The history of the jazz piano starts in roughly 1899.

By my count, 20 pianists influenced the direction of jazz over the course of 75 years between 1900 and 1975.

Here are 20 sample tracks of those pianists in chronological order. Listen for how the piano evolves over time — the right hand, the left hand, the feel and the bounce. These tracks will give newer listeners a starting point to explore each artist.