Pioneer of Jazz and Blues Jay McShann Dies

eJazzNews reported that Kansas City pianist, bandleader and songwriter Jay McShann died on December 7, 2006, at the age of 90, after a brief illness.

The obituary called him the last of the great Kansas City players, recalled that his big band around 1940 included a young Charlie Parker, and noted that his song Confessin' the Blues was recorded by artists including the Rolling Stones and B.B. King. It also traced his move to New York in 1942, his wartime military service and his return to international touring from 1969.

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