Jaki Byard
b. John Byard, 15 June 1922, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, Byard learned trumpet and piano as a child and later took up guitar, drums, trombone and tenor saxophone too. In 1949 he played piano in Earl Bostic's R&B band, and followed that with a spell as a solo pianist and then joined Herb Pomeroy's big band on tenor. After the Pomeroy stint he returned to playing piano, this time with the Maynard Ferguson band. Throughout the '60s Byard was deeply involved in what was often a very adventurous musical scene, working with Eric Dolphy, Don Ellis, Booker Ervin, Charles Mingus, Roland Kirk and others. In the '70s Byard worked mostly solo, but found time to experiment with his own big band, the Apollo Stompers, and to teach at Boston's New England Conservatory. Byard's wide-ranging musical interests make his work particularly interesting as he effectively incorporates ideas and styles from different periods of jazz and the classical repertoire: just one indication of his range is the series of piano duo albums he has made with players as diverse as Earl Hines, Ran Blake and Howard Riley.