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 [a64694] and [a75617] in 1945 [2], and recorded under Gillespie from 1945 to 1946, as a member of [a375012] in 1946 (also featuring [a309986]), and [a3811509] in 1947, under Parker from 1948 to 1950, and under [a30486] from 1949 to 1951. The Gillespie quintet, which included Haig, recorded four 78 r.p.m. sides for [l93403] 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 [a23755]' "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 [a308540], 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 [a1410568], owner of [l124617] in the UK. At the end of a successful tour he recorded the 'Invitation' album for Spotlite, with [a443032] on bass and [a228917] 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.