Genre
The 50 most-read free jazz artists worldwide, by Wikipedia readership in October 2026. Movement compares against September 2026.
Artists
Readers October
New entries
200 artists are ranked in free jazz. The biggest move was Kit Downes, up 40 places.
| # | Artist | Readers | 30d |
|---|---|---|---|
01 | John ColtraneHamlet · United States | 57,885 | 0 |
02 | Mike WhiteUnited States | 30,562 | 0 |
03 | Ornette ColemanFort Worth · United States | 8,499 | +1 |
04 | Don CherryOklahoma City · United States | 8,412 | -1 |
05 | Mor ThiamDakar · Senegal | 4,760 | +1 |
06 | Albert AylerCleveland Heights · United States | 3,675 | +1 |
07 | Leon ThomasEast St. Louis · United States | 3,574 | +6 |
08 | Carla BleyOakland · United States | 3,375 | +3 |
09 | Cecil TaylorCorona · United States | 2,808 | +5 |
10 | Archie SheppFort Lauderdale · United States | 2,625 | +2 |
11 | Marshall AllenLouisville · United States | 2,404 | -2 |
12 | Jimmy GarrisonAmericus · United States | 2,336 | -4 |
13 | Sam RiversEl Reno · United States | 2,252 | +2 |
14 | The Sun Ra ArkestraChicago · United States | 1,969 | -4 |
15 | Paul BleyMontréal · Canada | 1,734 | +3 |
16 | Keith TippettBristol · United Kingdom | 1,661 | +7 |
17 | Lester BowieFrederick · United States | 1,635 | +5 |
18 | Art Ensemble of ChicagoUnited States | 1,630 | +1 |
19 | Dewey RedmanFort Worth · United States | 1,487 | +2 |
20 | Reggie WorkmanPhiladelphia · United States | 1,475 | -4 |
21 | Jimmy GiuffreDallas · United States | 1,459 | +5 |
22 | Kit DownesNorwich · United Kingdom | 1,427 | +40 |
23 | Elton DeanNottingham · United Kingdom | 1,386 | -3 |
24 | Peter BrötzmannRemscheid · Germany | 1,328 | -7 |
25 | Cecil McBeeTulsa · United States | 1,318 | +3 |
26 | Mary HalvorsonBoston · United States | 1,281 | -1 |
27 | Steve KuhnBrooklyn · United States | 1,107 | +4 |
28 | Wadada Leo SmithLeland · United States | 1,070 | +7 |
29 | Tony HymasExeter · United Kingdom | 1,055 | -5 |
30 | George LewisChicago · United States | 1,041 | +3 |
31 | John SurmanTavistock · United Kingdom | 1,029 | -4 |
32 | Mars WilliamsElmhurst · United States | 1,028 | 0 |
33 | Tyshawn SoreyNewark · United States | 1,004 | +1 |
34 | Evan ParkerBristol · United Kingdom | 925 | -4 |
35 | William ParkerThe Bronx · United States | 902 | -6 |
36 | Ethan IversonMenomonie · United States | 888 | +7 |
37 | Tomasz StańkoRzeszów · Poland | 865 | +3 |
38 | Bill DixonNantucket · United States | 849 | +9 |
39 | Radu MalfattiInnsbruck · Austria | 841 | +3 |
40 | Muhal Richard AbramsChicago · United States | 831 | +1 |
41 | Kris DavisVancouver · Canada | 819 | +15 |
42 | Grachan Moncur IIINew York · United States | 797 | -6 |
43 | Milford GravesJamaica · United States | 762 | -5 |
44 | Lol CoxhillPortsmouth · United Kingdom | 753 | -7 |
45 | Devin HoffColorado · United States | 749 | +4 |
46 | Django BatesBeckenham · United Kingdom | 742 | +23 |
47 | Don PullenRoanoke · United States | 733 | +2 |
48 | Jaimie BranchHuntington · United States | 722 | -3 |
49 | A.R. PenckDresden · Germany | 706 | +11 |
50 | Leroy JenkinsChicago · United States | 665 | -11 |
152 | BabliconUnited States | 221 | +105 |
65 | Georg RiedelKarlovy Vary · Czechia | 520 | +78 |
119 | Maggie NicolsUnited Kingdom | 290 | +62 |
191 | Petter EldhGothenburg · Sweden | 162 | +60 |
147 | Alex WardLondon · United Kingdom | 226 | +55 |
How this is ranked. Artists are matched from the MusicBrainz database by genre and by the area they are based in. An artist appears in a genre when at least 15% of their genre votes are for it. Position is set by readership of their English Wikipedia article in October 2026; movement compares that against September 2026. Readership measures public attention, not streams or sales.