American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer born May 26, 1926, in Alton, Illinois; died September 28, 1991. Among the most influential figures in 20th-century music; instrumental in multiple jazz revolutions including bebop, cool jazz, hard bop, modal jazz, and jazz fusion.
Released over 50 studio albums. Landmark releases: Birth of the Cool (1957, compiled from 1949-1950 sessions), Kind of Blue (1959, the best-selling jazz album of all time), Sketches of Spain (1960), In a Silent Way (1969), Bitches Brew (1970), and Tutu (1986). His bands launched the careers of John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Chick Corea, John McLaughlin, and many others. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
