Jazz Nicknames

Jazz: a realm where creativity flows as freely as the notes from an instrument. It’s a world where not just the music but its maestros stand out with their catchy, often whimsical nicknames. This piece is your gateway into the interesting universe of jazz greats, each marked by a nickname that’s as rhythmic and resonant as their music.

These nicknames are not mere labels; they’re stories, etched into the annals of jazz, reflecting the essence of each artist. Journey with us from the dimly lit corners of jazz clubs to the grandiose stages of concert halls, where each nickname reverberates, celebrating the distinctiveness of these musical geniuses.

The art of bestowing nicknames may have waned since the golden era of the 20th century, yet its charm remains undiminished, a fascinating subject worth exploring. Let’s start with the term ‘Nickname’ itself, a name that has evolved over centuries, much like the genre of jazz.

The word “nickname” was formed as “ekename,” deriving from the Old English phrase “eac” (also), related to “eacian” (to increase). The term “ekename” literally meant “an additional name.” The original phrase “an ekename” was misinterpreted as “a nekename.” By the 15th century, the phrase was being split incorrectly, resulting in the modern form “nickname” we use today.

Even “Nickname” has nicknames – Sobriquet, pseudonym, stage name, mononym, nom de guerre, moniker, appellation.

Check this out this for starters!

Collectively jazz musicians were known as “Cats”

Why? The term emerged because cats, like jazz musicians, tend to go out at night, are resourceful and “always land on their feet,” and remain slightly separate from the rest of society.

Nicknames tend to fall into various categories

Mononymous means “known by just one name“, rather than a first name and surname.

Jazz certainly has lots of “One namer’s” but to illustrate the concept here some Non-Jazz One Namers
Some of these come from their real name and some are nicknames or self-applied monikers.

Cher, Liberace, Sting, Donavan, Flea, Prince, Madonna, Beyonce, Eminem, Adele, Seal, Rihanna, Shakira, Moby, Pink, Sade, Enya, Drake, Björk, Beck, Usher, Kesha, Dido, Morrissey, Bono, Jewel, Meatloaf, Nelly, Sia, Gotye, Yanni, and others that we know their full name, yet we immediately know them by one name only – Elvis, Kanye and the list goes on and on

Here are some jazz names that are distinctive enough to be used by themselves.

Miles Davis is Simply Miles.
Herbie Hancock – Herbie
Jaco Pastorious- Jaco
Elvin Jones – Elvin
Chick Corea – Chick
Airto – Airto Moreira
Wes – Wes Montgomery
Ella – Ella Fitzgerald
Duke– Duke Ellington

Likewise, many are referred to by their last name only.

Thelonious Monk is just Monk.
Charles Mingus = Mingus
John Coltrane is shortened to Trane.

Some nicknames come from shortened or versions derived from their real name…

Mezz, Hamp, Trane, Hawk, Book, J. J., Gigi, Trane, Brownie

Then there are others that are common abstractions from the original name.

“Jay” McShann from James
“Jack” Teargarden from John
“Chet” Baker from Chesney
“Wes” Montgomery from Leslie

An interesting category is names that are totally different name than their birth name :

Eddie Lang
Mezz Mezzrow
Roland Kirk
Red Norvo
Red Rodney
Willie The Lion Smith
Adolph Johannes Brand
Paul Desmond
Sonny Stitt
Jack McDuff.

You’ll see those details in the listing below.

In the world of jazz nicknames Buds, Reds, Sonnys, Pee Wees and Littles are as common as dirt.
Some depict youth, others describe physical characteristics.

Red was a nickname commonly applied to light skinned African Americans. It was also applied to people with red hair.

Fats, Shortys, Littles and Pee Wees are self-explanatory.
In the jazz world, very rarely was the nickname Junior applied because they were actually named after their father.

And of course there are the ostentatious titles depicting “royalty.” King, Duke, Count, Baron, Sir, etc.

There are those who changed their name because of a religious, ethnic or spiritual affiliation.

Many Jewish and Italian people in the world of entertainment have “Americanized” their names away from their original Hebrew or Italian pronunciation or spelling.

In this list – Milton Mesirow became Mezz Mezzrow. As an interesting aside, He became a principal supplier of Mexican marijuana to Harlem in the 1930s. His own name entered the local vernacular; a “mezzrole” was the type of joint he rolled, and “mezz” became a general term for anything of high quality.

There are many jazz musicians who converted to Islam and became known by their Arabic name instead.

Others had an African or Indian spiritual affiliation and applied Swahili or Hindu names.

And in a rather bold move,
there are musicians who nicknamed themselves.

Sun Ra
“Rahsaan” Roland Kirk
“Dollar” Brand
and others.

I stuck with the most well-known artists for the main detailed list and included the lesser known musicians and alternate names as the less detailed list that skips the full birth name, instrument and origin story and just presents the name and nickname.

I left out the nicknames that used Longer Phrases such as “Old Blue Eyes, King Of Swing, Prince of Darkness” (Sinatra, Goodman, Miles) , etc.

Discover how these names mirror the musicians’ styles, physical attributes, or personal anecdotes. Some artists are recognized solely by their nicknames, a testament to their larger-than-life personas.

In this compilation, we unravel the origin stories behind these famed nicknames. You’ll find the rich tapestry of jazz history woven with names that resonate with one and all – from Miles to Monk, from Bird to Trane. Each name, a symbol of the musician’s legacy, their distinct sound, and their indelible mark on the world of music.

Dive into this list, where you’ll encounter multiple musicians sharing similar nicknames, each adding their unique flavor to it. Discover the tales behind these names, some steeped in humor, others in reverence, but all in the spirit of jazz.

So, sit back, let the rhythm take over, and immerse yourself in the enchanting world of jazz nicknames, a realm where each name is a melody, each story a song.

List of Well Known Jazz Musicians

Type	Artist	Nickname	Instrument	Origin
Bud	Bernard “Buddy” Rich	Buddy	Drums, Bandleader	His nickname, “Buddy,” evolved from “Pal,” his parents’ pet name for him.
Bud	Bonifacio Ferdinand Leonardo “Buddy” DeFranco	Buddy deFranco	Clarinet	Bonifacio Ferdinand Leonardo DeFranco was quickly given his new name in the interest of brevity.
Bud	Clifford Everett “Bud” Shank	Bud	Alto Sax, flute	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	Earl “Bud” Powell	Bud Powell	Piano	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	Lawrence “Bud” Freeman	Bud	Tenor Sax	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	William Marcel “Buddy” Collette	Buddy	Sax, flute, clarinet	From his mom. My father was Willie and my grandfather was William. My mom called me Buddy, so I’d stand out.
From Name	“Book” Booker Telleferro Ervin	Book	Tenor Sax	Booker is a boy’s name of English origin. Like many British names, this contemporary appellation comes from an occupation-turned-personal name.
From Name	“Cab” Calloway	Cab Calloway	Bandleader	short for Cabell
From Name	Clifford Benjamin Brown “Brownie“	Brownie	Trumpet	Afectionate rendering of his last name
From Name	Conrad Kirnon (Connie Kay)	Connie Kay	Drums	At Birdland one night, em cee Pee Wee Marquette had trouble pronouncing Kirnon and simply introduced Connie Kay.
From Name	Gerry (Gerald) “Jeru” Joseph Mulligan	Jeru	Bari Sax	An abstration of his last name.
From Name	Ian Ernest Gilmore Green	Gil Evans	Piano, Arranger	He did an album named “Svengali.” A line in the credits said “Anagram by Gerry Mulligan. Svengali = GIl Evans
From Name	Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet	Illinois	Tenor Sax	His mother was a Sioux Indian and his father, Gilbert Jacquet, was a French-Creole . The nickname Illinois came from the Indian word “Illiniwek,” which means superior men.
From Name	John Francis Anthony “Jaco” Pastorius III	Jaco	Bass	Mononymous. Given the nickname “Jocko,”by his parents which transformed into “Jaco” in the early 1970s when a French-born friend spelled it that way by mistake. Jaco liked the alternate spelling, and kept it.
From Name	John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery	Wes	Guitar	He got the name ‘Wes’ when he was a teenager as a corruption of his middle name.
From Name	Joseph Rudolph “Philly Joe” Jones	Philly Joe	Drums	To distinguish him from the older, well known drummer Jo Jpnes
From Name	Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbeck	Bix	Trumpet	His parents called him “Bix” which was a shortened form of his middle name, “Bismark”
From Name	Lionel “Hamp” Hampton	Hamp	Vibes	Shortened from his last name.
From Name	Woodrow “Woody” Charles Herman	Woody	Reeds, Bandleader	a derivation of his first name.
Mono	Airto Moreira	Airto	Percussion	Known By his first name
Mono	Charles Mingus Jr.	Mingus	Bass	Known By his last name
Mono	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella	Vocals	Mononymous
Mono	Jean Baptiste “Django” Reinhardt	Django	Guitar	“Django” is the Gypsy name for Jean.
Mono	John Coltrane “Trane“	Trane	Tenor Sax	Shortened from his last name.
Mono	Miles Davis	Miles	Trumpet	Mononymous
Mono	Thelonious Sphere Monk	Monk	Piano	Mononymous
New Name	Paul (Desmond) Breitenfeld	Paul Desmond	Alto Sax	Self named. He supposedly picked his name out of a phone book
New Name	Ronald Theodore Kirk	Rashaan Roland Kirk	Reeds	Self Named – He felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make ‘”Roland”. In 1970, Kirk added “Rahsaan” to his name after hearing it in a dream.
New Name	Salvatore Massaro	Eddie Lang	Guitar	Self named. Tcompletely changed his name away from his birth name in every way.
New Name	Billie Holiday (Eleanor McKay)	Lady Day	Vocal	Eleanora Fagan Gough changed her name to Billie Holiday – Billie in honor of her favorite actress Billie Dove and Holiday due to her infatuation with her erratic father. Lester Young nicknamed her Lady Day
Red	Ernest Loring “Red” Nichols	Red	Cornet	The name came from his hair color
Red	George Sylvester “Red” Callender	Red	Bass	from black slang of the time meaning light pigmented skin.
Red	Henry James “Red” Allen	Red	Trumpet	from black slang of the time meaning light pigmented skin.
Red	James Wesley “Red” Holloway	Red	Sax	Red is a nickname that was frequently applied to light skinned African Amaerican
Red	Keith “Red” Mitchell	Red	Bass	So named because he was a red head. His brother was nicknamed “Whitey”
Red	William M. “Red” Garland	Red	Piano	Red Garland was called “Red” because his nickname was derived from the color of his hair, which he dyed red at one point in time
Red/New Name	Kenneth Norville “Red Norvo”	Red	Vibes	Being a red head, Kenneth Norville became Red Norvo, thanks to bandleader Paul Ash’s inability to remember his proper name.
Red/New Name	Robert Roland Chudnick “Red Rodney“	Red Rodney , Also Albino Red	Trumpet	Being the only white member of the group playing in the south he was billed as “Albino Red” due to the fact that many clubs had rules against mixed-race groups.
Spiritual	“Devadip” Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán	Devadip	Guitar	Sri Chinmoy is a guru who anointed Carlos as, “Devadip” (“The lamp, light and eye of God”)
Spiritual	“Narada” Michael Walden	Narada	Drums	The guru Sri Chinmoy named him “Narada” who is a Vedic sage, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom.
Spiritual	Adolph Johannes “Dollar” Brand	Dollar Brand then Abdullah Ibrahim	Piano	“Dollar” became his nickname due to his regular purchases of jazz LPs from African American seamen who passed through the port of Cape Town
Spiritual	Arthur “Art” William Blakey	Abdullah Ibn Buhaina – “Bu”	Drums	Known by his Muslim nam eafter he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s after a reported trip to Africa. Friends shortened it to “Bu”.
Spiritual	Bennie Maupin	Mwile	Reeds	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Buster’s was Mwile, meaning “body.”
Spiritual	Charles Anthony “Buster” Williams	Buster Then Mchezaji	Bass	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Buster’s was Mchezaji, meaning player or someone who plays a game
Spiritual	Eddie Henderson	Mganga	Trumpet, Flugelhorn	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; Mganga – doctor in Swahili, referring to the fact that Henderson is a trained medic
Spiritual	Frederick Russell Jones	Ahmad Jamal	Piano	He converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal in 1950
Spiritual	George General “Gigi” Grice Jr.	Gigi then Basheer Qusim	Reeds	GiGi came from the initials aof his first and middle name. He dissolved his publishing companies in 1963 and gave up his music career, thereafter adopting his Islamic name entirely
Spiritual	George Joyner	Jamil Nasser	Bass	He recorded with Ahmad Jamal and was initially credited as Jamil Sulieman, then as Jamil Nasser the name he used professionally for the rest of his life.
Spiritual	John McLaughlin	Mahavishnu	Guitar	His guru Sri Chinmoy gave his the nane which is a combination of “maha,” meaning “great,” and the name of the Hindu deity, Vishnu.
Spiritual	Julian Priester	Pepo Mtoto	Trombone	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Julian’s was Pepo Mtoto , meaning “demon baby”
Spiritual	Leo Morris	Idris Muhammad	Drummer	He changed his name in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam
Spiritual	Leon “Ndugu” Chancler	Ndugu	Bass	He was given the name “Ndugu” by Herbie Hancock during the Mwandishi band. Ndugu is Swahili for “earth brother,” a family member or comrade.
Spiritual	William (Evans) Emanuel Huddleston	Yusef Lateef	Reeds	He changed his name in 1949 to an Arabic name which translates to Joseph who is gentle or kind.
Spiritual	Herbie Hancock	Mwandishi	Piano	After he left the Miles band, He took the Swahili name Mwandishi meaning “composer.”
Royalty	“King” Curtis Ousley	King	Sax	He began recording at age 19 in his own right and his agent suggested he use the nickname King. He believed King Curtis, after the jazz style of Earls, Counts and Dukes, sounded better than plain Curtis Ousley.
Royalty	Charles “Buddy” Bolden a.k.a. “King”	King	Cornet	Bolden acquired the nickname “Kid,” which designated an up-and-comer. When “King “replaced “Kid” it meant that he had reached the peak of his profession
Royalty	Columbus Calvin “Duke” Pearson Jr.	Duke	Piano	Tagged with the nickname “Duke” by his Ellington-loving uncle
Royalty	Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington	Duke	Piano, Bandleader	Named by a childhood friend Edgar McEntree who noted his aristocratic manners and dapper dress.
Royalty	Farrell Lee “Pharoah” Sanders	Pharoah	Tenor Sax	Pharoah is not a variation from Farell. Sun Ra encouraged him to use the name “Pharoah”.
Royalty	Irving Sidney “Duke” Jordan	Duke	Piano	I couldn’t find any documentation about where his nick name came from, but I didn’t want to leave him off the list.
Royalty	Joseph Nathan “King” Oliver	King	Coronet	Kid Ory, who claimed to have given him the name due to his ability on the cornet is what led to his nickname the “King”.
Royalty	Nat “King” Cole	King	Piano, Vocal	Named after the nursery rhyme in which “Old King Cole was a merry old soul”.
Royalty	Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría Rodríguez	Mongo	Percussion	Mongo is the Senegalese word for a tribal chief. It was given to him by his father.
Royalty	Secondo “Conte” Candoli	Conte/Count	Trumpet	Conte is drived from the Italian word for Count
Royalty	Sir Roland Hanna	Sir	Piano	It’s not a nickname. he was knighted in 1970 by the late president of Liberia, William Tubman.
Royalty	William James “Count” Basie	Count	Piano	He made up his name to be in the company of King Oliver, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines and Baron Lee.
Size	Alfred James “Pee Wee” Ellis	Pee Wee	Sax	Known as Pee Wee due to his diminutive stature
Size	Charles Ellsworth “Pee Wee” Russell	Pee Wee	Clarinet	So named because of his slight build
Size	Charlie “Little Gate” Teagarden	Little Gate, Little T	Trumpet	Since Jack was “Big Gate,” it was natural that Charlie should be called “Little Gate.” Same logic applied to the other nickname “Little T”
Size	George “Pee Wee” Erwin	Pee Wee	Trumpet	He acquired the nickname “Pee Wee” when, before the age of 10, he began to play in bands led by his father, who was also a trumpet player.
SIze	Harold “Shorty” Baker	Shorty	Trumpet	He got his nickname because of his height according to Clark Terry (who also called him “Shorty Boo”
Size	Jimmy “Little Bird” Heath	Litte Bird	Sax	Given the nickname “Little Bird” due to his stylistic similarities to Charlie “Bird” Parker, and the fact he was much shorter in height.
Size	Johnny Coles	Little Johnny C	Trumpet	Nicknamed Little due to the fact that he was but 5’3” tall
Size	Johnny Griffin	Little Giant	Tenor Sax	Nicknamed “the Little Giant” because he was five feet five and a forceful player,
Size	Lloyd “Tiny” Grimes	Tiny	Guitar	Tiny was a nickname he acquired as a child growing up
SIze	Milton “Shorty” Rogers	Shorty	Trumpet	He got his nickname because of his height. He liked Shorty, as it was considered much hipper than Milton
SIze	Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews	Trombone Shorty	Trombone	He got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was tall. He was leading his own band by age six,
Youth	Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea	Chick	Piano	An aunt who would always pinch his cheeks and call him “cheeky.” That eventually transformed into “Chick”
Youth	Conrad Yeatis “Sonny” Clark	Sonny	Piano	Youngest of eight siblings, saddled with the nickname ‘Sonny’ because he stopped growing when he reached five foot five inches.
Youth	Cornelius “Sonny” Fortune	Sonny	Sax, flute, clarinet	Sonny is a common nickname, but the surname of Fortune has a legacy and was first found in the Italian Tuscany town of Volterra where Gianfranco Fortunio
Youth	Edward “Kid” Ory	Kid	Trombone	Buddy Bolden proposed him to play in his band but Ory’s parents refused, as he was quite young. His age was also the reason for his nickname, “Kid”
Youth	Edward Hammond Boatner, Jr (“Sonny” Stitt)	Sonny	Sax	Self Applied. He adopted his stepfather’s last name, and started using “Sonny” as a nickname.
Youth	Herman “Junior” Cook	Junior	Tenor Sax	Named after his father, he was an actual Junior.
Youth	Herman “Sonny” Blount	Sun Ra	Keyboardist, Composer	Self Created in 1952 to Le’Sony’r Ra. claim that he was abducted by a UFO-a beam of light that took him to Saturn
Youth	James Wesley “Bubber” Miley	Bubber	Trumpet/Cornet	Given his nickname as a child due to his chubby cheeks, as “bubber” was southern slang for “brother” or a young boy.
Youth	Julian Clifford “Junior” Mance, Jr.	Junior	Piano	He says “My dad was named Julian and so was I. To differentiate, my family called me Junior. When I started working professionally at age 10, everyone used Junior as my nickname.”
Youth	McKinley “Kenny” Dorham	Kenny	Trumpet	He was originally nicknamed “Kinny” but this usually got misheard as Kenny
Youth	Sylvester “Sonny Red” Kyner Jr.	Sonny Red?	Alto Sax	“Sonny” being a common nickname for a boy growing up in the 1930s and 1940s, and “Red” referring to Sylvester’s natural red hair.
Youth	Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins	Sonny	Tenor Sax	they started to call me Sonny because I was the baby, the youngest.”
Youth	Warren “Baby” Dodds	Baby	Drums	Named because he was six years younger than his brother clarinetist Johnny Dodds.
Youth	Warren Harding “Sonny” Sharrock	Sonny	Guitar	Another one of the Sonny nicknames that usually signified a name that was applied in his youth or occassionally because he was the youngest person in a group.
Youth	William “Sonny” Criss	Sonny	Alto Sax	Another one of the Sonny nicknames that usually signified a name that was applied in his youth or occassionally because he was the youngest person in a group.
Youth	William Henry “Chick” Webb	Chick	Drums	Hunchbacked from tuberculosis of the spine, and stood less than five feet tall. Because of his small size, other children nicknamed him “Chick,”
	Earl Kenneth “Fatha” Hines	Fatha	Piano, Bandleader	From a young age, he was nicknamed “Fatha,” because contemporaries considered him the “father” of jazz piano.
	“Blue” Lou Marini	Blue	Saxophonist	Self named for the Blues Brothers band. He chose Blue Lou because it’s the title of an old jazz tune that his Dad had a recording of,
	Adolphus Anthony “Doc” Cheatham	Doc	Trumpet	He played in a small band based at Nashville’s historically black Meharry Medical College, acquiring the nickname “Doc” as a result.
	Albert “Tootie” Heath	Tootie	Drums	He got his nickname from his grandfather, who said “toot toot” when he first saw Tootie
	Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill	Chico	Arranger, Trumpet	Benny Goodman had trouble pronouncing his name, and began referring to him as “Chico” instead
	Bernard “Pretty” Purdie	Pretty	Drums	His nickname was given to him by Buddy Rich
	Billy Hart	Jabali	Drums	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; Billy’s was Jabali, meaning “rock.”
	Bo Gustav “Bobo” Stenson	Bobo	Piano	Derived from his first name
	Booker Little Jr.		Trumpet	Booker is a boy’s name of English origin. Like many British names, this contemporary appellation comes from an occupation-turned-personal name.
	Charles “Specs” Wright	Specs	Drums	Nicknamed because he wore galsses
	Charles Melvin “Cootie” Williams	Cootie	Trumpet	He acquired his nickname as a boy when his father took him to a band concert. When it was over his father asked him what he’d heard and he replied, “Cootie, cootie, cootie.”
	Charlie Parker (Charles Parker Jr. )	Bird, Yardbird	Alto Sax	Although there are several legends concerning the origin of Parker’s nickname, most of them relate to his voracious appetite for chicken, “yardbird” in slang
	Chesney H. “Chet” Baker,	Chet	Trumpet	Usually a modification from the Name Chester, but applies to Chesney as well.
	Coleman Randolph “Hawk” Hawkins	Hawk, Bean	Tenor Sax	GIven for the mastery of his instrument and the intelligence he exhibited in understanding and applying theories of harmony – Bean being a slang word “head”
	David “Fathead” Newman	Fathead	Saxes, flute	An outraged music instructor used it as an epithet after catching him playing a Sousa march from memory rather than from reading the sheet music, which rested upside down on the stand.
	Earl Lavon “Chico” Freeman Jr.	Chico	Tenor Sax	Nicknamed by his dad, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman
	Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson	Cleanhead	Alto Sax	Vinson tried to straighten his hair but ended up burning it off. The hair did grow back, but he opted to keep his bald head for life.
	Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis	Lockjaw	Tenor Sax	Some say he got the name because he clinched the mouthpiece of his sax, and some say it was from the name of a tune he recorded early in his career where each track named after a disease.
	Edward Brian “Tubby” Hayes	Tubby	Tenor Sax	Despite his nickname, he wasn’t fat, just stocky. He Was somehwat short which also earned him the nickname of the little Giant
	Eli “Lucky” Thompson	Lucky	Tenor Sax	He got his nickname because of a dirty, old sweat shirt he always wore that bore the word “Lucky.”
	Ernest Anthony “Tito” Puente Jr.	Tito	Timbales, Vibbes	His family called him Ernestito, Spanish for Little Ernest, and this became shortened to “Tito”.
	Eugene “Brother Jack” McDuff	Brother Jack McDuff	Organ	The switch to the organ led to the nickname “Brother Jack”, thanks to the gospel and church association of the instrument,
	Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe	Jelly Roll Morton	Piano	Jellyroll was slang for vagina
	Francis Joseph “Muggsy” Spanier	Mugsy	Cornet	Self Named. The nickname came about because of his admiration for New York Giants team manager, John ‘Muggsy’ McGraw.
	Gene (Eugene) “Jug” Ammons	Jug, Jughead, The Boss	Tenor Sax	He is said to have received that nickname because he could drink all the other musicians under the table.
	Gregory “Joey” DeFrancesco	Joey	Organ	Given the nickname “Joey” from his family when he was a child. He has been known by this nickname throughout his professional career.
	Harry “Sweets” Edison	Sweets	Trumpet	He given the nickname by Lester Young who was notorious for bestowing nicknames.
	Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd	Professor Longhair	Piano	Professor” or “Fess” was generally given to teachers / mentors. “Longhair” is what jazz musicians used to call classical music
	Hezekiah Leroy Gordon “Stuff” Smith	Stuff	Violin	He earned the nickname “Stuff” because he was bad with names and addressed people as “Hey, Stuff!”
	James “Blood” Ulmer	Blood	Guitar	Originally nicknamed “Youngblood,” he was soon just called “Blood.”
	James Columbus “Jay” McShann	Hootie	Piano	He steered clear of the booze. Ssomeone slipped him a loaded drink at a hootenanny and he couldn’t play that night. His friends to call him “Hootie” for short.
	James Louis “J. J.” Johnson	J.J.	Trombone	He used to sign his compositions with only his first and last initials which stuck as a nickname, but was officially changed in 1970
	Jean “Toots” Thielmans	Toots	Harmonica, Guitar	Self Named. Inspired by Toots Mondello, who was with Benny Goodman, and arranger Toots Camarata
	Jeff “Tain” Watts	Tain	Drums	He and pianist Kenny Kirkland were on tour and passed a gas station called Chieftain Gas. Kirkland said, ‘Chief Tain, you’re going to be Jeff Tain,’ It stuck
	Jesús “Chucho” Valdes Rodríguez	Chucho	Piano	People named Jesus are called Chuy or Chucho depending on the region.
	Jimmy “Spanky” DeBrest	Spanky	Bass	Most likely it was a name that came from the string slap that was part of his signature sound.
	John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie	Dizzy	Trumpet	named for his erratic onstage antics
	John Haley “Zoot” Sims	Zoot	Sax	He
	John Paul “Bucky” Pizzarelli	Bucky	Guitar	At the age of 16, Bucky’s father ( a cowboy at heart) nicknamed his son “Buckskin” whish was eventually shortened to Bucky . From 1956 to 1957, Pizzarelli used the stage name “Johnny Buck”
	John Robert “Johnny Hammond” Smith	Hammond	Organ	Named after the the Hammond organ he helped to popularize. He dropped the Smith because he got tired of being confused with Jimmy Smith.
	Johnny “Rabbit” Hodges	Jeep & Rabbit	Alto Sax	Harry Carney called him “Rabbit” because of the way he would nibble on lettuce and tomato sandwiches
	Julian Edwin Adderley	Buckshot LaFonque	Alto Sax	Self Named for contractual reasons to be able to play on the album Here Comes Louis Smith
	Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley	Cannonball	Alto Sax	Elementary school classmates called him “cannonball” (i.e., “cannibal”) after his voracious appetite
	Kenny “Klook” Clarke	Klook	Drums	He had developed a snare rimshot followed by a bomb, and the sound it produced was phoneticized as klook-mop — and the shortened “Klook” stuck as a nickname
	Lee Brown “Babs Gonzales“	Babs	Vocals	There was a basketball star in America named Big Babbiad. My brothers are basketball players so they were called Big Babs, Middle Babs, and I’m Little Babs.
	Leon Brown “Chu” Berry	Chu	Tenor Sax	He got the name because he resembled a character from a musical called “Chu Chin Chow.”
	Leroy Eliot “Slam” Stewart	Slam	Bass	He was part of a duo with Slim Gaillard. Gaillard and Martin Block (disc jockey and their manager) suggested the name “Slam” since ‘Slim and Slam had more of a ring to it than ‘Slim & Leroy’.
	Lester “Prez” Young	Prez	Tenor Sax	Given the name by Billie Holiday sayingthat he was, indeed, the “president” of saxophone players.
	Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong	Satchmo, Pops	Trumpet	shortened from “Satchelmouth,”
	Meade “Lux” Lewis	Lux	Piano	As a child, Meade “Lux” Lewis was called “The Duke of Luxembourg” from the comic strip “Alphonse and Gaston.”
	Mel Tormé	Velvet Fog	Vocals	A local disc jockey Fred Robbins gave him the nickname based on his smooth, soft voice.
	Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa	Dodo	Piano	He received the uncomplimentary nickname “Dodo” as a child because of his large head, short body, and bird-like nose.
	Milt “Bags” Jackson	Bags	Vibes	“Bags” was a nickname given to him by a bass player in Detroit. “Bags” referred to the bags under his eyes, incurred by a drinking binge after his release from the Army
	Milt “Judge” Hinton	Judge	Bass	Hinton’s studio punctuality spawned his nickname, “The Judge.” The producer would arrive and say, `Well, we can start the session now, “The Judge” is here. ‘”
	Milton Mesirow “Mezz Mezzrow“	Mezz	Clarinet, Sax	The surname “Mezzrow” was a “pen name” of his father’s, derived from the sound of the last name Mesirow. He Self applied the shortened version of Mezz drived bform the pen name.
	“Muhal” Richard Abrams	Muhal	Piano, clarinet, cello	Apparently His nickname is self applied. He took the name Muhal in 1967. When interviewed by a French magazine Jazz in 1973, he said that the word and its origin was unclear, but means ‘number one’.”[
	Nesbert “Stix” Hooper	Stix	Drums	So named because he was a drummer.
	Oran Thadeus “Hot Lips” Page	Hot Lips	Trumpet	He acquired his nickname due to his remarkable skills as a trumpet player and his passionate, scorching style of playing.
	Park Frederick “Pepper” Adams III	Pepper	Baritone Sax	He acquired his nickname from his 7th grade classmates because of a resemblance to St. Louis Cardinals star Pepper Martin
	Richard Allen “Blue” Mitchell	Blue	Trumpet	Given his nickname in high school by one of his brothers,
	Richard Arnold “Groove” Holmes	Groove	Organ	Nicknamed “Groove” because of his ability to create an infectious and captivating groove with both his hands and feet
	Roland Bernard “Bunny” Berigan	Bunny	Trumpet	The family nickname was said to have originated when a visiting aunt, seeing the baby Bernard, for the first time, insisted he was “as cute as a bunny!”
	Theodore “Fats” Navarro	Fats, Fat Girl	Trumpet	“Fats” was shortened from “Fat Girl” so name because he was somewhat overweight and effeminate.
	Theodore Walter “Newk” Rollins	Newk	Tenor Sax	So called because of his resemblance to Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitcher Don Newcombe
	Thomas “Fats” Waller	Fats	Piano, organ	He was a rather rotund fellow, so the name derives from his physique.
	Weldon John “Jack” “Big Gate” Teagarden	Big Gate	Trombone	At one point in the history of Jazz, “gate” was synonymous with a Jazz musician. Thus, “Big Gate” was a good nickname for the trombonist.
	Wilbur “Buck” Clayton	Buck	Trumpet	Named for inventor and aviator Wilbur Wright. At the time Native American boys were known as bucks. He was pretty wild kid, so his mom named him Buck because of being part Cherokee Indian on my Dad’s side. family.”
	William “Bunk” Johnson		Trumpet	Bunk” is believed to be short for “bunkum,” an old slang term meaning nonsense, possibly referring to his tendency to tell tall tales.
	William Edward “Wild Bill” Davison	Wild Bill	Cornet	He garnered his nickname ‘Wild’ from his appetite for women & alcohol. He also enjoyed a reputation for playful antics and kleptomania as well.
	William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf Smith	Willie The Lion Smith	Piano	During World War I, he spent over a month on the front lines, where he earned his name “The Lion” for his bravery
	William Howard “Monk” Montgomery	Monk	Bass	Wes’ older brother, but I couldn’t find any documentation of the origins of his nickname.
	William Randolph “Cozy” Cole	Cozy	Drums	Instead of calling him William, the other kids in school started calling him “Colesy,” and with casual use, it eventually sounded like “Cozy”
	William Strethen “Wild Bill” Davis	Wild Bill	Piano, Organ	Paradoxically, he was a quiet and gentle person who completely belied his nickname which was created by Leonard Feather in the mid 50’s
	William (Billy) Thomas “Sweet Pea” Strayhorn	Swee’ Pea	Piano	Billy got this nickname from the famous “Popeye” cartoon strip. Otto Hardwicke nicknamed him.

Best Viewed On A Desktop Computer since the Table Cannot be made small enough to fit on a small mobile device.

Type	Artist	Nickname	Instrument	Origin
Bud	Bernard “Buddy” Rich	Buddy	Drums, Bandleader	His nickname, “Buddy,” evolved from “Pal,” his parents’ pet name for him.
Bud	Bonifacio Ferdinand Leonardo “Buddy” DeFranco	Buddy deFranco	Clarinet	Bonifacio Ferdinand Leonardo DeFranco was quickly given his new name in the interest of brevity.
Bud	Clifford Everett “Bud” Shank	Bud	Alto Sax, flute	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	Earl “Bud” Powell	Bud Powell	Piano	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	Lawrence “Bud” Freeman	Bud	Tenor Sax	Bud is a common nickname. In this case there is no known, documented reason he was called this.
Bud	William Marcel “Buddy” Collette	Buddy	Sax, flute, clarinet	From his mom. My father was Willie and my grandfather was William. My mom called me Buddy, so I’d stand out.
From Name	“Book” Booker Telleferro Ervin	Book	Tenor Sax	Booker is a boy’s name of English origin. Like many British names, this contemporary appellation comes from an occupation-turned-personal name.
From Name	“Cab” Calloway	Cab Calloway	Bandleader	short for Cabell
From Name	Clifford Benjamin Brown “Brownie“	Brownie	Trumpet	Afectionate rendering of his last name
From Name	Conrad Kirnon (Connie Kay)	Connie Kay	Drums	At Birdland one night, em cee Pee Wee Marquette had trouble pronouncing Kirnon and simply introduced Connie Kay.
From Name	Gerry (Gerald) “Jeru” Joseph Mulligan	Jeru	Bari Sax	An abstration of his last name.
From Name	Ian Ernest Gilmore Green	Gil Evans	Piano, Arranger	He did an album named “Svengali.” A line in the credits said “Anagram by Gerry Mulligan. Svengali = GIl Evans
From Name	Jean-Baptiste Illinois Jacquet	Illinois	Tenor Sax	His mother was a Sioux Indian and his father, Gilbert Jacquet, was a French-Creole . The nickname Illinois came from the Indian word “Illiniwek,” which means superior men.
From Name	John Francis Anthony “Jaco” Pastorius III	Jaco	Bass	Mononymous. Given the nickname “Jocko,”by his parents which transformed into “Jaco” in the early 1970s when a French-born friend spelled it that way by mistake. Jaco liked the alternate spelling, and kept it.
From Name	John Leslie “Wes” Montgomery	Wes	Guitar	He got the name ‘Wes’ when he was a teenager as a corruption of his middle name.
From Name	Joseph Rudolph “Philly Joe” Jones	Philly Joe	Drums	To distinguish him from the older, well known drummer Jo Jpnes
From Name	Leon Bismark “Bix” Beiderbeck	Bix	Trumpet	His parents called him “Bix” which was a shortened form of his middle name, “Bismark”
From Name	Lionel “Hamp” Hampton	Hamp	Vibes	Shortened from his last name.
From Name	Woodrow “Woody” Charles Herman	Woody	Reeds, Bandleader	a derivation of his first name.
Mono	Airto Moreira	Airto	Percussion	Known By his first name
Mono	Charles Mingus Jr.	Mingus	Bass	Known By his last name
Mono	Ella Fitzgerald	Ella	Vocals	Mononymous
Mono	Jean Baptiste “Django” Reinhardt	Django	Guitar	“Django” is the Gypsy name for Jean.
Mono	John Coltrane “Trane“	Trane	Tenor Sax	Shortened from his last name.
Mono	Miles Davis	Miles	Trumpet	Mononymous
Mono	Thelonious Sphere Monk	Monk	Piano	Mononymous
New Name	Paul (Desmond) Breitenfeld	Paul Desmond	Alto Sax	Self named. He supposedly picked his name out of a phone book
New Name	Ronald Theodore Kirk	Rashaan Roland Kirk	Reeds	Self Named – He felt compelled by a dream to transpose two letters in his first name to make ‘”Roland”. In 1970, Kirk added “Rahsaan” to his name after hearing it in a dream.
New Name	Salvatore Massaro	Eddie Lang	Guitar	Self named. Tcompletely changed his name away from his birth name in every way.
New Name	Billie Holiday (Eleanor McKay)	Lady Day	Vocal	Eleanora Fagan Gough changed her name to Billie Holiday – Billie in honor of her favorite actress Billie Dove and Holiday due to her infatuation with her erratic father. Lester Young nicknamed her Lady Day
Red	Ernest Loring “Red” Nichols	Red	Cornet	The name came from his hair color
Red	George Sylvester “Red” Callender	Red	Bass	from black slang of the time meaning light pigmented skin.
Red	Henry James “Red” Allen	Red	Trumpet	from black slang of the time meaning light pigmented skin.
Red	James Wesley “Red” Holloway	Red	Sax	Red is a nickname that was frequently applied to light skinned African Amaerican
Red	Keith “Red” Mitchell	Red	Bass	So named because he was a red head. His brother was nicknamed “Whitey”
Red	William M. “Red” Garland	Red	Piano	Red Garland was called “Red” because his nickname was derived from the color of his hair, which he dyed red at one point in time
Red/New Name	Kenneth Norville “Red Norvo”	Red	Vibes	Being a red head, Kenneth Norville became Red Norvo, thanks to bandleader Paul Ash’s inability to remember his proper name.
Red/New Name	Robert Roland Chudnick “Red Rodney“	Red Rodney , Also Albino Red	Trumpet	Being the only white member of the group playing in the south he was billed as “Albino Red” due to the fact that many clubs had rules against mixed-race groups.
Spiritual	“Devadip” Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán	Devadip	Guitar	Sri Chinmoy is a guru who anointed Carlos as, “Devadip” (“The lamp, light and eye of God”)
Spiritual	“Narada” Michael Walden	Narada	Drums	The guru Sri Chinmoy named him “Narada” who is a Vedic sage, famous in Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom.
Spiritual	Adolph Johannes “Dollar” Brand	Dollar Brand then Abdullah Ibrahim	Piano	“Dollar” became his nickname due to his regular purchases of jazz LPs from African American seamen who passed through the port of Cape Town
Spiritual	Arthur “Art” William Blakey	Abdullah Ibn Buhaina – “Bu”	Drums	Known by his Muslim nam eafter he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s after a reported trip to Africa. Friends shortened it to “Bu”.
Spiritual	Bennie Maupin	Mwile	Reeds	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Buster’s was Mwile, meaning “body.”
Spiritual	Charles Anthony “Buster” Williams	Buster Then Mchezaji	Bass	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Buster’s was Mchezaji, meaning player or someone who plays a game
Spiritual	Eddie Henderson	Mganga	Trumpet, Flugelhorn	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; Mganga – doctor in Swahili, referring to the fact that Henderson is a trained medic
Spiritual	Frederick Russell Jones	Ahmad Jamal	Piano	He converted to Islam and changed his name to Ahmad Jamal in 1950
Spiritual	George General “Gigi” Grice Jr.	Gigi then Basheer Qusim	Reeds	GiGi came from the initials aof his first and middle name. He dissolved his publishing companies in 1963 and gave up his music career, thereafter adopting his Islamic name entirely
Spiritual	George Joyner	Jamil Nasser	Bass	He recorded with Ahmad Jamal and was initially credited as Jamil Sulieman, then as Jamil Nasser the name he used professionally for the rest of his life.
Spiritual	John McLaughlin	Mahavishnu	Guitar	His guru Sri Chinmoy gave his the nane which is a combination of “maha,” meaning “great,” and the name of the Hindu deity, Vishnu.
Spiritual	Julian Priester	Pepo Mtoto	Trombone	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; “Julian’s was Pepo Mtoto , meaning “demon baby”
Spiritual	Leo Morris	Idris Muhammad	Drummer	He changed his name in the 1960s upon his conversion to Islam
Spiritual	Leon “Ndugu” Chancler	Ndugu	Bass	He was given the name “Ndugu” by Herbie Hancock during the Mwandishi band. Ndugu is Swahili for “earth brother,” a family member or comrade.
Spiritual	William (Evans) Emanuel Huddleston	Yusef Lateef	Reeds	He changed his name in 1949 to an Arabic name which translates to Joseph who is gentle or kind.
Spiritual	Herbie Hancock	Mwandishi	Piano	After he left the Miles band, He took the Swahili name Mwandishi meaning “composer.”
Royalty	“King” Curtis Ousley	King	Sax	He began recording at age 19 in his own right and his agent suggested he use the nickname King. He believed King Curtis, after the jazz style of Earls, Counts and Dukes, sounded better than plain Curtis Ousley.
Royalty	Charles “Buddy” Bolden a.k.a. “King”	King	Cornet	Bolden acquired the nickname “Kid,” which designated an up-and-comer. When “King “replaced “Kid” it meant that he had reached the peak of his profession
Royalty	Columbus Calvin “Duke” Pearson Jr.	Duke	Piano	Tagged with the nickname “Duke” by his Ellington-loving uncle
Royalty	Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington	Duke	Piano, Bandleader	Named by a childhood friend Edgar McEntree who noted his aristocratic manners and dapper dress.
Royalty	Farrell Lee “Pharoah” Sanders	Pharoah	Tenor Sax	Pharoah is not a variation from Farell. Sun Ra encouraged him to use the name “Pharoah”.
Royalty	Irving Sidney “Duke” Jordan	Duke	Piano	I couldn’t find any documentation about where his nick name came from, but I didn’t want to leave him off the list.
Royalty	Joseph Nathan “King” Oliver	King	Coronet	Kid Ory, who claimed to have given him the name due to his ability on the cornet is what led to his nickname the “King”.
Royalty	Nat “King” Cole	King	Piano, Vocal	Named after the nursery rhyme in which “Old King Cole was a merry old soul”.
Royalty	Ramón “Mongo” Santamaría Rodríguez	Mongo	Percussion	Mongo is the Senegalese word for a tribal chief. It was given to him by his father.
Royalty	Secondo “Conte” Candoli	Conte/Count	Trumpet	Conte is drived from the Italian word for Count
Royalty	Sir Roland Hanna	Sir	Piano	It’s not a nickname. he was knighted in 1970 by the late president of Liberia, William Tubman.
Royalty	William James “Count” Basie	Count	Piano	He made up his name to be in the company of King Oliver, Duke Ellington, Earl Hines and Baron Lee.
Size	Alfred James “Pee Wee” Ellis	Pee Wee	Sax	Known as Pee Wee due to his diminutive stature
Size	Charles Ellsworth “Pee Wee” Russell	Pee Wee	Clarinet	So named because of his slight build
Size	Charlie “Little Gate” Teagarden	Little Gate, Little T	Trumpet	Since Jack was “Big Gate,” it was natural that Charlie should be called “Little Gate.” Same logic applied to the other nickname “Little T”
Size	George “Pee Wee” Erwin	Pee Wee	Trumpet	He acquired the nickname “Pee Wee” when, before the age of 10, he began to play in bands led by his father, who was also a trumpet player.
SIze	Harold “Shorty” Baker	Shorty	Trumpet	He got his nickname because of his height according to Clark Terry (who also called him “Shorty Boo”
Size	Jimmy “Little Bird” Heath	Litte Bird	Sax	Given the nickname “Little Bird” due to his stylistic similarities to Charlie “Bird” Parker, and the fact he was much shorter in height.
Size	Johnny Coles	Little Johnny C	Trumpet	Nicknamed Little due to the fact that he was but 5’3” tall
Size	Johnny Griffin	Little Giant	Tenor Sax	Nicknamed “the Little Giant” because he was five feet five and a forceful player,
Size	Lloyd “Tiny” Grimes	Tiny	Guitar	Tiny was a nickname he acquired as a child growing up
SIze	Milton “Shorty” Rogers	Shorty	Trumpet	He got his nickname because of his height. He liked Shorty, as it was considered much hipper than Milton
SIze	Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews	Trombone Shorty	Trombone	He got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was tall. He was leading his own band by age six,
Youth	Armando Anthony “Chick” Corea	Chick	Piano	An aunt who would always pinch his cheeks and call him “cheeky.” That eventually transformed into “Chick”
Youth	Conrad Yeatis “Sonny” Clark	Sonny	Piano	Youngest of eight siblings, saddled with the nickname ‘Sonny’ because he stopped growing when he reached five foot five inches.
Youth	Cornelius “Sonny” Fortune	Sonny	Sax, flute, clarinet	Sonny is a common nickname, but the surname of Fortune has a legacy and was first found in the Italian Tuscany town of Volterra where Gianfranco Fortunio
Youth	Edward “Kid” Ory	Kid	Trombone	Buddy Bolden proposed him to play in his band but Ory’s parents refused, as he was quite young. His age was also the reason for his nickname, “Kid”
Youth	Edward Hammond Boatner, Jr (“Sonny” Stitt)	Sonny	Sax	Self Applied. He adopted his stepfather’s last name, and started using “Sonny” as a nickname.
Youth	Herman “Junior” Cook	Junior	Tenor Sax	Named after his father, he was an actual Junior.
Youth	Herman “Sonny” Blount	Sun Ra	Keyboardist, Composer	Self Created in 1952 to Le’Sony’r Ra. claim that he was abducted by a UFO-a beam of light that took him to Saturn
Youth	James Wesley “Bubber” Miley	Bubber	Trumpet/Cornet	Given his nickname as a child due to his chubby cheeks, as “bubber” was southern slang for “brother” or a young boy.
Youth	Julian Clifford “Junior” Mance, Jr.	Junior	Piano	He says “My dad was named Julian and so was I. To differentiate, my family called me Junior. When I started working professionally at age 10, everyone used Junior as my nickname.”
Youth	McKinley “Kenny” Dorham	Kenny	Trumpet	He was originally nicknamed “Kinny” but this usually got misheard as Kenny
Youth	Sylvester “Sonny Red” Kyner Jr.	Sonny Red?	Alto Sax	“Sonny” being a common nickname for a boy growing up in the 1930s and 1940s, and “Red” referring to Sylvester’s natural red hair.
Youth	Theodore Walter “Sonny” Rollins	Sonny	Tenor Sax	they started to call me Sonny because I was the baby, the youngest.”
Youth	Warren “Baby” Dodds	Baby	Drums	Named because he was six years younger than his brother clarinetist Johnny Dodds.
Youth	Warren Harding “Sonny” Sharrock	Sonny	Guitar	Another one of the Sonny nicknames that usually signified a name that was applied in his youth or occassionally because he was the youngest person in a group.
Youth	William “Sonny” Criss	Sonny	Alto Sax	Another one of the Sonny nicknames that usually signified a name that was applied in his youth or occassionally because he was the youngest person in a group.
Youth	William Henry “Chick” Webb	Chick	Drums	Hunchbacked from tuberculosis of the spine, and stood less than five feet tall. Because of his small size, other children nicknamed him “Chick,”
	Earl Kenneth “Fatha” Hines	Fatha	Piano, Bandleader	From a young age, he was nicknamed “Fatha,” because contemporaries considered him the “father” of jazz piano.
	“Blue” Lou Marini	Blue	Saxophonist	Self named for the Blues Brothers band. He chose Blue Lou because it’s the title of an old jazz tune that his Dad had a recording of,
	Adolphus Anthony “Doc” Cheatham	Doc	Trumpet	He played in a small band based at Nashville’s historically black Meharry Medical College, acquiring the nickname “Doc” as a result.
	Albert “Tootie” Heath	Tootie	Drums	He got his nickname from his grandfather, who said “toot toot” when he first saw Tootie
	Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill	Chico	Arranger, Trumpet	Benny Goodman had trouble pronouncing his name, and began referring to him as “Chico” instead
	Bernard “Pretty” Purdie	Pretty	Drums	His nickname was given to him by Buddy Rich
	Billy Hart	Jabali	Drums	In Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band each member was given a Swahili name; Billy’s was Jabali, meaning “rock.”
	Bo Gustav “Bobo” Stenson	Bobo	Piano	Derived from his first name
	Booker Little Jr.		Trumpet	Booker is a boy’s name of English origin. Like many British names, this contemporary appellation comes from an occupation-turned-personal name.
	Charles “Specs” Wright	Specs	Drums	Nicknamed because he wore galsses
	Charles Melvin “Cootie” Williams	Cootie	Trumpet	He acquired his nickname as a boy when his father took him to a band concert. When it was over his father asked him what he’d heard and he replied, “Cootie, cootie, cootie.”
	Charlie Parker (Charles Parker Jr. )	Bird, Yardbird	Alto Sax	Although there are several legends concerning the origin of Parker’s nickname, most of them relate to his voracious appetite for chicken, “yardbird” in slang
	Chesney H. “Chet” Baker,	Chet	Trumpet	Usually a modification from the Name Chester, but applies to Chesney as well.
	Coleman Randolph “Hawk” Hawkins	Hawk, Bean	Tenor Sax	GIven for the mastery of his instrument and the intelligence he exhibited in understanding and applying theories of harmony – Bean being a slang word “head”
	David “Fathead” Newman	Fathead	Saxes, flute	An outraged music instructor used it as an epithet after catching him playing a Sousa march from memory rather than from reading the sheet music, which rested upside down on the stand.
	Earl Lavon “Chico” Freeman Jr.	Chico	Tenor Sax	Nicknamed by his dad, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman
	Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson	Cleanhead	Alto Sax	Vinson tried to straighten his hair but ended up burning it off. The hair did grow back, but he opted to keep his bald head for life.
	Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis	Lockjaw	Tenor Sax	Some say he got the name because he clinched the mouthpiece of his sax, and some say it was from the name of a tune he recorded early in his career where each track named after a disease.
	Edward Brian “Tubby” Hayes	Tubby	Tenor Sax	Despite his nickname, he wasn’t fat, just stocky. He Was somehwat short which also earned him the nickname of the little Giant
	Eli “Lucky” Thompson	Lucky	Tenor Sax	He got his nickname because of a dirty, old sweat shirt he always wore that bore the word “Lucky.”
	Ernest Anthony “Tito” Puente Jr.	Tito	Timbales, Vibbes	His family called him Ernestito, Spanish for Little Ernest, and this became shortened to “Tito”.
	Eugene “Brother Jack” McDuff	Brother Jack McDuff	Organ	The switch to the organ led to the nickname “Brother Jack”, thanks to the gospel and church association of the instrument,
	Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe	Jelly Roll Morton	Piano	Jellyroll was slang for vagina
	Francis Joseph “Muggsy” Spanier	Mugsy	Cornet	Self Named. The nickname came about because of his admiration for New York Giants team manager, John ‘Muggsy’ McGraw.
	Gene (Eugene) “Jug” Ammons	Jug, Jughead, The Boss	Tenor Sax	He is said to have received that nickname because he could drink all the other musicians under the table.
	Gregory “Joey” DeFrancesco	Joey	Organ	Given the nickname “Joey” from his family when he was a child. He has been known by this nickname throughout his professional career.
	Harry “Sweets” Edison	Sweets	Trumpet	He given the nickname by Lester Young who was notorious for bestowing nicknames.
	Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd	Professor Longhair	Piano	Professor” or “Fess” was generally given to teachers / mentors. “Longhair” is what jazz musicians used to call classical music
	Hezekiah Leroy Gordon “Stuff” Smith	Stuff	Violin	He earned the nickname “Stuff” because he was bad with names and addressed people as “Hey, Stuff!”
	James “Blood” Ulmer	Blood	Guitar	Originally nicknamed “Youngblood,” he was soon just called “Blood.”
	James Columbus “Jay” McShann	Hootie	Piano	He steered clear of the booze. Ssomeone slipped him a loaded drink at a hootenanny and he couldn’t play that night. His friends to call him “Hootie” for short.
	James Louis “J. J.” Johnson	J.J.	Trombone	He used to sign his compositions with only his first and last initials which stuck as a nickname, but was officially changed in 1970
	Jean “Toots” Thielmans	Toots	Harmonica, Guitar	Self Named. Inspired by Toots Mondello, who was with Benny Goodman, and arranger Toots Camarata
	Jeff “Tain” Watts	Tain	Drums	He and pianist Kenny Kirkland were on tour and passed a gas station called Chieftain Gas. Kirkland said, ‘Chief Tain, you’re going to be Jeff Tain,’ It stuck
	Jesús “Chucho” Valdes Rodríguez	Chucho	Piano	People named Jesus are called Chuy or Chucho depending on the region.
	Jimmy “Spanky” DeBrest	Spanky	Bass	Most likely it was a name that came from the string slap that was part of his signature sound.
	John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie	Dizzy	Trumpet	named for his erratic onstage antics
	John Haley “Zoot” Sims	Zoot	Sax	He
	John Paul “Bucky” Pizzarelli	Bucky	Guitar	At the age of 16, Bucky’s father ( a cowboy at heart) nicknamed his son “Buckskin” whish was eventually shortened to Bucky . From 1956 to 1957, Pizzarelli used the stage name “Johnny Buck”
	John Robert “Johnny Hammond” Smith	Hammond	Organ	Named after the the Hammond organ he helped to popularize. He dropped the Smith because he got tired of being confused with Jimmy Smith.
	Johnny “Rabbit” Hodges	Jeep & Rabbit	Alto Sax	Harry Carney called him “Rabbit” because of the way he would nibble on lettuce and tomato sandwiches
	Julian Edwin Adderley	Buckshot LaFonque	Alto Sax	Self Named for contractual reasons to be able to play on the album Here Comes Louis Smith
	Julian Edwin “Cannonball” Adderley	Cannonball	Alto Sax	Elementary school classmates called him “cannonball” (i.e., “cannibal”) after his voracious appetite
	Kenny “Klook” Clarke	Klook	Drums	He had developed a snare rimshot followed by a bomb, and the sound it produced was phoneticized as klook-mop — and the shortened “Klook” stuck as a nickname
	Lee Brown “Babs Gonzales“	Babs	Vocals	There was a basketball star in America named Big Babbiad. My brothers are basketball players so they were called Big Babs, Middle Babs, and I’m Little Babs.
	Leon Brown “Chu” Berry	Chu	Tenor Sax	He got the name because he resembled a character from a musical called “Chu Chin Chow.”
	Leroy Eliot “Slam” Stewart	Slam	Bass	He was part of a duo with Slim Gaillard. Gaillard and Martin Block (disc jockey and their manager) suggested the name “Slam” since ‘Slim and Slam had more of a ring to it than ‘Slim & Leroy’.
	Lester “Prez” Young	Prez	Tenor Sax	Given the name by Billie Holiday sayingthat he was, indeed, the “president” of saxophone players.
	Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong	Satchmo, Pops	Trumpet	shortened from “Satchelmouth,”
	Meade “Lux” Lewis	Lux	Piano	As a child, Meade “Lux” Lewis was called “The Duke of Luxembourg” from the comic strip “Alphonse and Gaston.”
	Mel Tormé	Velvet Fog	Vocals	A local disc jockey Fred Robbins gave him the nickname based on his smooth, soft voice.
	Michael “Dodo” Marmarosa	Dodo	Piano	He received the uncomplimentary nickname “Dodo” as a child because of his large head, short body, and bird-like nose.
	Milt “Bags” Jackson	Bags	Vibes	“Bags” was a nickname given to him by a bass player in Detroit. “Bags” referred to the bags under his eyes, incurred by a drinking binge after his release from the Army
	Milt “Judge” Hinton	Judge	Bass	Hinton’s studio punctuality spawned his nickname, “The Judge.” The producer would arrive and say, `Well, we can start the session now, “The Judge” is here. ‘”
	Milton Mesirow “Mezz Mezzrow“	Mezz	Clarinet, Sax	The surname “Mezzrow” was a “pen name” of his father’s, derived from the sound of the last name Mesirow. He Self applied the shortened version of Mezz drived bform the pen name.
	“Muhal” Richard Abrams	Muhal	Piano, clarinet, cello	Apparently His nickname is self applied. He took the name Muhal in 1967. When interviewed by a French magazine Jazz in 1973, he said that the word and its origin was unclear, but means ‘number one’.”[
	Nesbert “Stix” Hooper	Stix	Drums	So named because he was a drummer.
	Oran Thadeus “Hot Lips” Page	Hot Lips	Trumpet	He acquired his nickname due to his remarkable skills as a trumpet player and his passionate, scorching style of playing.
	Park Frederick “Pepper” Adams III	Pepper	Baritone Sax	He acquired his nickname from his 7th grade classmates because of a resemblance to St. Louis Cardinals star Pepper Martin
	Richard Allen “Blue” Mitchell	Blue	Trumpet	Given his nickname in high school by one of his brothers,
	Richard Arnold “Groove” Holmes	Groove	Organ	Nicknamed “Groove” because of his ability to create an infectious and captivating groove with both his hands and feet
	Roland Bernard “Bunny” Berigan	Bunny	Trumpet	The family nickname was said to have originated when a visiting aunt, seeing the baby Bernard, for the first time, insisted he was “as cute as a bunny!”
	Theodore “Fats” Navarro	Fats, Fat Girl	Trumpet	“Fats” was shortened from “Fat Girl” so name because he was somewhat overweight and effeminate.
	Theodore Walter “Newk” Rollins	Newk	Tenor Sax	So called because of his resemblance to Brooklyn Dodgers’ pitcher Don Newcombe
	Thomas “Fats” Waller	Fats	Piano, organ	He was a rather rotund fellow, so the name derives from his physique.
	Weldon John “Jack” “Big Gate” Teagarden	Big Gate	Trombone	At one point in the history of Jazz, “gate” was synonymous with a Jazz musician. Thus, “Big Gate” was a good nickname for the trombonist.
	Wilbur “Buck” Clayton	Buck	Trumpet	Named for inventor and aviator Wilbur Wright. At the time Native American boys were known as bucks. He was pretty wild kid, so his mom named him Buck because of being part Cherokee Indian on my Dad’s side. family.”
	William “Bunk” Johnson		Trumpet	Bunk” is believed to be short for “bunkum,” an old slang term meaning nonsense, possibly referring to his tendency to tell tall tales.
	William Edward “Wild Bill” Davison	Wild Bill	Cornet	He garnered his nickname ‘Wild’ from his appetite for women & alcohol. He also enjoyed a reputation for playful antics and kleptomania as well.
	William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholf Smith	Willie The Lion Smith	Piano	During World War I, he spent over a month on the front lines, where he earned his name “The Lion” for his bravery
	William Howard “Monk” Montgomery	Monk	Bass	Wes’ older brother, but I couldn’t find any documentation of the origins of his nickname.
	William Randolph “Cozy” Cole	Cozy	Drums	Instead of calling him William, the other kids in school started calling him “Colesy,” and with casual use, it eventually sounded like “Cozy”
	William Strethen “Wild Bill” Davis	Wild Bill	Piano, Organ	Paradoxically, he was a quiet and gentle person who completely belied his nickname which was created by Leonard Feather in the mid 50’s
	William (Billy) Thomas “Sweet Pea” Strayhorn	Swee’ Pea	Piano	Billy got this nickname from the famous “Popeye” cartoon strip. Otto Hardwicke nicknamed him.

Here is a second list of lesser known artists or well known artists with lesser known nicknames.

A
Abbey: Abbey Lincoln
Angry Man of Jazz (The): Charles Mingus
B
Baby: Rubén López Furst
Baby Sweets: Walter Perkins
Barney: Barney Bigard
Barney: Barney Wilen
Baron: Charles Mingus
Bear (The): Bob Hunt
Beaver: Beaver Harris
Betty Bebop: Betty Carter
Big Chief: Big Chief Russell Moore
Big-Eye: Louis Nelson Delisle
Big Jim: Jim Robinson
Big Mama: Big Mama Thornton
Big Nick: “Big Nick” Nicholas
Big Sid: Sid Catlett
Bing: Bing Crosby
Boogaloo Joe: Ivan Jones
Boots: Boots Mussulli
Bootsie: Bootsie Barnes
Booty: Booty Wood
Bones: Tom Malone
Bops Junior: Oliver Jackson
The Boss of the Blues: Ruben Aelbrecht
Brick: Jacob Fleagle
Brute (The): Ben Webster
Bubba: Bubba Brooks
Bucky: Bucky Calabrese
Bud: Bud Brisbois
Budd: Budd Johnson
Buddie: Buddie Petit
Buddy: Bernard Anderson aka “Step-Buddy”
Buddy: Buddy Clark
Buddy: Buddy Featherstonhaugh
Buddy: Buddy Morrow
Buddy: Buddy Tate
Bumps: Robert Blackwell
Bunk: Bunk Johnson
Bunky: Bunky Green
Buster: Buster Bailey
Buster: Buster Cooper
Buster: Buster Smith aka Professor
Buster: Buster Williams
Buster: Buster Wilson
Butter: Quentin Jackson
Butch: Butch Ballard
Buzzy: Buzzy Drootin
C
Cab: Cab Kaye
Cake: Al Wichard
Candy: Otis Finch
Candy: Floyd Johnson
Captain: John Handy
Casallita: Eduardo Casalla
Cat: William Alonzo Anderson
Cat (The): Jimmy Smith
Chairman of the Board: Frank Sinatra
Chink: Chink Martin
Chubby: Chubby Jackson
Crap: Chummy MacGregor
Cie: Cie Frazier
Count (The): Steve Marcus
Cutty: Cutty Cutshall
D
Deacon: Arnold Loyacano
Dee: Dee Barton
Dee Dee: Dee Dee Bridgewater
Deedles: Diane Schuur
Dewey: Dewey Redman
Dink: Dink Johnson
Dippermouth: Louis Armstrong
Divine One (The), Sassy: Sarah Vaughan
Dizzy: Dizzy Reece
Doc: Doc Cook
Doc: Doc Goldberg
Doc: Doc Souchon
Doc: Doc West
Doctor Miller: Glenn Miller
Dolo: Dolo Coker
Duck: Donald Bailey
Dud: Dud Bascomb
Duke: Duke Groner
Duke: George Duke
E
Eubie: Eubie Blake
F
Fats: Jimmy Ponder
Fats: Fats Sadi
Fats: Roberto Fernández
Fess: Fess Williams
Fiddler: Claude “Fiddler” Williams
First Lady (The): Ella Fitzgerald (aka the First Lady of Song)
Flip: Flip Phillips
Foots: Walter ‘Foots’ Thomas
Fox (The): Maynard Ferguson
Frog: Ben Webster
G
Gato: Leandro Barbieri
God: Art Tatum
Great Dane (The): Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Groaner (The): Bing Crosby
Guvnor (The): Ken Colyer
H
Half-Pint: Frankie Jaxon
Mad Lionel: Lionel Hampton
Hank: Hank Crawford
Hi De Ho: Cab Calloway
High Priest of Bop: Thelonious Monk
High Priestess of Soul: Nina Simone
Hod: Hod O’Brien
Honeybear: Gene Sedric
Hootie; Jay McShann
Hoss: Walter Page
I
Ironman: John Harris
Ivory: Herman Chittison
Ivory: Harold Ivory Williams
J
Jabbo: Jabbo Smith
Jackie: Jackie McLean
Jaki: Jaki Byard
Jay: Jay Clayton
Jiggs: Jiggs Whigham
Jiunie: Jiunie Booth
Jiver: Jiver Hutchinson
Joe Blade: Nick LaRocca
Junior: Roberto Césari Jr.
K
Kaiser: Kaiser Marshall
Kansas: Carl Fields
Keter: Keter Betts
Kid: Kid Rena
Kid Sheik: Kid Sheik
Kidd: Kidd Jordan
King: King Fleming
King: Freddie Keppard
King Kolax: King Kolax
King of the Clarinet: Artie Shaw
King Of Cool: Dean Martin
King of Jazz: Paul Whiteman
King of the Jazz Guitar: Django Reinhardt
King of the Jukebox: Louis Jordan
King of Swing: Benny Goodman
King: King Pleasure
King: King Watzke
Knife (The): Pepper Adams
L
Little Bird: Albert Ayler
Little Bird: Jimmy Heath
Little Brother: Little Brother Montgomery
Little Jazz: Roy Eldridge
Long Tall Dexter: Dexter Gordon
Lovie: Lovie Austin
Lucky: Lucky Millinder
M
Ma: Ma Rainey
Mad Lionel: Lionel Hampton
Maggie: Howard McGhee
Maharaja: Oscar Peterson
Major: Glenn Miller
Mash: Art Blakey
Mex: Paul Gonsalves
Mickey: Dale McMickle
Midge: Midge Williams
Miff: Miff Mole
Mighty Flea (The): Gene Conners
Minor: Minor Hall
Monk: Monk Hazel
Monk: Monk McFay
Mono: Enrique Villegas
Montudie: Ed Garland
Moonface, Wurmpth: Claude Thornhill
Mouse: Irving Randolph
Mousie or Mousey: Elmer Alexander
Mr. Bongo: Jack Costanzo
Mr. Five by Five: Jimmy Rushing
Mr. T: Stanley Turrentine
Mr. Clock: Freddie Green
Muffin, The Lamb: Donald Lambert
Mule: Major Holley
Mutt: Thomas Carey
N
Nappy: Hilton Lamare
Negro: Jorge González
Nick: Nick LaRocca
O
Ol’ Blue Eyes: Frank Sinatra
Onzie: Onzie Horn
Osie: Osie Johnson
P
Panama: Panama Francis
Pancho: Kenny Hagood
Pampero or Pamperito: Jorge Navarro
Papa: Papa Celestin
Papa: Louis “Papa” Tio
Papa Jack: Papa Jack Laine
Papa Jo: Jonathan David Samuel Jones
Papa Mutt: Thomas Carey
Pat: Laurdine “Pat” Patrick
Patriarch of the Clarinet (The): Benny Goodman
Pazuza: Stafford “Pazuza” Simon
Peanuts: Peanuts Holland
Peanuts: Peanuts Hucko
Peck: Peck Kelley
Pee Wee: H. B. Barnum
Pee Wee: Alfred Ellis
Pee Wee: Harry Jackson
Pee Wee: Pee Wee Russell
Pee Wee: Leon Whittaker
Phantom: Joe Henderson
Pinky: Pinky Williams (Brother of Elmer “Skippy” Williams)
Poggy: Edward Owen Pogson
Polo: Polo Barnes
Pony: Norwood Poindexter
Pops: Louis Armstrong
Pops: George Murphy “Pops” Foster
Pops: Robert Popwell
Pops: Paul Whiteman
Porky: Al Porcino
Professor, The: Cab Calloway
Professor (The): Benny Goodman
Punch: Punch Miller
Q
Queen: Peggy Lee
Queen of the Jukeboxes: Dinah Washington
R
Ragbaby: Ragbaby Stephens
Rap: Leon Roppolo
Ray: Ray Bryant
Reb: Reb Spikes
Red: Red Allen
Red: Tom Brown
Red: Red Ingle
Red: Red McKenzie
Red: Red Prysock
Red: Red Richards
Red: Alvin Tyler
Rusty: Rusty Bryant
Rusty: Lyle Dedrick
S
Santy: Santy Runyon
Satchel mouth: Louis Armstrong
Scoops: Scoops Carey
Scrappy: Scrappy Lambert
Senator (The): Eugene Wright
Shadow: Rossiere Wilson
Shake: Shake Keane
Sharkey: Joseph Bonano
Shifty: Shifty Henry
Shorty: Harold Baker
Shorty: Shorty Sherock
Shorty Nadine: Nat King Cole
Sir: Sir Charles Thompson
Skeeter: Clifton Best
Skeets: Skeets Tolbert
Skip: Skip Martin
Skippy: Skippy Morton
Skippy: Elmer, or Elbert Williams (Brother of Pinky)
Skitch: Lyle Russel Henderson
Sleepy Hall: Chick Bullock
Slim: Bulee Gaillard
Slow Drag: Alcide Pavageau
Smack: Fletcher Henderson
Smith: Smith Ballew
Smitty: Marvin Smith
Snag/Snags: Clifford Jones
Snakehips: Ken Johnson
Snub: Snub Mosley
Sonny: Sonny Berman
Sonny: Sonny Blount
Sonny: Sonny Clay
Sonny: Sonny Cohn
Sonny: Sonny Criss
Sonny: Sonny Dallas
Sonny: Sonny Lester
Sonny: Sonny Payne
Sonny: Sonny Russo
Sonny: Sonny Simmons
Sound (The): Stan Getz
Spanky: Spanky Davis
Specs: Gordon Powell
Specs: Specs Wright
Spike: Spike Heatley
Spike: Spike Hughes
Spike: Spike Robinson
Spike: Spike Wells
Spoon: Jimmy Witherspoon ‎
Spud: Spud Murphy
Stan: Stan Hasselgård
Stork (The): Paul Desmond
Sunny: Sunny Murray
Swing’s Senior Statesman: Benny Goodman
Sy: Sy Oliver
T
Tab: Tab Smith
Teo: Teo Macero
Tex: Tex Beneke
Tex: Herschel Evans
Tiger: George Haynes
Tina: Tina Brooks
Tiny: Tiny Kahn
Tito: Tito Burns
Toby: Otto Hardwick
Toots: Toots Mondello
Tram: Frank Trumbauer
Tricky Sam: Joe Nanton
Truck: Truck Parham
Trummy: Trummy Young
Tubby: Tubby Hall
Turk: Turk Murphy
Tuts: Tuts Washington
Tutti: Tutti Camarata
V
Vice Prez: Paul Quinichette
Voice (The): Frank Sinatra
W
Whitey: Gordon Mitchell
Wig (The): Gerald Wiggins
Wild: Wild Bill Davis
Wingy: Joseph Manone
Wooden: Wooden Joe Nicholas
Y
Yank: Yank Lawson
Z
Ziggy: Ziggy Elman
Zurdo: Enrique Roizner
Zutty: Zutty Singleton