Cannonball would have turned 97 this month were he still with us. His records were some of the first I collected - there are so many and so varied, his dedication to recording live sets for his albums and playing with countless amazing musicians, infusing politics into his music and his "raps" in-between songs, is all legendary. I had not realized until now that all of this was done in such a short amount of time - he passed away at the age of 46, one year younger than I am now. To have played and recorded with the legends (Miles et al) then go on to create a massive discography and universe of his own music - along with his brother Nat - is an astonishing feat. Salute!
