Chet Baker was the poster boy of West Coast cool — angelic face, fragile tone, and a life in slow collapse. With a trumpet that whispered more than it roared and a voice that barely touched the air, he made vulnerability sound seductive. In this episode, we trace the haunting beauty and haunting tragedy of Baker’s life: the early fame, the fall into addiction, and the art that somehow endured it all. A story of jazz, ruin, and impossible charm.

🎧 Craving more jazz in your life? Subscribe to JazzBites and follow us for new episodes twice a week. Immerse yourself in the legends, timeless standards, and captivating stories that make jazz truly special. Love what you hear? Support the podcast with a tip here → https://ko-fi.com/theoevans

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With fingers that seemed to defy the laws of physics and an unmistakable elegance in every phrasing, Oscar Peterson redefined what it meant to play the piano in jazz. In this episode we delve into the life of this Canadian prodigy, his bond with Norman Granz, his stylistic evolution from swing to hard bop, and his legacy as one of the instrument's most complete and imposing titans. Discover the man behind the supernatural technique and syncopated soul who left his mark on every key.

🎧 Craving more jazz in your life? Subscribe to JazzBites and follow us for new episodes twice a week. Immerse yourself in the legends, timeless standards, and captivating stories that make jazz truly special. Love what you hear? Support the podcast with a tip here → https://ko-fi.com/theoevans

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Duke Ellington didn’t just compose music — he built an entire universe of tone, color, and swing. Bandleader, pianist, visionary, Ellington elevated jazz into an art form worthy of the concert hall without ever losing its pulse. In this episode, we trace his journey from the Cotton Club to Carnegie Hall, unpacking the elegance, ambition, and quiet rebellion of a man who always insisted on doing it his way — with class, and with a cigarette in hand.

🎧 Craving more jazz in your life? Subscribe to JazzBites and follow us for new episodes twice a week. Immerse yourself in the legends, timeless standards, and captivating stories that make jazz truly special. Love what you hear? Support the podcast with a tip here → https://ko-fi.com/theoevans

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Charlie Parker didn’t just play the alto sax — he detonated it. With a mind moving faster than the beat and a soul caught between genius and destruction, “Bird” carved a new path through the chaos of jazz, birthing bebop in the smoke and fury of postwar America. In this episode, we trace his meteoric rise, the pain beneath the virtuosity, and how his broken wings still cast a towering shadow over modern music.

🎧 Craving more jazz in your life? Subscribe to JazzBites and follow us for new episodes twice a week. Immerse yourself in the legends, timeless standards, and captivating stories that make jazz truly special. Love what you hear? Support the podcast with a tip here → https://ko-fi.com/theoevans

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