May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins Passes Away at 95
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
Art Blakey (1919–1990)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Charlie Parker (1920–1955)
(Photo: William P. Gottlieb/Ira and Leonore S. Gershwin Fund Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress)
Dave Brubeck (1920–2012)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Clark Terry (1920–2015)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)
Drummer Shelly Manne’s work as a leader and sideperson exhibits his refusal to be pigeonholed.
(Photo: Dave Pell/DownBeat Archives)
Yusef Lateef (1920–2013)
(Photo: DownBeat Archives)The musical similarities among all the folks below might be in short supply, but each of these performers irrevocably changed jazz. Whether it was through Art Blakey’s (he was actually born in 1919, but that’s pretty close) tutelage and encouragement of the best jazz composers ever to record or Dave Brubeck’s chart success, the music is better—and dramatically different—than it would have been otherwise.
Below, DownBeat salutes six iconic artists who were born 100 years ago. DB
Art Blakey, the Mightiest Mentor
The Sound and Myth of Charlie Parker at 100
Dave Brubeck’s Legacy Enters a New Era
Clark Terry Fostered Generations of Performers
Shelly Manne Cultivated a Unique Brand from Behind the Kit
Yusef Lateef, The ‘Evolutionist’
Onstage, Rollins would move about restlessly, thrusting his tenor sax in the air as he blew.
May 26, 2026 11:08 AM
Sonny Rollins, the iconic saxophonist, composer and improviser whose career stretched from the origins of bebop to 21st…
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