Taswell Baird

Jazz trombonist. Born : June 24, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. Died: November 22, 2002 in Oakland, California Taswell Baird, Jr (sometimes known as "Little Joe" from his middle name) was born in St Louis. He spent 50 years as a touring musician working with musicians "from Dizzy Gillespie to Lena Horne", and played on recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Charlie Parker and Louis Armstrong. During the final year of his life, when he could no longer play the trombone, he took up the piano. On November 5th, 2002, he was thrown from his wheelchair and beaten by robbers who stole $80 from him outside of his West Oakland retirement home. He died seventeen days later of injuries sustained during the robbery.