Dizzy Gillespie

A major figure in jazz history, trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader and performer Dizzy Gillespie is not only one of the finest soloists on his instrument, but also a pioneer of bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz. Born John Birks Gillespie in Cheraw, North Carolina, on October 21, 1917, he began learning the piano before trying the trombone, and then preferring the trumpet in his teens. In Philadelphia, where his family moved in 1935, he joined Frank Fairfax's band and was nicknamed "Dizzy" by pianist Bill Doggett, before replacing his idol Roy Eldridge in Teddy Hill's band. After a notable spell with Cab Calloway (1939-1941), he worked with artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Thelonious Monk, Benny Carter, Fletcher Henderson, Lucky Millinder and even Duke Ellington. In 1942, he played with Charlie Parker in Earl Hines' orchestra, before following him to work with singer Billy Eckstine, composing the standard "A Night in Tunisia", then "Wood'n'You" with Coleman Hawkins. In 1945, Gillespie and Parker continued their association in a joint orchestra that laid the foundations of the bebop style in a series of landmark pieces, to the complete incomprehension of the public. The following year, Parker's orchestra welcomed percussionist Chano Pozo, who made his mark on the first Afro-Cuban jazz pieces, such as "Manteca" and "Cubana Be, Cubana Bop". After the dissolution of the orchestra in 1950, the trumpeter returned to a series of collaborations with Stan Kenton, Milt Jackson, John Coltrane and the Jazz at the Philharmonic ensemble. He teaches at the Lenox School of Jazz (Massachusetts) and, at the request of the State Department, is responsible for promoting jazz throughout the world. Known for his bent-trumpet playing and puffed-out cheeks when he launches into a chorus, Dizzy Gillespie keeps in touch with the young musicians who parade through his orchestra and the small bands that follow. By now, he was enjoying great popularity with audiences beyond the initiated. He took part in the Giants of Jazz tour in the 1970s, and in 1988 created The United Nation Orchestra, featuring Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval, which toured Africa and then South America. He remains faithful to Latin jazz through his collaborations with Lalo Schifrin, Machito, Ray Barretto and Mongo Santamaria. Honored with the Medal of Arts in 1989 and a Grammy Award for lifetime achievement, he received numerous honors at the end of his life. Stricken with pancreatic cancer, he died on January 6, 1993, at the age of 75. His band, the Dizzy Gillespie All Star Band, continues his musical legacy.