Jay McShann probably wouldn’t be nearly as well-known as he is today (you’ve heard of him, right?) if he hadn’t given a very young Charlie Parker his big break. Parker, of course, went on to be one of the most important jazz musicians and American cultural figures of the 2oth century, developing bebop into a major form and inspiring countless musicians and authors. As Charles Mingus put it in the title of one of his songs, “If Charlie Parker Was A Gunslinger There’d Be A Whole Lot of Dead Copycats.”

Anyway, the NYTimes has a nice obituary for McShann that’s worth reading. And when you’re done, track down some of his music.