1975 was a bad year for Cannonball: he died. Here was a jazz musician who could have weathered the style changes of the funk era and what followed as well as, say, Herbie Hancock… and better than most. Not to be, alas.

In his time though, the great man made an indelible mark on the spectrum of jazz, including a brief foray into trad with, of all people, John Coltrane – and a number from Fiddler On The Roof that toppled Topol.

And you can see why he chose a butch, no-nonsense nickname like Cannonball: wouldn’t you if you were christened Julian?

– Bob

This portion of the competition is now closed – but don’t forget to check out the BlackEyewear.com and Retrospecs websites.