Jazz and boogie woogie pianist and bandleader Jay McShann was born in Muskogee,
Oklahoma on January 12, 1916. McShann’s illustrious career began in 1936 when he
moved to Kansas City, Missouri and started his own big band. At various points
during their career, the band featured Charlie Parker, Ben Webster, Al Hibbler,
Gene Ramey, and many other musicians that went on to achieve greater fame in the
jazz universe. The band’s earliest recordings were released under the name the
Jay McShann Orchestra and featured Charlie Parker, who was with the group from
1937 to 1942. McShann was d...