Born in 1920, Charlie Parker, bebop jazz innovator, began his career in his native Kansas City, Missouri. He started the alto saxophone in 1933 and played semi-professionally until 1935 when he quit school to become a full-time musician. He honed his craft in jam sessions and started his own group in 1945 in New York City. His major recording period began in the late 1940s and lasted through the early 1950s. Though he became popular, he struggled with alcohol and drug problems. He died in a friend's apartment in 1955 in debt and poor health.
Paul Desmond, born in 1924, studied clarinet at San Francisco State University. He joined The Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1951 and stayed with the group till its dissolution in 1967. Because of this, he rarely receives recognition apart from Brubeck and the famous "Take Five" song. He continued to work with Brubeck off and on in the 1970s and formed his own band in 1974. His style is noticeably on the "cool" side of alto saxophone playing, full of sustained melody. He died in 1977.
Cannonball Adderley was born in 1928. He began his music career as a high school band teacher in Florida before leading two army bands. He formed his own group in New York in 1955 with his brother Nat, a cornet player. That group had little success, but a highly creative period followed when he joined trumpet player Miles Davis' band in 1957. He once again formed his own group in 1959, and this time it was successful. His playing style and sound was more upbeat, bluesier and fuller than many of his bebop contemporaries. He died from a stroke in 1975.
Ornette Coleman began playing the alto saxophone at age 14 in 1944. The professional work he found at the beginning of his career consisted of mainly rhythm and blues bands and carnival acts. He moved between Fort Worth, New Orleans and Los Angeles. The new offbeat musical ideas he developed were not well-liked by most, so he was only able to play shows sporadically. After his first recordings in 1958 he began to gather support from like-minded musicians and fans. He became the driving force behind the highly improvisational musical style known as free jazz.