First, I find that Fidel Castro and I share the same birth date, August 13th.

Then, I recall that the Berlin Wall was shut on my birthday while I was in the Army.

I don't know how many Friday the 13ths I have passed, mostly uneventfully.

Now, one of my early heroes goes off our mortal coil on the same date. What's the deal?

At 94, he stuck around a long while and was still playing actively until recent months, I'm told. I still recall how very different songs like "How High The Moon" and "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" sounded with his sound-on-sound technique in the early 1950's.   

Check out the "Wickipedia" piece on his life and career.