Jazz Discography Project · 23,067 musicians · 1919–2024

The centre of jazz is not Miles Davis. It is his bass player.

Link every pair of musicians listed on the same recording session and 23,067 people, from the Original Dixieland Jazz Band in 1919 to a quintet at Smoke in New York in 2024, form one web. On average, a chain of 3.63 shared sessions joins any two of them. Closest to everyone in it is Ron Carter, Miles Davis’s bass player from 1963: 68.8% of the web is within two sessions of him.

3.63sessions between two musicians, on average
2.31Ron Carter’s average, the shortest of all
25thMiles Davis’s place on the same measure

By Marius Comper · 20 October 2026 · Data: the Jazz Discography Project, 1,239 discography pages, under the GNU Free Documentation License. How the web was built.

How many sessions apart are two jazz musicians?

Sidney Bechet played soprano saxophone in a jam session with Miles Davis and Charlie Parker in Paris on May 15, 1949. Three sessions link Bechet to Joshua Redman, and the one in the middle is Miles Davis’s quintet with Ron Carter.

Choose any two of the 23,067 musicians, or click a star in the sky to start from that musician. Each step below is the earliest session the two players on either side of it share, with a link to its entry in the discography. One session joins two musicians listed on it; two sessions join them through a third musician.

From

Sidney Bechet to Joshua Redman: 3 sessions

Sidney Bechet and Miles DavisFestival International De Jazz All Stars, Salle Pleyel, Paris, France, May 15, 1949. Session entry
Miles Davis and Ron CarterMiles Davis Quintet, Columbia Studios, Los Angeles, CA, April 16, 1963. Session entry
Ron Carter and Joshua RedmanJohn Hicks Combo, BMG Studios, NYC, January 14, 1992. Session entry

Who is at the centre of jazz?

Count, for each musician, the sessions that separate them from each of the other 23,066, then take the average. For the typical musician it is 3.51. For Ron Carter it is 2.31, the lowest of all. He shared a session with 1,346 different musicians; another 14,531 played with at least one of them. That makes 68.8% of the web within two sessions of him, and 95.1% within three.

Miles Davis, named in the heading (the leader or band name above the personnel list) of 344 of the 396 sessions he played on here, comes 25th. Carter played on 59 of those sessions, from April 16, 1963 on. John Coltrane is 166th.

Carter is also on more sessions here than anyone else, 693. That alone does not decide the order: Hank Jones, second for sessions with 452, ranks 7th, and Jerome Richardson, with 309, ranks second.

Light up the web from

played with them
two sessions away
three
four or more

Ron Carter shared a session with 1,346 musicians. 15,877 (68.8%) are within two sessions, 21,936 (95.1%) within three.

How far each musician is from the rest of the web
Musician	Average sessions away	Played with	Within two sessions
Ron Carter	2.31	1,346	68.8%
Miles Davis	2.49	596	55.1%
John Coltrane	2.65	313	42.6%
Jim Buffington	2.51	778	54%
Louis Armstrong	3.01	98	19.5%

Who connects jazz? Players rarely named in a session’s heading

Of the 50 musicians closest to everyone else, 23 are named in the heading of fewer than one in twenty of their own sessions. They are lit in gold in the sky.

Jerome Richardson, who played flute and saxophones, is second. He was on 309 sessions and named in the heading of 7; the heading he appears under most often is Quincy Jones And His Orchestra, 29 times. The trumpeter Ernie Royal is 5th, named in 4 of his 332. Jim Buffington played French horn on 139 sessions and was named in the heading of none of them. He is 33rd, ahead of John Coltrane: both are listed on John Coltrane Orchestra, Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, May 23, 1961.

Their sessions were crowded. The median session in the web lists 5 of its musicians. Jerome Richardson’s median session had 14, Ernie Royal’s 17 and Jim Buffington’s 20. A big-band or orchestral date put that many players on one session, and the same players were booked for date after date.

Does the centre hold for small groups?

Count only sessions with ten musicians or fewer: 15,057 musicians remain in one web, on average 3.93 sessions apart. Ron Carter is still first, at 2.48. Next come Hank Jones, Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Burrell.

How to read the sky

Each point is a musician, larger for more sessions and coloured by the middle year of their sessions. Lines join musicians who shared a session. Every musician is pulled along one axis by that year, so the sky runs from the 1920s at one end to the 2010s at the other, with the decades marked along its edge. Across that axis, musicians listed on the same session are pulled close to each other.

Jazz musicians ranked by average number of sessions to every other musician
Rank	Musician	Plays	Average sessions away	Played with	Sessions	In heading
1	Ron Carter	bass	2.31	1,346	693	60
2	Jerome Richardson	woodwinds	2.40	1,142	309	7
3	Phil Woods	woodwinds	2.42	804	318	99
4	Kenny Burrell	guitar	2.42	783	373	128
5	Ernie Royal	brass	2.42	1,003	332	4
6	Clark Terry	brass	2.43	864	306	46
7	Hank Jones	keyboards	2.44	792	452	71
8	Richard Davis	bass	2.45	830	287	5
9	Tommy Flanagan	keyboards	2.45	563	321	60
10	Jimmy Cleveland	brass	2.46	881	295	9
11	Hubert Laws	woodwinds	2.46	910	173	32
12	Grady Tate	drums	2.46	803	268	1
13	Frank Wess	woodwinds	2.47	639	191	19
14	Pepper Adams	woodwinds	2.48	654	160	27
15	Seldon Powell	woodwinds	2.48	866	184	4
16	Zoot Sims	woodwinds	2.48	711	266	102
17	Stan Getz	woodwinds	2.48	729	277	194
18	Ray Brown	bass	2.48	717	424	28
19	Freddie Hubbard	brass	2.48	650	206	69
20	Joe Newman	brass	2.48	766	262	20
21	Dizzy Gillespie	brass	2.48	824	257	154
22	Herbie Hancock	keyboards	2.48	701	306	54
23	Milt Hinton	bass	2.49	842	363	2
24	Snooky Young	brass	2.49	787	148	1
25	Miles Davis	brass	2.49	596	396	344
26	J.J. Johnson	brass	2.49	577	179	40
27	Roy Haynes	drums	2.50	441	252	25
28	Art Farmer	brass	2.50	646	215	90
29	Benny Powell	brass	2.50	637	143	5
30	Elvin Jones	drums	2.50	480	341	63
31	Urbie Green	brass	2.51	760	181	9
32	Romeo Penque	woodwinds	2.51	763	161	0
33	Jim Buffington	brass	2.51	778	139	0
34	George Duvivier	bass	2.52	765	324	0
35	Garnett Brown	brass	2.52	753	110	0
36	Herbie Mann	woodwinds	2.52	565	205	159
37	Bob Cranshaw	bass	2.52	543	280	0
38	Howard Johnson	brass	2.53	548	76	0
39	Benny Golson	woodwinds	2.53	493	145	52
40	Milt Jackson	percussion	2.53	558	265	95
41	Jerry Dodgion	woodwinds	2.53	601	124	1
42	Bernie Glow	brass	2.54	711	152	0
43	Danny Bank	woodwinds	2.54	617	159	0
44	Kenny Barron	keyboards	2.54	549	258	55
45	Jon Faddis	brass	2.54	708	95	2
46	Britt Woodman	brass	2.54	528	74	0
47	Chuck Rainey	bass	2.54	718	199	0
48	Ralph MacDonald	percussion	2.54	656	166	0
49	Jack DeJohnette	drums	2.54	515	267	37
50	Max Roach	drums	2.54	538	307	123
51	Eric Gale	guitar	2.54	726	190	3
52	Joe Henderson	woodwinds	2.54	580	176	48
52	Thad Jones	brass	2.54	461	147	29
54	Johnny Griffin	woodwinds	2.54	528	178	71
55	Julius Watkins	brass	2.55	480	133	3
56	Billy Higgins	drums	2.55	346	262	11
57	Mel Lewis	drums	2.55	511	198	16
58	Sam Jones	bass	2.55	346	259	11
59	Bernard Purdie	drums	2.55	652	204	2
60	Cedar Walton	keyboards	2.55	379	216	39
61	Joe Wilder	brass	2.56	591	120	2
62	Jim Hall	guitar	2.56	402	193	52
63	Wayne Andre	brass	2.56	629	97	0
64	Donald Byrd	brass	2.56	449	178	68
65	Philly Joe Jones	drums	2.56	392	191	18
66	Joe Farrell	woodwinds	2.56	621	138	10
67	Lee Konitz	woodwinds	2.56	345	121	54
68	Dexter Gordon	woodwinds	2.56	472	191	130
69	Jimmy Knepper	brass	2.56	437	85	5
70	Eddie Bert	brass	2.56	565	82	6
71	Chick Corea	keyboards	2.57	486	219	86
72	Nat Adderley	brass	2.57	406	168	35
73	Charlie Haden	bass	2.57	378	183	61
74	Gene Orloff	strings	2.57	721	127	1
75	Art Blakey	drums	2.57	412	317	154
76	Bobby Hutcherson	percussion	2.57	435	164	61
77	Julian Priester	brass	2.58	441	103	4
78	Sahib Shihab	woodwinds	2.58	446	110	8
79	Marvin Stamm	brass	2.58	587	106	9
80	Blue Mitchell	brass	2.58	439	137	33
81	Chet Baker	brass	2.58	571	236	195
82	Jimmy Cobb	drums	2.58	389	208	14
83	Stanley Turrentine	woodwinds	2.58	575	152	86
84	Tony Studd	brass	2.58	553	132	0
85	Slide Hampton	brass	2.58	470	78	18
86	Bob Brookmeyer	brass	2.58	374	176	47
87	Ray Barretto	percussion	2.58	519	125	6
88	Curtis Fuller	brass	2.58	417	170	39
89	Eddie Gomez	bass	2.59	374	176	2
90	Al Cohn	woodwinds	2.59	517	187	54
91	Kai Winding	brass	2.59	510	160	50
92	Charlie Persip	drums	2.59	454	152	2
93	Wayne Shorter	woodwinds	2.59	480	255	35
94	Osie Johnson	drums	2.59	587	285	6
95	Billy Hart	drums	2.59	473	193	10
96	Paul Faulise	brass	2.59	495	70	0
97	Jimmy Heath	woodwinds	2.60	344	112	20
98	Cecil Payne	woodwinds	2.60	449	116	21
99	Cornell Dupree	guitar	2.60	570	136	4
100	Randy Brecker	brass	2.60	624	112	4

Jazz musicians ranked by average number of sessions to every other musician

Rank

Musician

Plays

Average sessions away

Played with

Sessions

In heading

Ron Carter

bass

2.31

1,346

693

Jerome Richardson

woodwinds

2.40

1,142

309

Phil Woods

woodwinds

2.42

804

318

Kenny Burrell

guitar

2.42

783

373

128

Ernie Royal

brass

2.42

1,003

332

Clark Terry

brass

2.43

864

306

Hank Jones

keyboards

2.44

792

452

Richard Davis

bass

2.45

830

287

Tommy Flanagan

keyboards

2.45

563

321

Jimmy Cleveland

brass

2.46

881

295

Hubert Laws

woodwinds

2.46

910

173

Grady Tate

drums

2.46

803

268

Frank Wess

woodwinds

2.47

639

191

Pepper Adams

woodwinds

2.48

654

160

Seldon Powell

woodwinds

2.48

866

184

Zoot Sims

woodwinds

2.48

711

266

102

Stan Getz

woodwinds

2.48

729

277

194

Ray Brown

bass

2.48

717

424

Freddie Hubbard

brass

2.48

650

206

Joe Newman

brass

2.48

766

262

Dizzy Gillespie

brass

2.48

824

257

154

Herbie Hancock

keyboards

2.48

701

306

Milt Hinton

bass

2.49

842

363

Snooky Young

brass

2.49

787

148

Miles Davis

brass

2.49

596

396

344

How the web was built

The Jazz Discography Project lists recording sessions with their personnel, date and place. It covers the catalogues of 20 labels, among them Blue Note, Prestige, Riverside, Verve, Impulse!, Atlantic, Savoy, CTI and ECM, the careers of 873 artists and groups, and the sessions of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio year by year. Its 1,239 session pages, read on 20 October 2026, hold 41,913 session entries. The same session often appears on a label’s page and on several musicians’ pages; merging entries with the same date and largely the same players leaves 27,977.

Two musicians are linked if both are listed on one session. Names are matched after merging spellings of the same person (Arthur Taylor and Art Taylor, Charlie and Charles Mingus); 850 such merges were made, each checked against the players the two names shared. Attributions marked “possibly” or “probably”, or given as one player “or” another, are left out. Unnamed players (“unidentified strings”) are left out, and so are credits that do not put someone on the date: producers, arrangers, composers, engineers, announcers, and bands credited under a group name.

Of 24,689 musicians, 23,067 (93.4%) are joined in one web by 377,641 pairs. The rest recorded only with each other, or alone. The 23,067 musicians in the web appear on 25,511 sessions. Distances are the fewest sessions needed to get from one musician to another; the average for a musician is taken over every other musician in the web, and musicians with equal averages share a rank. When several shortest chains exist, the page shows the one through the busiest musicians, and for each step the earliest session the two share.

What the web leaves out

The web is only as wide as the discography. It follows labels and musicians that the project has documented, mostly from bebop onwards, so a musician recorded mainly for other labels looks less connected than they were. Louis Armstrong appears on 41 sessions here, a fraction of his career, and ranks 1,687th.

A name is not always one person. Two players with the same name are split when they played different instruments in eras at least ten years apart with no partner in common (214 names), and 22 more were split by hand from their instruments and dates, among them Bill Evans the pianist and Bill Evans the saxophonist, and Howard Johnson the 1930s alto player and Howard Johnson the tuba player. Namesakes on the same instrument at the same time cannot be told apart from the listings alone.

Some entries list a whole album recorded over several dates: 3,513 of the 25,511 sessions in the web carry more than one date. Two players on such an entry may not have recorded together, and the chain finder says so when a step rests on one.

A shared session means both names are in its personnel. On an overdubbed or orchestral date, or when the listing puts them on different tracks, they may never have met.

The centre of jazz is not Miles Davis. It is his bass player.

How many sessions apart are two jazz musicians?

Who is at the centre of jazz?

Who connects jazz? Players rarely named in a session’s heading

Does the centre hold for small groups?

How to read the sky

Which jazz musicians are closest to everyone?

How the web was built

What the web leaves out

Sources