Arguably the most innovative and technically accomplished guitarist to emerge during the bebop era, Bill DeArango nevertheless remains little known outside the sphere of jazz cognoscenti. After recording with icons including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, he abandoned his thriving career to return to his native Cleveland, resurfacing only sporadically in the half-century to follow. Born September 20, 1921, DeArango was a self-taught musician who moonlighted in Columbus-area Dixieland bands while a student at Ohio State University. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1944, he settled in New York City, making his Big Apple debut sitting in with tenor saxophonist Don Byas' band at the 52nd Street club the Three Deuces and landing a permanent gig with Byas' rival Ben Webster that very same night. DeArango's astounding playing owed much to Charlie Christian's pioneering single-string approach, and he quickly proved himself a master of the nascent bop lexicon, exiting Webster's band after a year to join Parker and Gillespie for his debut recording date behind vocalist Sarah Vaughan. Sessions supporting Slam Stewart, Ike Quebec, and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis followed, and in late 1945 DeArango led his first session for the Haven label, recruiting Webster to contribute tenor sax. The guitarist's most renowned recording remains the landmark 1946 Gillespie-led date that yielded the classics "A Night in Tunisia," "Ol' Man Bebop," and "Anthropology." From there, he tenured behind trumpeter Ray Nance before founding his own band alongside co-leader/vibist Terry Gibbs.