The great jazz bass virtuoso Paul Chambers, forever immortalized by his old pal John Coltrane as "Mr PC", brought the instrument to a new level in his very short time on the planet. He was an early popularizer of the bowing technique and contributed greatly to harmonic advancement for the instrument. Born in Pittsburgh and raised in Detroit, Chambers played brass instruments before switching to bass at 14. He quickly started playing classical music while still in high school, as well as jazz with Barry Harris before moving to NYC in the mid-'50s. He held a regular gig with Miles...

A favorite of many on the instrument, the much-missed Peter Kowald was a major league improvising bassist. He was a member of Globe Unity Orchestra, Cooperative Trio, his "world music" project Global Village, London Jazz Composers Orchestra, Schlippenbach Trio and many others. A native of Germany, he started playing in 1960 and he and Peter Brotzmann hooked up for some racket shortly thereafter. They started touring in '66 with Carla Bley & Mike Mantler. He had a longtime association with Globe Unity, recording several records with them. He sometimes composed for and conducted that wild big band. Aside from his...

Happy 4/20 birthday shout-out to the iconic Tito Puente! Best known as a Simpsons charact...haha just kidding! Among the Nuyorican musical greats, there has never been a dull moment with El Rey's brand of fiery and entertaining Latin jazz. His first notable pro gig was with Machito during WW2, before serving his own tour. After receiving medals as a "war hero" he started a nonet, The Piccadilly Boys, in '47. He led one of the great orchestras of the classic mambo era, often featuring percussion battles with Tito and top players on the scene. In 1960, his band was just...

One of the heaviest drummers in jazz, William "Beaver" Harris came out of a baseball family in Pittsburgh (in fact, his father was a founder of the Negro Leagues Pittsburgh team and two of Harris' uncles were pro players as well). A teenaged Beaver played professionally at 3B for the Negro League's Kansas City Monarchs, New York Black Yankees and Indianapolis Clowns. After playing reed instruments as a child he started playing drums while in the military at 20. While stationed at Fort Knox, he played in a band with Albert Ayler and Stanley Turrentine. After discharge he was playing...

The great jazz vibraphonist & popular bandleader Lionel Hampton came out of Chicago and was a kit drummer before switching to a newly created instrument, the vibraphone, of which Hamp became the instrument's first star, his first gig on it being with Louie Armstrong in 1930. In the late '30s he played in the Benny Goodman Orchestra (one of the few racially integrated ensembles of the time) and Quartet (Hamp, BG, Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa) before starting his own orchestra in 1940. That band became one of the most popular bands of the '40s and '50s, playing jazz, R&B and...