“Image Ownership: Public Domain” Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute, and many other instruments. Kirk was born Ronald Theodore Kirk in Columbus, Ohio, on August 7, 1935. He grew up in a neighborhood in Columbus called Flytown. Kirk … Read MoreRahsaan Roland Kirk (1935–1977)
Earl Whaley Band, Shanghai, China, 1937/Weihsien Prisoner-of-War Camp During World War II Image Ownership: Public Domain/Image Courtesy of Palmer Johnson Desmond Power, a third generation British subject born in Tientsin (now Tianjin), China in 1923, was incarcerated along with 1,500 other foreign nationals in 1943 … Read MoreJazz in Occupied China: Black Jazzmen at the Japanese Prison Camp in Weihsien, China during World War II
Image Ownership: Public Domain Louis Daniel (Louie) Armstrong is perhaps the most important and influential person in the history of jazz music, swing music, and jazz vocal styling. His virtuosic ability with the trumpet, his distinctive gravelly low vocal style, his bright personality, and … Read MoreLouis Armstrong (1901-1971)
George Morrison dreamed of playing violin with a major orchestra. As things stood for black musicians in the early twentieth century, that dream would remain unrealized. Born in Fayette, Missouri, on September 9, 1891, Morrison came from a musical family and at an early age … Read MoreGeorge Morrison (1891-1974)