Today marks the one-hundredth birthday of pioneeering jazz drummer, composer, and activist Max Roach. Roach was a percussion virtuoso who was widely admired for his impeccable brush technique and mastery of dynamics. Along with drummer Kenny Clarke, Roach revolutionized jazz drumming, keeping time on the ride cymbal and playing irregular accents on the bass drum in order...Read More

Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of Eddie Costa, a pianist, vibraphonist, composer, and arranger who was the first artist to be recognized as a “new star” by DownBeat magazine on both instruments in the same year. Costa had an eight-year recording career, during which time he partook in more than one hundred sessions. He was featured as a...Read More

Jazz88 celebrates the birthday of pianist and composer Keith Jarrett, born on May 8, 1945, in Allentown, PA. Jarrett is in a class with Herbie Hancock and Chick Corea as one of the most influential keyboard artists of his generation. The scope of his work includes jazz, fusion, and classical music. He is also influential for his solo performances,...Read More