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John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz pianist, composer and arranger who also played tenor and alto saxophones, among several other instruments. He was known for his eclectic style, incorporating everything from ragtime and stride to free jazz. Byard played with Maynard Ferguson in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was a member of bands led by Charles Mingus for several years, including on several studio and concert recordings. The first of his recordings as a leader was in 1960, but, despite being praised by critics, his albums and performances did not gain him much wider attention. In his 60-year career, Byard recorded at least 35 albums as leader, and more than 50 as a sideman. Byard's influence on the music comes from his combining of musical styles during performance, and his parallel career in teaching. From 1969 Byard was heavily involved in jazz education: he began teaching at the New England Conservatory and went on to work at several other music institutions, as well as having private students. He continued performing and recording, mainly in solo and small group settings, but he also led two big bands – one made up of some of his students, and the other of professional musicians. His death, from a single gunshot while in his home, remains an unsolved mystery. ==Early life== Byard was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. At that time, his parents – John Sr and Geraldine Garr – were living at 47 Clayton Street.〔Williamson, Chet ("Young Jaki" ). Jazz History Database. Retrieved September 8, 2013.〕 Both of his parents played musical instruments; his mother played the piano, as did his uncles and grandmother, the last playing in cinemas during the silent film era. He began piano lessons at the age of six, but they ended when his family was affected by the Great Depression. He was also given a trumpet that belonged to his father, and attempted to copy the popular players of the time, Roy Eldridge and Walter Fuller. As a boy he often walked to Lake Quinsigamond to listen to bands performing there.〔Stokes, W. Royal (May 27, 1979) "This Music Is Unmistakably American: Jaki Byard's Big-Band Stand". ''Washington Post''. p. L1.〕 He heard Benny Goodman, Lucky Millinder, Fats Waller, and Chick Webb, and listened to other bands of the era on the radio.〔 "Those were the things that inspired me – I guess it stuck with me", he commented decades later.〔 Byard began playing professionally on piano at the age of 16, in bands led by Doc Kentross and Freddy Bates. His early lessons had involved mostly playing by rote, so his development of knowledge of theory and further piano technique occurred from the late 1930s until 1941, including studying harmony at Commerce High School.〔Bliss, Robert R. (October 19, 1979) ("Jaki Byard's Homecoming" ). Jazz History Database copy of ''The Evening Gazette''. Retrieved September 10, 2013.〕 In that year he was drafted into the army, where he continued with piano lessons and was influenced by pianist Ernie Washington, with whom he was barracked, although Byard also took up trombone at this time. He also studied Stravinsky and Chopin, and continued studying classical composers into the 1960s.〔Lyons, Len (1978) "Jaki Byard: His Style Is the History of Jazz Piano". ''Contemporary Keyboard'' 4. p. 12.〕 Part of his military service was in Florida, where he was a mentor to the young saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and his brother, Nat.〔Sheridan, Chris (2000) ("Dis Here: a Bio-discography of Julian 'Cannonball' Adderley" ). ''Greenwood''. p. xxvii.〕〔 After leaving the army in 1946,〔Jaffe, Andrew & Kernfeld, Barry ("Byard, Jaki" ). ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'' (2nd ed.). Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved September 12, 2013. (Subscription required.)〕 Byard's musical education continued, through discussions with others, and using library materials combined with music school syllabuses. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jaki Byard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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