 1973 he made a special collaboration with Gerry Mulligan, one of the iconic figures of the saxophone in the world of Jazz, being a total success with his live performance at Carnegie Hall.

Most famous songs

One of the most famous songs of this great jazzman is "But Not For Me" from his first solo album "Chet Baker Sings", being so recognized that even today remains one of the main references of his music and jazz in general.

His version of Rodgers and Hart's original "My Funny Valentine" also stands out. Additionally, Why Should I?, Chetty's Lullaby and Almost Blue deserve to be mentioned, songs where he shows off not only his voice but also his innate talent in the interpretation of the trumpet.

Do you want to listen to Chet Baker? With Jazz Messengers Music you can do it

In Jazz Messengers Music we have everything a good Jazz lover could wish for: excellent recordings of the best artists of the genre and, among them, Chet Baker could not be missing.

What are you waiting for to get your hands on Chet Baker's hits?