Cal Massey
b. 11 January 1928, Philadelphia, USA, d. 25 October 1972, New York City, New York, USA. Despite having played trumpet in the big bands of Jay McShann and Jimmy Heath, Massey's interests were firmly in the field of composition by the mid-50s. Between 1956 and 1958, he led a group of distinguished musicians, including McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, and Al Heath, playing solely his own compositions. His tunes have since been recorded by countless musicians from Philly Joe Jones to Archie Shepp. When he died, Massey had just completed a musical play about Billie Holiday.