This is the grave of Jean-Baptiste “Illinois” Jacquet. Born in 1922 in Louisiana, Jacquet and his parents moved to Houston when he was young. His father was a bandleader, though he didn
This is the grave of Stéphane Grappelli. Born in 1908 in Paris, his mother died young. But his father, who was an Italian writer, knew Isadora Duncan and when he was drafted into World War I by the I
This is the grave of Duke Ellington. Born in 1899 to a pair of pianists in Washington, Edward Kennedy Ellington followed his parents to the piano from a young age. Although he was more interested in b
This is the grave of Lionel Hampton. Born in 1908 in Louisville, he and his mother moved frequently in his youth–to Birmingham, then to Kenosha, and then to Chicago. He took an interest in music
Flashback Friday is back! On a Sunday! Freelance assignments overwhelmed me a bit this month, that’s why I’ve largely been absent from LGM. That’s the freelance life though, and hope
A 1948 number one hit written by a California naturmensch and performed by an African-American jazz singer spawns countless renditions. “Nature Boy” was written in 1947 by an early
This is the grave of Miles Davis. For my money, Miles Davis is the greatest jazz musician of all time. This is hardly a novel assertion. I say this not because of his skill as a trumpter or because of
This is the grave of Louis Armstrong. One of the greatest and most important musicians of all time, Armstrong was born in 1901 to a poor family in New Orleans. Like many poor kids, he grew up in a bro