HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THREE MAJOR PLAYERS:

Willie "The Lion" Smith
William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith (23 November 1893 – 18 April 1973), aka "The Lion", was an American jazz pianist and one of the masters of the stride style. Smith was born as in Goshen, New York. In his memoir he reports that his father, Frank Bertholoff, was Jewish, and his mother Ida Oliver, had "Spanish, Negro, and Mohawk Indian blood". "Frank Bertholoff was a light skinned playboy who loved his liquor, girls, and gambling." His mother threw Frank out of the house when "The Lion" was two years old. When his father died in 1901, his mother married John Smith, a master mechanic from Paterson, NJ. The surname Smith was added to that of the "The Lion" at age 3.

READ MORE AT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_%22The_Lion%22_Smith


Paul Desmond
Paul Desmond (November 25, 1924 - May 30, 1977), born Paul Emil Breitenfeld, was a jazz alto saxophonist and composer born in San Francisco, best known for the work he did in the Dave Brubeck Quartet and for penning that group's greatest hit, "Take Five". Known to have possessed an idiosyncratic wit, he was one of the most popular musicians to come out of the West Coast's "cool jazz" scene. He played a Selmer Super Balanced Action alto saxophone with an M. C. Gregory model 4A-18M mouthpiece — both circa 1951 — with Rico 3 ½ reeds.

In addition to his work with Brubeck he led several of his own groups and did significant collaborations with artists such as Gerry Mulligan, Jim Hall and Chet Baker. After years of chain smoking and general poor health, Desmond succumbed to lung cancer in 1977 following one last tour with Brubeck.

READ MORE AT:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Desmond


Nat Adderley
Nathaniel Adderley (November 25, 1931 in Tampa, Florida – January 2, 2000 in Lakeland, Florida) was an American jazz cornet and trumpet player who played in the hard bop and soul jazz genres. He was the brother of saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley

READ MORE AT:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannonball_Adderley