Which Jazz Artist’s Influenced your Musical Taste?

I would have to say Vince Guaraldi was the first and still is the most influential person to spark our interest to jazz. Then, followed by:

Oscar Peterson

Mariam McPartland

Beegie Adair

Tommy Flanagan

Oscar Pettifiord

Duke Ellington 

Let's add Martial Solal who I just saw passed at age 97 considered the greatest European pianist and a great composer. And @toddnlg I used to love listening to Mariam McPartland's NPR show back in the day!

@jond   Me too. I was not fully into jazz yet.  But, I did enjoy her show and range of performers she hosted. 

Back in the seventies, I was listening to Weather Report, Earl Kluge, David Sanborn some big band etc,  but I listened mostly to Rock and a little Classical. A few years before I retired, I really started to lean more to Jazz trios, quartets, quintets. And as we all know there are many! Whether it Bill Evans or Art Farmer, Billy Cobham or Sonny Stitt, Art Blakey or Miles Davis, I pretty much enjoyed them all, but I can’t really say there was one person or even a few people who influenced my journey,  but for now, I am happily exploring as many as I can.

I started with the 3 M’s. Miles,Mingus,and Monk. From there it just a matter of seeing who their sidemen were and who influenced them. Next thing I knew it was down the rabbit hole. Armstrong to Zawinul, there has been a wealth of great players. sturtk covered many of my favorites.