Jay McShann

Jay McShann is one of the last great original stride pianists, one of the last Big Band Era leaders and one of the few musicians to work with such an amazing list of jazz icons. During our interview with him he told some of the most memorable McShann classic stories such as when he was the first big band to hire Charlie Parker and the true story behind Parker’s nickname Bird. What puts Jay in a class by himself is the warm way he tells his stories and the humble approach he has towards what is without question one of the great jazz success stories in history.