Contemporary Jazz Dog Names

Introduction

Jazz is often heralded for its musical complexities, its history, and its non-stop transformation over the years, including several reinventions since its inception in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and because of it, the genre has never ceased to amaze and delight fans of all types and even now, moves forward in its own right with contemporary jazz. While some of the names involved in the modern movement may not hold the same weight as that of Miles Davis or Thelonious Monk, it still holds considerable talent and better yet, titles that will soon be cementing themselves in the history books like their predecessors, leaving us a top-notch list of Neo-classic names perfect for pairing up with our pups.

Contemporary Jazz Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog with a Contemporary Jazz Name

Grover McBane

When Claire Garth decided to leave her old life behind and start a new one, she had no idea that the pivotal element of her change would come in the form of an unexpected canine companion. After years in the corporate world, Garth decided to take a few months off and volunteer, the move based on the idea that she could possibly work in an animal shelter where she could take in all the dog time she wanted without ever having to take one home. But that volunteer work turned out to be much more inspiring and rewarding than she had ever imagined and it lead to a permanent position.

Despite seeing the worst in people who failed to properly care for their animals, one of those people brought her to one of few lifetime loves: Grover McBane, a Border Collie. Even though he was significantly underweight, frail, scabby, malnourished and patchy from fleas and several other conditions, all products of the severe neglect he suffered for what appeared to be several years, Garth fell in love with the dog’s beautiful brown eyes the moment he was placed on the floor of the exam room, just before he collapsed.

Because pf his physical condition alone, Grover was too weak to stay in the shelter overnight, so Garth volunteered to bring him home for the first night. As soon as he wobbled into the house and curled up on the nearest sofa, Garth and her partner knew it was meant to be. And like so many other rescues who need little more than love and attention, Grover grew into a fun, playful, and affectionate family member who was never ashamed to show his gratitude. Everywhere they went, Garth continued to share their story and with it, came adoration and charity (sometimes in the form of leftover sausage when they were out to eat) from many of whom were complete strangers.

Due to his difficulty with abandonment issues, a lingering sign of his former life, Grover often went to work with Garth and helped other dogs adjust to their new surroundings by providing company and a calm presence.

Grover’s story and development inspired Garth so thoroughly, she decided to write a series of children’s/youth adult books about him and they quickly became international hits. Ever since, Garth and Grover have been putting their best paw forward to help raise awareness for rescue animals, helping to raise money for several different organizations.

Unfortunately, Grover was eventually diagnosed with a terminal illness that included a tumor on his spine. In honor of his lifetime of bringing love to those around him, he was honored with an event where all those he impacted were able to give him their final goodbyes. Before he was put down when his quality of life had diminished too far, he lived his final days in luxury and happiness, being allowed to eat cheese pizza, staying in a 5-star dog hotel, and even rolling around in 216 tennis balls.

Contemporary Jazz Dog Name Considerations

While many other themed names have the benefit of immediate recognition or a crossover between intended meaning, contemporary jazz names tend to be a bit more obscure and idiosyncratic, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get away with being clever.

For instance, a dog short in stature would be well-suited with the name Shorter, the same as a sweet dog named Candy would, while both could still be tied into their respective jazz artists. A dog that likes to crawl around (such as Sprout the Brussels), would be the perfect candidate for Krall, a play on both Diana Krall and the dog’s quirky habits. A dog whose bark sounds like a trumpet (or has frequent gas issues) would be a prime candidate for the name Toots, the same as a skinny dog who loves to chew would be perfect for the name Boney, after Boney James.

Of course, you can always take the easy road and just name them after your favorite artist, but if you’re seeking a bit more depth, don’t hesitate to do some research on a few different artists to see if there are any appropriate commonalities you can use to base your decisions on, especially if they’re just as notable or quirky as your dog.

Male Contemporary Jazz Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Porter After Gregory Porter, Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and actor
0	Lloyd After Charles Lloyd, contemporary musician best know for his sax work
0	Garrett After Kenny Garrett, grammy-winning jazz saxophonist who played with several greats
0	Phronesis A very well-respected jazz trio from London
0	Haden After Charlie Haden, a decades-spanning player, composer, and teacher
0	Surman After John Surman, English jazz saxophonist and composer
0	Tobin After Christine Tobin, Irish vocalist and composer
0	Benson After George Benson, prolific jazz guitarist
0	Scofield After John Scofield, aka "Sco", genre-blending guitarist
0	Carlton After Larry Carlton, a well-respected studio guitarist
0	Carter After James Carter, whose sax playing ranges from traditional to avant garde
0	Benoit After David Benoit, smooth jazz artist
0	Watson After Bobby Watson, accomplished jazz sax player
0	Belden After Bob Belden, well-respected jazz arranger
0	Grover After Grover Washington Jr., famed multi-instrumentalist
0	Boney After Boney James, smooth jazz saxophonist
0	Guaraldi After Vince Guaraldi, pianist best known for his work on the Peanuts television specials
0	Burton After Gary Burton, prominent vibrophonist
0	Montgomery After Wes Montgomery, one of jazz's most influential guitarists
0	Coltrane A legendary jazz name for decades thanks to John, Alice, and now Ravi
0	Braun After Rick Braun, smooth jazz trumpeter
0	Spalding After Esperanza Spalding, grammy award-winning jazz artist
0	Glasper After Robert Glasper, producer and jazz pianist
0	Halvorson After Mary Halvorson, a ridiculously talented jazz guitarist
0	Diehl After Aaron Diehl, an accomplished young jazz pianist
0	Tivon After Tivon Pennicott, a decorated saxophonist
0	Jamison After Jamison Ross, an award-winning jazz drummer
0	Tisdale After Wayman Tisdale, basketball player turned jazz musician
0	Herbie After Herbie Hancock, who has transcended both genre and time
0	Wynton After Wynton Marsalis, trumpeter, teacher, composer, director

Female Contemporary Jazz Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Pine After Courtney Pine, prominent multi-instrumentalist British jazz musician
0	Ambrose After Ambrose Akinmusire, a highly accomplished jazz trumpeter
0	Charlie After Charlie Haden, an accomplished double bass player
0	Marius After Marius Neset, a Norwegian sax player
0	Elling After Kurt Elling, American jazz vocalist
0	Krall After Diana Krall, contemporary jazz singer and pianist
0	Jarreau After Al Jarreau, seven-time Grammy winner
0	Cassie After Cassandra Wilson, Grammy-winning singer
0	Manhattan Famous New York City jazz group
0	Toots After Toots Thielemans, a prolific whistler and harmonica player
0	Metheny After Pat Metheny, masterful jazz guitarist
0	Ponty After Jean-Luc Ponty, jazz violinist
0	Barber After Patricia Barber, jazz singer
0	Keiko After Keiko Matsui, jazz fusion keyboardist
0	Malone After Russell Malone, jazz guitarist
0	Gato After Gato Barbieri, saxophonist with South American influence
0	Chick After Chick Corea, fusion pianist
0	Corea After Chick Corea, pianist, keyboardist, well-known composer
0	Ravi After Ravi Coltrane, son of John and Alice Coltrane and a prolific talent in his own right
0	Norah After Norah Jones, jazz influenced pop artist, singer, songwriter
0	Doky After the Doky Brothers, prominent jazz duo
0	Candy After Candy Dulfer, Dutch saxophonist and singer
0	DiMeola After Al Di Meola, one of the most prolific fusion guitarists of all time
0	Esperanza After Esperanza Spalding, singer, bassist, cellist
0	Cecile After Cécile McLorin Salvant, jazz pianist and singer
0	Melody After Melody Gardot, singer and pianist
0	Gardot After Melody Gardot, Grammy-nominated contemporary jazz artist
0	Parker After Leon Parker, a fantastic jazz drummer
0	Botti After Chris Botti, session trumpeter
0	Shorter After Wayne Shorter, bandleader and composer for several significant groups