Pat Metheny was born in Kansas City on August 12, 1954 into a musical family. Starting on trumpet at the age of 8,…

A cornerstone of the Blue Note label roster prior to his tragic demise, Lee Morgan was one of hard bop’s greatest trumpeters, and…

Pianist, composer, Guggenheim Fellow, and educator Geri Allen died on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 from complications of cancer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She had…

Fats Waller, byname of Thomas Wright Waller, (born May 21, 1904, New York City, New York, U.S.—died December 15, 1943, Kansas City, Missouri,…

Tough times. Billie Holiday knew about them and sang about them. She had a rough start—her mother, Sadie, was only 13 and her…

Marian McPartland has made jazz piano duets into something of an art form. Sure, it’s been done before, but not very often. There…

Maceo Parker – saxophone, composer, recording artist, bandleader His name is synonymous with Funk Music, his pedigree impeccable; his band: the tightest little…

Few female R&B stars enjoyed the kind of consistent acclaim Etta James received throughout a career that spanned six decades; the celebrated producer…

Woody Shaw, Jr. was born in Laurinburg, NC on Christmas Eve (December 24th), 1944. His father, Woody Shaw Sr., was a lead singer…

Positioned squarely in the mainstream, at home in the worlds of jazz and pop standards as well as the blues, comfortable with small…