Jaki Byard

Born John Arthur Byard on June 15 1922 In Worcester, Massachusetts, Jaki Byard was a jazz multi-instrumentalist – mainly a pianist – composer, and arranger. Alongside the piano, he was also proficient on tenor and alto saxophones. At the age of six, he started taking piano lessons. When the Great Depression brought an end to that, he began practicing on a trumpet given to him by his father. He taught himself to play piano by ear and began playing professionally at the age of 16. He was drafted into the army in 1941, where he continued to take piano lessons. He was influenced at this time by Ernie Washington, who was barracked with Byard. He also began playing trombone while in the service. While he was stationed in Florida, he became a mentor to the Adderley brothers, Julian "Cannonball" and Nat. He left the service in 1946 and continue studying music on his own. Becoming part of the Boston music scene, Byard spent the next 15 years playing live or recording with artists such as Ray Perry, Earl Bostic, Joe Gordon, Sam Rivers, Herb Pomeroy, Charlie Mariano, and Maynard Ferguson. He released his first album, Blues for Smoke, in 1960. His next three albums – Here’s Jaki (1961), Hi-Fly (1962), and Out Front! (1964) – featured Ron Carter on bass. He remained a busy musician throughout the rest of the ‘60s thanks to his eclectic playing style and his ability to play everything from ragtime to free jazz. He recorded as a sideman with artists such as Art Blakey, Don Ellis, Eric Dolphy, Quincy Jones, Roland Kirk, and Charles Mingus. His own solo albums included Freedom Together (1966), Sunshine of My Soul (1967), The Jaki Byard Experience (1968) and Solo Piano (1969). In 1969, Byard made his first foray into jazz education when he took a teaching job at the New England Conservatory of Music. He worked in tandem with other music institutions while also offering private lessons to students. His recording an performing career continued alongside his teaching work until his death on February 11, 1999, when he was found shot to death. The crime remains unsolved.

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