I stumbled across an interesting site recently that, although some might say a bit morbid, I thought was pretty cool. Findagrave.com is a site where you can look up anyone who is deceased, and view a profile and pictures of their grave site.

So I started to search for some famous deceased jazz players to see if they were listed – and almost every musician I searched for had a page with a bio and photos.

The first person I searched for was Charlie Parker. Not only did Charlie have a long bio (deservedly so), there were a few pictures showing the location of the grave and a close up of the headstone.

Clifford Brown and Dizzy Gillespie were listed as well. Clifford’s final resting place scattered among a hodpodge of graves that look pretty neglected with some ready to fall over. Clifford is buried in Delaware, and according the Dizzy’s listing, he lies in Flushing cemetary in an unmarked grave next to his mother.

Even recent losses to the jazz world had listings. Great musicians like Michael Brecker and my sorely missed friend Frank Mantooth.

So if you missed paying respects to jazz legends, or anyone else, that have passed on, check out findagrave.com. You can leave virtual flowers and a nice note for the person there as well. If you find can’t find the person you are looking for, be sure to add them to the site. Someday others will be glad you did.

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