These musicians include baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan and pianist Dave Brubeck. Miles Davis records charts by composer Gil Evans and begins his ascendancy as the most important jazz artist of his generation. We will hear of Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown, Art Blakey, and others. Louis Armstrong speaks out against segregation, much to the surprise of some. As the episode closes, Ornette Coleman arrives on the scene with avant garde music that sets the traditions of jazz on their collective ear.
Jazz music seems to be disappearing.
It is no longer heard on the radio or television, many musicians have left the United States for Europe where they can earn a living. Iconoclastic artists such as Charles Mingus use the music to make their own personal and political statements, even while advancing the music itself. John Coltrane continues to record and develop his sound. He records the spiritual A Love Supreme and achieves the level of mystic before he dies at 40. In the 1970's both Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington pass away, and the music seems to have lost its center.