Lyrics | Artists

Al Haig

Like many of his fellow jazz musicians, Al Haig learned to play the piano in middle school. When the war broke out, he was drafted into the military band from 1942 to 1944. After completing his limited military service, he played in Boston. In 1945, he was hired by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and appeared on historic recording sessions, such as “Salt Peanuts, ” “Hot House, ” and “Lover Man.” A regular on New York’s 52nd Street, this pianist—a pillar of bebop alongside Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk, Duke Jordan, Thelonious Monk, and John Lewis, disappeared from the jazz scene...