Died On This Date (September 22, 2008) Connie Haines / Prolific Big Band Singer
themusicsover Connie Haines (Born Yvonne JaMais)
January 20, 1921 – September 22, 2008
Connie Haines was a prolific big band singer whose voice could be heard on over 200 recordings. She was just four years old when she began performing publicly, and by the time she reached her early teens, she was a regular on local radio programs. Throughout her career, Haines performed or recorded with Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Harry James and Frankie Laine. She died of myasthenia gravis, a neuromuscular disease, at the age of 87.
One of the most influential bassists of all time, Jaco Pastorius was arguably the greatest modern jazz bass player of all time. Regarded as a gifted athlete growing up, Pastorius began to focus on his second love, music following a football injury to his wrist at the age of 13. At the time he was playing to drums, but the injury was bad enough that he had to give up the sticks and find another instrument to excel at. It was then that he picked up the bass. As he developed, his interests began to lean toward jazz and R&B. He began playing with then-unknown Pat Metheny, with whom he made his first recordings. He got is break in 1975 when Bobby Colomby, then of Blood, Sweat & Tears helped him get a deal with CBS Records who released his self-titled solo debut in 1976. With a stellar cast that included David Sanborn, Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter, many consider Jaco Pastorius to be the best bass album ever recorded. Shortly thereafter, Pastorius was invited by 
Ben Webster was a prominent saxophonist who made his mark playing swing. He is considered one of the most important players of the idiom. He got his start in the Young Family Band alongside the great, 
Richard Sudhalter was a jazz trumpeter who actually earned his biggest acclaim as a jazz historian and biographer. As a musician, he has been compared to 
Jimmy Yancey was a boogie-woogie jazz pianist who rose to prominence during the 1940’s. He was an early influence on rock ‘n roll and was recognized as such in 1986 when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also holds the distinct honor of recording, along with his wife, Estelle “Mama” Yancey, the first album ever made by Atlantic Records. Jimmy Yancey died of a stroke on September 17, 1951.