Dizzy Gillespie - Music Biography, Credits and Discography - AllMusic

Dizzy Gillespie - Music Biography, Credits and Discography : AllMusic
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Dizzy Gillespie
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by Scott Yanow
biography [-]
Dizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time (some would say the best), Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up copying Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis' emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated. Somehow, Gillespie could make any "wrong" note fit, and harmonically he was ahead of everyone in the 1940s, including Charlie Parker. Unlike Bird, Dizzy was an enthusiastic teacher who wrote down his musical innovations and was eager to explain them to the next generation, thereby insuring that bebop would eventually become the foundation of jazz. Dizzy Gillespie was also one of the key founders of Afro-Cuban (or Latin) jazz, adding Chano Pozo's conga to his orchestra in 1947, and utilizing complex poly-rhythms early on. The leader of two of the finest big bands in jazz history, Gillespie differed from many in the bop generation by being a masterful showman who could make his music seem both accessible and fun to the audience. With his puffed-out cheeks, bent trumpet (which occurred by accident in the early '50s when a dancer tripped over his horn), and quick wit, Dizzy was a colorful figure to watch. A natural comedian, Gillespie was also a superb scat singer and occasionally played Latin percussion for the fun of it, but it was his trumpet playing and leadership abilities that made him into a jazz giant. The youngest of nine children, John Birks Gillespie taught himself trombone and then switched to trumpet when he was 12. He grew up in poverty, won a scholarship to an agricultural school (Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina), and then in 1935 dropped out of school to look for work as a musician. Inspired and initially greatly influenced by Roy Eldridge, Gillespie (who soon gained the nickname of "Dizzy") joined Frankie Fairfax's band in Philadelphia. In 1937, he became a member of Teddy Hill's orchestra in a spot formerly filled by Eldridge. Dizzy made his recording debut on Hill's rendition of "King Porter Stomp" and during his short period with the band toured Europe. After freelancing for a year, Gillespie joined Cab Calloway's orchestra (1939-1941), recording frequently with the popular bandleader and taking many short solos that trace his development; "Pickin' the Cabbage" finds Dizzy starting to emerge from Eldridge's shadow. However, Calloway did not care for Gillespie's constant chance-taking, calling his solos "Chinese music." After an incident in 1941 when a spitball was mischievously thrown at Calloway (he accused Gillespie but the culprit was actually Jonah Jones), Dizzy was fired. By then, Gillespie had already met Charlie Parker, who confirmed the validity of his musical search. During 1941-1943, Dizzy passed through many bands including those led by Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carter, Charlie Barnet, Fess Williams, Les Hite, Claude Hopkins, Lucky Millinder (with whom he recorded in 1942), and even Duke Ellington (for four weeks). Gillespie also contributed several advanced arrangements to such bands as Benny Carter, Jimmy Dorsey, and Woody Herman; the latter advised him to give up his trumpet playing and stick to full-time arranging. Dizzy ignored the advice, jammed at Minton's Playhouse and Monroe's Uptown House where he tried out his new ideas, and in late 1942 joined Earl Hines' big band. Charlie Parker was hired on tenor and the sadly unrecorded orchestra was the first orchestra to explore early bebop. By then, Gillespie had his style together and he wrote his most famous composition "A Night in Tunisia." When Hines' singer Billy Eckstine went on his own and formed a new bop big band, Diz and Bird (along with Sarah Vaughan) were among the members. Gillespie stayed long enough to record a few numbers with Eckstine in 1944 (most noticeably "Opus X" and "Blowing the Blues Away"). That year he also participated in a pair of Coleman Hawkins-led sessions that are often thought of as the first fullfledged bebop dates, highlighted by Dizzy's composition "Woody'n You." 1945 was the breakthrough year. Dizzy Gillespie, who had led earlier bands on 52nd Street, finally teamed up with Charlie Parker on records. Their recordings of such numbers as "Salt Peanuts," "'Shaw Nuff," "Groovin' High," and "Hot House" confused swing fans who had never heard the advanced music
GENRES STYLES
Jazz Afro-Cuban Jazz Bop Vocal Jazz World Fusion Big Band Jazz Instrument Trumpet Jazz
ACTIVE BORN
1930s - 1990s October 21, 1917 in Cheraw, SC January 6, 1993 in Englewood, NJ John "Dizzy" Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie John Birks Gillespie John Gillespie
DIED
ALIASES
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http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dizzy-gillespie-mn0000162677[27/2/2013 5:55:38 ]
as it was evolving; and Dizzy's rendition of "I Can't Get Started" completely reworked the former Bunny Berigan hit. It would take two years for the often frantic but ultimately logical new style to start catching on as the mainstream of jazz. Gillespie led an unsuccessful big band in 1945 (a Southern tour finished it), and late in the year he traveled with Parker to the West Coast to play a lengthy gig at Billy Berg's club in L.A. Unfortunately, the audiences were not enthusiastic (other than local musicians) and Dizzy (without Parker) soon returned to New York. The following year, Dizzy Gillespie put together a successful and influential orchestra which survived for nearly four memorable years. "Manteca" became a standard, the exciting "Things to Come" was futuristic, and "Cubana Be/Cubana Bop" featured Chano Pozo. With such sidemen as the future original members of the Modern Jazz Quartet (Milt Jackson, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke), James Moody, J.J. Johnson, Yusef Lateef, and even a young John Coltrane, Gillespie's big band was a breeding ground for the new music. Dizzy's beret, goatee, and "bop glasses" helped make him a symbol of the music and its most popular figure. During 1948-1949, nearly every former swing band was trying to play bop, and for a brief period the major record companies tried very hard to turn the music into a fad.
- Boisterous - Carefree - Complex - Earthy - Energetic Freewheeling Joyous Passionate Rousing Earnest Stately Stylish
artist moods
- Amiable/GoodNatured - Cheerful - Confident - Elegant Exuberant Fun Laid-Back/Mellow Playful Sophisticated Rambunctious Street-Smart
artist themes
- Maverick - Day Driving - Freedom - Motivation - Partying - Road Trip - Vacation - Celebration - Family Gatherings - Housework - Night Driving - Pool Party - TGIF
By 1950, the fad had ended and Gillespie was forced, due to economic pressures, to break up his groundbreaking orchestra. He had occasional (and always exciting) reunions with Charlie Parker (including a fabled Massey Hall concert in 1953) up until Bird's death in 1955, toured with Jazz at the Philharmonic (where he had opportunities to "battle" the combative Roy Eldridge), headed all-star recording sessions (using Stan Getz, Sonny Rollins, and Sonny Stitt on some dates), and led combos that for a time in 1951 also featured Coltrane and Milt Jackson. In 1956, Gillespie was authorized to form a big band and play a tour overseas sponsored by the State Department. It was so successful that more traveling followed, including extensive tours to the Near East, Europe, and South America, and the band survived up to 1958. Among the young sidemen were Lee Morgan, Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Al Grey, Billy Mitchell, Benny Golson, Ernie Henry, and Wynton Kelly; Quincy Jones (along with Golson and Liston) contributed some of the arrangements. After the orchestra broke up, Gillespie went back to leading small groups, featuring such sidemen in the 1960s as Junior Mance, Leo Wright, Lalo Schifrin, James Moody, and Kenny Barron. He retained his popularity, occasionally headed specially assembled big bands, and was a fixture at jazz festivals. In the early '70s, Gillespie toured with the Giants of Jazz and around that time his trumpet playing began to fade, a gradual decline that would make most of his '80s work quite erratic. However, Dizzy remained a world traveler, an inspiration and teacher to younger players, and during his last couple of years he was the leader of the United Nation Orchestra (featuring Paquito D'Rivera and Arturo Sandoval). He was active up until early 1992. Dizzy Gillespie's career was very well documented from 1945 on, particularly on Musicraft, Dial, and RCA in the 1940s; Verve in the 1950s; Philips and Limelight in the 1960s; and Pablo in later years.
COLLAPSE
discography
Year
list
Title
condensed
Label
MAIN ALBUMS
COMPILATIONS
SINGLES & EPS
DVDS & VIDEOS
Editors' Rating
Average User Rating
1946
Live at the Spotlite
Hi-Fly
No User Ratings
1947
Jivin' in Be Bop Dizzy Gillespie Plays, Johnny Richards Conducts Dizzy Gillespie [Dee Gee]
Moon
No User Ratings
1951
Discovery
No User Ratings
1951
Dee Gee
No User Ratings
1951
School Days
Savoy Jazz
No User Ratings
1952
Dizzy Gillespie with Strings
Clef Records
No User Ratings
1952
Jazz from Paris
Clef Records
No User Ratings
1952
In Paris
Vogue / RCA
No User Ratings
1953
Dizzy over Paris
Roost
No User Ratings
1953
Concert in Paris
Roost
No User Ratings
1953
Dizzy Gillespie Paris Concert Dizzy Gillespie in Paris, Vol. 1
GNP
No User Ratings
1953
RCA
No User Ratings
1953
Hot Vs. Cool
No User Ratings
1953
Jazz at Massey Hall
Original Jazz Classics / Universal Classics & Jazz
(96)
1953
The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever The Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet, Vol. 1
Fantasy / Prestige Records

(1)
1953
Norgran
No User Ratings
1953
Dizzy Gillespie in Paris, Vol. 2
Vogue / RCA
No User Ratings
1953
Dizzy in Paris
Contemporary Records
No User Ratings
1953
Horn of Plenty
Blue Note
No User Ratings
1953
On the Sunny Side of the Street
Moon
(1)
1954
Jazz Recital
Verve
No User Ratings
1954
Dizzy Gillespie and His Latin Rhythm: Afro
Verve
No User Ratings
1954
Dizzy Gillespie with Roy Eldridge
Verve
(1)
1954
Roy and Diz
Verve
(2)
1954
The Trumpet Kings
Verve
No User Ratings
1954
Trumpet Battle
Verve
No User Ratings
1954
Dizzy Gillespie Orchestra
Allegro Corporation
No User Ratings
1954
Dizzy Gillespie and His Original Big Band
GNP
No User Ratings
1954
The Dizzy Gillespie/Stan Getz Sextet, Vol. 2
Norgran
No User Ratings
1955
Afro
Norgran
No User Ratings
1955
One Night in Washington
Collectables
(1)
1955
Tour De Force
Verve
No User Ratings
1955
Diz & Getz
Universal / Verve
(3)
1955
Dizzy and Strings
Norgran
No User Ratings
1956
The Modern Jazz Sextet

No User Ratings
1956
The Champ On Tour with Dizzy Gillespie and His Big Band For Musicians Only
Savoy Jazz
No User Ratings
1956
Artistry
No User Ratings
1956
Verve
(6)
1956
Bird and Diz
Verve / Polygram
(19)
1956
Diz Big Band
Verve
No User Ratings
1956
Dizzy Gillespie Plays
Allegro Corporation
No User Ratings
1956
Dizzy Gillespie and His Big Band at Birdland
Sandy Hook
No User Ratings
1956
Dizzy Gillespie and His Orchestra
Norgran
No User Ratings
1956
World Statesman
Verve
No User Ratings
1957
Dizzy Gillespie and Stuff Smith
(1)
1957
Live, 1957
Jazz Unlimited / Storyville
No User Ratings
1957
The Live in Chester
Jazz Hour
No User Ratings
1957
Sittin' In
Verve
No User Ratings
1957
At Newport
Verve
(6)
1957
Dizzy in Greece
Verve
No User Ratings
1957
Dizzy Gillespie Duets
Verve
No User Ratings
1957
The Greatest Trumpet of Them All
No User Ratings
1957
At Home and Abroad
Rhino
No User Ratings
1957
Dizzy Gillespie and His Big Band Dizzy at Home and Abroad
GNP/Crescendo
No User Ratings
1957
Atlantic
No User Ratings
1957
Duets: Sonny Rollins and Sonny Stitt
Verve
(2)
1958
Birks' Works
Universal/Verve
(8)
1959
Diz and Bird

(1)
1959
Copenhagen Concert
SteepleChase / Steeplechase
No User Ratings
1959
Have Trumpet, Will Excite! The Ebullient Mr. Gillespie Dizzy Gillespie and Count Basie at Newport
Verve
(1)
1960
No User Ratings
1960
Verve
No User Ratings
1960
The Dizzy Gillespie Big Band An Electrifying Evening with the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet Carnegie Hall Concert
Verve
No User Ratings
1961
Polygram
(2)
1961
Verve
No User Ratings
1961
Perceptions
Verve
No User Ratings
1961
A Musical Safari
Booman
No User Ratings
1961
Dizzy Gillespie Quintet in Europe Dizzy Gillespie/Gerry Mulligan
Unique Records
No User Ratings
1961
Europa
No User Ratings
1961
Gillespiana
Ais / Poll Winners Records
No User Ratings
1962
Dizzy on the French Riviera Jazz on the French Riviera
Verve
(2)
1962
Philips
No User Ratings
1962
The New Continent
Limelight Records
No User Ratings
1963
New Wave
No User Ratings
1963
Something Old, Something New Dizzy Gillespie and the Double Six of Paris
Verve / Polygram
(1)
1963
Verve
No User Ratings
1963
Dateline Europe
Reprise
No User Ratings
1964
Dizzy Gillespie Goes Hollywood Composer's Concepts
Verve
No User Ratings
1964
Emarcy
No User Ratings
1964
The Cool World
Verve
No User Ratings
1965
Jambo Caribe With Gil Fuller and the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra Soul Mates
Verve
(1)
1965
Blue Note / Capitol
No User Ratings
1966
VSP
No User Ratings
1967
Live at the Village Vanguard Jazz for a Sunday Afternoon
Blue Note
No User Ratings
1967
Solid State
No User Ratings
1967
Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac Reunion Big Band
Impulse! / GRP
(3)
1968
MPS Records
(1)
1969
My Way
Solid State
No User Ratings
1969
Soul and Salvation
Pony Canyon Records

(1)
1969
Cornucopia
Solid State
No User Ratings
1969
Sweet Soul
Spotlite
No User Ratings
1971
Giants
Perception Records
No User Ratings
1971
The Real Thing
Breathless
No User Ratings
1971
Blues People
Jazzdoor
No User Ratings
1972
The Giants of Jazz
Collectables
No User Ratings
1973
The Giant
Emarcy
No User Ratings
1974
Dizzy's Big 4
Original Jazz Classics / Pablo/OJC / Universal
(1)
1974
The Trumpet Kings Meet Joe Turner The Giants of Jazz and Dizzy Gillespie Live
Pablo/OJC
No User Ratings
1974
Jazzdoor
No User Ratings
1975
The Dizzy Gillespie Big Seven The Trumpet Kings at Montreux '75
Pablo
No User Ratings
1975
Pablo
No User Ratings
1975
Bahiana
Pablo Records / Pablo

(1)
1975
Dizzy
GNP
No User Ratings
1975
The Bop Session
Gazell Productions
No User Ratings
1976
Dizzy's Party
Original Jazz Classics / Pablo/OJC
(1)
1977
Gifted Ones
Pablo
(1)
1977
The Gifted Ones
Original Jazz Classics

(3)
1977
Montreux '77
Original Jazz Classics
No User Ratings
1978
Diz
RCA
No User Ratings
1979
Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival The Trumpet Summit Meets the Oscar Peterson Big Four
Ala Enterprises
No User Ratings
1980
Pablo/OJC
No User Ratings
1980
At Montreux
Pablo
No User Ratings
1980
Digital at Montreux, 1980

No User Ratings
1980
Summertime Montreux 1980
Pablo
No User Ratings
1981
Jazzbohne Berlin 1981 Musician, Composer, Raconteur: Plays & Raps in His Greatest Concert Free Ride
Repertoire
No User Ratings
1981
Pablo
(1)
1981
No User Ratings
1982
To a Finland Station
Fantasy
No User Ratings
1984
New Faces Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Guest Dizzy Gillespie 'Round Midnight
GRP
No User Ratings
1985
Jazz Alliance
No User Ratings
1986
Absord
No User Ratings
1986
Dizzy Gillespie Meets the Phil Woods Quintet
Timeless Jazz Legacy
No User Ratings
1986
Enduring Magic
Black Hawk
No User Ratings
1987
Endlessly
MCA
No User Ratings
1989
Max + Dizzy, Paris 1989
A&M
(1)
1989
Closer to the Source
Atlantic / Import
No User Ratings
1989
Symphony Sessions
Pro-Arte Records
No User Ratings
The Winter in Lisbon
1990
Milan
No User Ratings
1992
To Bird with Love: Live at the Blue Note To Diz with Love: Diamond Jubilee Recordings
Telarc Distribution
No User Ratings
1992
Telarc Distribution
No User Ratings
1992
Villa Hidalgo
Universal Music Latino
No User Ratings
1995
Swing Love
Babacan
No User Ratings
2008
Savoy Jazz Super EP
Savoy
No User Ratings
Montreux Jazz Festival
No User Ratings
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