Al Haig

American jazz pianist and one of the pioneers of bebop
Born July 19, 1922 in Newark, New Jersey, died November 16, 1982 in New York City, New York (heart attack)

Haig began to perform with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker in 1945 [2], and recorded under Gillespie from 1945 to 1946, as a member of Eddie Davis And His Beboppers in 1946 (also featuring Fats Navarro), and The Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis Quintet in 1947, under Parker from 1948 to 1950, and under Stan Getz from 1949 to 1951. The Gillespie quintet, which included Haig, recorded four 78 r.p.m. sides for Guild Records (2) in May 1945 which are regarded as the first recordings to demonstrate all elements of the mature bebop style. He was part of the nonet on the first session of Miles Davis' "Birth of the Cool". Although Haig became known for his bebop style, he in fact spent much of his career playing in non-jazz contexts.

In 1969, Haig was acquitted of a murder charge. He had been accused of strangling his third wife, Bonnie, at their home in Clifton, New Jersey on October 9, 1968. He had said in evidence that his wife had been drunk, and had died in a fall down a flight of stairs. Grange Rutan, Haig's second wife, challenged Haig's account in her 2007 book, "Death of a Bebop Wife". Rutan's book is partly autobiographical, partly based on interviews with friends and family members. She outlines Bonnie's story describing a side to Haig that included a history of serial domestic abuse. Rutan writes that several family members sounded alarm bells regarding Haig's violent personality that went unheeded. She quotes bassist Harold Gaylor, who was conversing with Haig before a performance at the Edison Hotel lounge in the early seventies, when Haig admitted to him he had caused Bonnie's death.

In 1974, Haig was invited to tour Europe by Tony Williams, owner of Spotlite Records in the UK. At the end of a successful tour he recorded the 'Invitation' album for Spotlite, with Gilbert Rovère on bass and Kenny Clarke on drums. This helped his re-emergence and over the next eight years he built a following in Europe and toured several times, recording in the UK and France, and appearing elsewhere. He recorded for several Japanese labels.