Al Haig

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Allan Warren Haig (born July 22, 1924 in Newark (New Jersey) , † November 16, 1982 in New York City ) was an American jazz pianist and one of the pioneers of bebop .

Live and act

Haig played from 1944, first with Dizzy Gillespie ( Town Hall, New York City, June 22, 1945 ), Tiny Grimes and Charlie Parker ( Bird at St. Nick’s 1950) and then belonged to Gillespie's band until 1946 and then to Parker's band , 1947/48 he worked with Eddie Lockjaw Davis , Ben Webster and Jimmy Dorsey . He played with Charlie Parker in May 1949 at the Festival International 1949 de Jazz in Paris , before playing with Stan Getz between the summer of 1949 and 1951, where he contributed to his legendary recordings for the Roost record company . Miles Davis brought him to the nonet with which he made the first recordings for Birth of the Cool . Haig also often played outside of the jazz context. There were prolonged periods of musical inactivity in the 1950s and 1960s; In 1954/55, however, he worked with Chet Baker , in 1956 with Gillespie and in 1960 with Perry Lopez .

In 1968 his wife Bonnie died under mysterious circumstances, so that he was tried as a murder suspect. G. Rutan describes the process in his book Death of a Bebop Wife (Redwood, NY: Cadence Jazz Books, 2007).

Al Haig, who plays a subdued style inspired by Bud Powell , is considered one of the leading pianists of the bop period, who has contributed to epoch-making recordings such as the first recording of Hot House (1945, with Parker and Gillespie) or Miles Davis' recording of Godchild (1949).

Discography (selection)

  • Out Of Nowhere (with C. Parker, 1948)
  • Highlights in Modern Jazz: Al Haig , 1949
  • The Song Is You (with Stan Getz, 1950)
  • Opus Caprice (with S. Getz, 1950)
  • Al Haig Trio , 1954
  • Al Haig Quartet , 1954
  • Al Haig Today! , 1965
  • Invitation , 1974
  • Summertime (with S. Getz, 1976)
  • I Remember Bebop (with S. Getz, 1977)
  • Ornithology , 1977
  • Al Haig Plays the Music of Jerome Kern (1978)
  • Inner City (1980)
  • Bebop Live , 1982

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Haig, Al
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Haig, Allan Warren
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz musician (pianist and composer)
DATE OF BIRTH July 22, 1924
PLACE OF BIRTH Newark (New Jersey)
DATE OF DEATH November 16, 1982
Place of death New York City , USA