McLean was a musical bridge between post-World War II bebop and the progressive jazz of the 1960s.

NPR: Jackie McLean: A Saxophone Great

Beginning in the late '50s, a good deal of that allure came from the compositions of Bley's then-wife, a composer and pianist born Carla Borg who, using the Bley surname, would become an enduring jazz progressive in her own right.

NPR: Paul Bley Trio: Darkly Winsome Jazz

Lord was influenced by classical, blues and jazz but played his Hammond organ with a rock attitude and helped Deep Purple become pioneers of progressive and heavy rock.

BBC: Deep Purple's Jon Lord dies at 71