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Al Haig

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Al Haig was an American jazz pianist and one of the pioneers of bebop. He was born in 1922 in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Nutley. In 1940 he studied piano at Oberlin College. From 1945 he played with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. He recorded with Gillespie until 1946, played in groups led by Eddie Davis in 1946 and 1947, and worked for Parker from 1948 to 1950 and for Stan Getz from 1949 to 1951.

Music and breakthrough

The quintet of Gillespie with Haig recorded four sides in May 1945 for Guild Records, which are regarded as the first recordings with all the elements of the mature bebop style. Haig was also in the nonet at the first session of Birth of the Cool by Miles Davis. After that it went quiet around him. In the 1950s and 1960s he often played in bars and in music outside jazz, and critics said that his clear touch and quick, logical ideas no longer had a place in an increasingly percussive piano style.

Influence

In 1974 Tony Williams of Spotlite Records invited him on a tour of Europe. That led to Invitation, with Bibi Rovère and Kenny Clarke, and gave his career a new start. Until his death in 1982 he had a loyal audience in Europe and also recorded in Japan. His albums include Jazz Will-O-The-Wisp from 1957, Al in Paris from 1977 and Blue Manhattan from 1984. He shows what bebop sounds like on the piano.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a recording of Al Haig from his bebop years, and notice how the piano plays fast, clear lines alongside the horns.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists