Jaki Byard
Born John Arthur Byard on June 15 1922 In Worcester, Massachusetts, Jaki Byard
was a jazz multi-instrumentalist – mainly a pianist – composer, and arranger.
Alongside the piano, he was also proficient on tenor and alto saxophones. At the
age of six, he started taking piano lessons. When the Great Depression brought
an end to that, he began practicing on a trumpet given to him by his father. He
taught himself to play piano by ear and began playing professionally at the age
of 16. He was drafted into the army in 1941, where he continued to take piano
lessons. He was influenced at t...
