Henry Franklin (born Oct. 1, 1940) is an American jazz double-bassist from Los Angeles who released two albums on Black Jazz Records between 1972 and 1974, followed by a third on Catalyst in 1977. As a backing player, he apprenticed with Hugh Masekela and the Three Sounds during the late 1960s and played on albums […]
Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 — June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. He was a chief proponent of avant-garde free jazz, as heralded on his popular 1959 Atlantic release The Shape of Jazz to Come. On this and the 1960/61 albums Change of the Century and This Is Our […]
Cannonball Adderley (Sept. 15, 1928 — Aug. 8, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and producer. He was the older brother of cornetist/trumpeter Nat Adderley and the uncle of keyboardist Nat Adderley Jr. He was born Julian Edwin Adderley on September 15, 1928, in Tampla, Fla. Discography: Julian Cannonball Adderley (1955 • Julian […]
Thelonious Monk (Oct. 10, 1917 – Feb. 17. 1982) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was born Thelonious Sphere Monk on October 17, 1917, in Rocky Mount, NC. Discography: Thelonious (1953 • Thelonious Monk Trio) Thelonious Monk Quintet (1954 • Thelonious Monk Quintet) Thelonious Monk Quintet Blows for LP (1954 • Thelonious Monk […]
Art Blakey (Oct. 11, 1919 — Oct. 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader from Pittsburgh. For 35 years, he led the Jazz Messengers, a revolving door band with some of the leading names in post-bop. In assorted iterations, the Messengers recorded for Blue Note during the 1950s and assorted other labels (RCA, […]
Sonny Rollins (born Sept. 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Background He was born Theodore Walter Rollins on September 7, 1930, in New York City, the youngest of three children borne to migrants from the US Virgin Islands. He grew up in Harlem and Sugar Hill and first played saxophone at age seven. […]
Lee Morgan (July 10, 1938 — Feb. 19, 1972) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was born Edward Lee Morgan on July 10, 1938, in Philadelphia, the youngest of four children. As a child, he first took up vibraphone, then trumpet and alto saxophone. For his thirteenth birthday, his sister gave him a trumpet. His […]
Horace Silver (Sept. 2, 1928 — June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader. He was born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver on September 2, 1928, in Norwalk, Conn. Horace Silver Quintet discography: New Faces – New Sounds (1953 • Horace Silver Trio) Horace Silver Trio, Vol. 2 / Art Blakey With […]
Eric Dolphy (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist from Los Angeles. – Discography: Outward Bound (1960 • Eric Dolphy Quintet) At the Five Spot, Vol. 1 (1961) Newport Rebels (1961 • Charles Mingus / Max Roach / Eric Dolphy / Roy Eldridge / Jo Jones) Out […]
Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – Jan. 5, 1979) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, and bandleader from Nogales, Ariz. – Discography: Strings and Keys (1953 • Charles Mingus & Spaulding Givens) The Moods of Mingus (1954) Jazz Collaborations Vol. 1 (1955 • Charles Mingus & Thad Jones) Jazzical Moods, Vol. 1 (1955 • Charles […]
Roy Haynes (born March 13, 1925) is an American jazz drummer and bandleader from Roxbury, Mass. Discography: Busman’s Holiday (1954) We Three (1959 • Roy Haynes, Phineas Newborn, Paul Chambers) Just Us (1961 • The Roy Haynes Trio) Out of the Afternoon (1962 • Roy Haynes Quartet) Cracklin’ (1963 • Roy Haynes With Booker Ervin) […]
Yusef Lateef — aka William Emanuel Huddleston (Oct. 9, 1920 — Dec. 23, 2013) — was an American woodwindist and composer from Chattanooga, Tenn. Discography: Jazz Mood (1957) Jazz for the Thinker (1957 • Yusef Lateef and His Men) Prayer to the East (1958) Before Dawn: The Music of Yusef Lateef (1958) Jazz and the […]
Sonny Fortune (May 19, 1939 — Oct. 25 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist who rose to prominence via 1972/73 backing stints with Roy Ayers, Leon Spencer, and McCoy Tyner. In 1974, he played in the Miles Davis band, appearing on Get Up With It and three live albums. As a bandleader, Fortune debuted with […]
Roy Ayers (born Sept. 10, 1940) is an American vibraphonist, composer, and producer from Los Angeles. Ayers was born on September 10, 1940, in Los Angeles to a trombonist father and pianist mother. The family lived in the musically thriving South Park area, where young Roy received his first pair of mallets at age five […]
Rahsaan Roland Kirk — aka Ronald Theodore Kirk (Aug. 7, 1935 — Dec. 5, 1977) — was an American woodwind player from Columbus, Ohio. Discography: Triple Threat (1957 • Roland Kirk) Introducing Roland Kirk (1960 • Roland Kirk) Kirk’s Work (1961 • Roland Kirk With Jack McDuff) We Free Kings (1962 • Roland Kirk) Domino […]
Miles Davis (May 26, 1926 — Sept. 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter with a recording career that spanned nearly five decades. Davis was born Miles Dewey Davis III on May 26, 1926, in Alton, Ill. He was the middle child of Miles Dewey Davis Jr., an affluent dentist, and Cleota Mae Henry, a […]
Kenny Barron (born June 9, 1943) is an American jazz pianist from Philadelphia. Discography: You Had Better Listen (1968 • The Jimmy Owens – Kenny Barron Quintet) Sunset to Dawn (1973) Peruvian Blue (1974) Lucifer (1975) Innocence (1978) Europa Jazz (1981 • Sal Nistico, Kenny Barron, Anthony Jackson & Buddy Rich) At The Piano (1982) […]
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 — June 30, 2001) was an American tenor saxophonist from Lima, Ohio. Discography: Page One (1963) Our Thing (1964) In ‘n Out (1965) Inner Urge (1966) Mode for Joe (1966) The Kicker (1968 • Joe Henderson Sextet) Tetragon (1969) Power to the People (1970) In Pursuit of Blackness (1971) Black […]
Herbie Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz keyboardist who has been musically active since the late 1950s. Hancock was born in Chicago on April 12, 1940, the middle child of government meat inspector Wayman Edward Hancock and secretary Winnie Belle. Herbie was named after singer and actor Herb Jeffries. At age seven, […]
Freddie Hubbard (April 7, 1938 — Dec. 27, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter from Indianapolis. Freddie was born Frederick Dwayne Hubbard on April 7, 1938, in Indianapolis. He first performed mellophone and trumpet in his high school band and later attended the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music, where he studied under trumpeter Max Woodbury […]
