John Arthur "Jaki" Byard (/ˈbaɪˌɑːrd, ˈbaɪərd/;[1] June 15, 1922 – February 11, 1999) was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, and arranger.

Byard played with trumpeter Maynard Ferguson in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and was a member of bands led by bassist Charles Mingus for several years, including on several studio and concert recordings.

He continued performing and recording, mainly in solo and small group settings, but he also led two big bands – one made up of some of his students, and the other of professional musicians.

[6] He was also given a trumpet that belonged to his father, and attempted to copy the popular players of the time, Roy Eldridge and Walter Fuller.

[7] He heard Benny Goodman, Lucky Millinder, Fats Waller, and Chick Webb, and listened to other bands of the era on the radio.

[7] Byard began playing professionally on piano at the age of 16, in bands led by Doc Kentross and Freddy Bates.

[6] His early lessons had involved mostly playing by rote, so his development of knowledge of theory and further piano technique occurred from the late 1930s until 1941,[6] including studying harmony at Commerce High School.

[8] In that year, he was drafted into the army, where he continued with piano lessons and was influenced by pianist Ernie Washington, with whom he was barracked, although Byard also took up trombone at this time.

[23] A further example of Byard's sometimes unusual approach to composition is the title track from Out Front!, which he created by thinking of fellow pianist Herbie Nichols' touch at the keyboard.

[24] Popularity with jazz critics did not translate into wider success: a Washington Post review of his final Prestige album, Solo Piano from 1969, remarked that it was by "a man who has been largely ignored outside the inner circles".

[25] Giddins also commented in the 1970s on the lack of attention that Byard had received, and stated that the pianist's recordings from 1960 to 1972 "are dazzling in scope, and for his ability to make the most of limited situations".

[23] Following his time with Prestige, Byard had more solo performances, in part because of his affection for musical partners he had become close to but who had then died.

[28] Between 1966 and 1969 Byard recorded three albums with the saxophonist Eric Kloss,[29] then, in 1970, returned to Mingus' band, including for performances in Europe.

[5][16] There were two versions of the band: one made up of musicians in New York, and the other using students from the New England Conservatory of Music,[5] where Byard had taught from 1969.

[24] Moran studied with Byard for four years, and credits the older man with developing his skills, building his awareness of jazz history, and creating his willingness to experiment with different styles.

[37] Classical composer Bruce Wolosoff was taught by Byard at the New England Conservatory and counts him as an important influence.

[43] Byard played in a variety of styles, often mixed together in one performance: John S. Wilson commented that Byard "progresses from a basic melodic statement to nimble Art Tatum fingering to Fats Waller stride, to prickly Thelonious Monk phrases, to Cecil Taylor dissonances".

[47] One obituary writer noted that, "Nobody thinks it odd if a pianist underpins melody with stride patterns or a boogie bass.

[48] Music writer Dan Lander also stated that Byard's playing was ahead of its time, and added that it has influenced 21st-century pianists: Byard's grasp and integration of historical forms, his ability to embrace tradition and risk taking, was visionary, impacting on a new generation of jazz musicians who understood the history of jazz as a material to build on and work with, at the service of creating something new, rather than as an unmovable weight, fixing them to the past.