Richard Twardzik

Pianist Richard Twardzik remains one of the most tragic cautionary tales in the annals of jazz -- a gifted and original bop pianist on the precipice of international renown, he died of a heroin overdose at the age of just 24. Born April 30, 1931, in Danvers, MA, Twardzik was a classically trained child prodigy who studied under Madame Chaloff, the mother of the famed baritone saxophonist Serge Chaloff; he began his professional career at 14 playing the Boston nightclub circuit, and later attended the New England Conservatory. While still in his teens, he also acquired the hero...