Drummer, composer, and bandleader William Emanuel “Billy” Cobham was born May 16, 1944 in Panama. After time in the Army playing with a US Army Band, he joined Horace Silver and also played with Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott, and George Benson. It was with fusion that Cobham came to the fore, first with Miles Davis […]

Bassist and educator Ronald Levin Carter was born on May 4, 1937, in Ferndale, Michigan, Carter first played cello and began playing bass when his high school band’s bassist, Paul Chambers, left for New York. From 1963-68, he rose to prominence in Miles Davis’ “second great quintet” with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. […]

Legendary jazz and blues singer Ella Jane Fitzgerald was born April 25, 1917 in Newport News, Virginia. After a difficult childhood which included the death of her mother at 15 and being sent to an orphanage, she found her way to the stage at the Apollo Theater where she was quickly popular. Drummer and bandleader […]

Singer, composer, pianist, and actress Carmen Mercedes McRae was born April 8, 1920 in Harlem, New York. She began piano studies at 8 and her Costa Rican father and Jamaican mother filled their home with the sound of jazz records. As a teenager she met Billie Holiday, caught the ear of Teddy Wilson and found […]

Quiet Now Pianist and composer Denny Zeitlin was born on April 10, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois. Zeitlin made his recording debut while a student at the John Hopkins School of Medicine. He became one of the most acclaimed pianists to come to prominence in the 1960s. As his career progressed, he began integrating synths and […]

Drummer and percussionist Stephen Kendall “Steve” Gadd was born April 9, 1945 in Irondequoit, New York, a suburb of Rochester. Influenced by jazz percussionists such as Elvin Jones and Buddy Rich, his drum career began in the late ’60s. A session player in high demand he has performed with many different musicians in many different […]

A tribute to the brilliant trumpeter Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard was born April 7, 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Hubbard played trumpet in his high school band in Indianapolis and he worked locally with the Montgomery Brothers, making his recording debut in 1957. After moving to New York in 1958, Hubbard worked with Philly Joe Jones, Slide […]

Singer-songwriter and musician Elanora Fagan famously known as “Billie Holiday” was born April 7, 1915 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. According to author Alex Haley, like Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday was from Irish-Afro-American ancestry, a distinction the two singers share with President Obama. (Some day our history will catch up with our reality.) After a very difficult […]

Sandy’s Blues Tenor, alto, and soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Pat (Pascel Emmanuel) LaBarbera was born April 7, 1944 in Mt. Morris, New York. The reedman toured with the Buddy Rich band as a soloist from 1967 to 1973. In 1974, he moved to Toronto and in 1975 starting working with Elvin Jones. As an educator […]

Baritone-saxophonist, arranger, composer and leader Gerald Joseph “Gerry” Mulligan was born April 6, 1927 in Queens Village, Queens, New York. Mulligan grew up in several cities since his father’s work as an engineer necessitated many moves. At 14 he began studying clarinet and was soon doubling on various saxophones to play in Philadelphia area dance […]