Earl Hines was a true godfather of the jazz piano. With a life spanning most of the 20th Century, he grew up with the onset of popular jazz, becoming a pioneering bandleader in the pre-bebop period of swing and dance bands. In this role he hired future luminaries such as Sarah Vaughan, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, who had the following to say: “If it hadn't been for Earl Hines blazing the path for the next generation to come, it's no telling where or how they would be playing now.”
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