DIZZY GILLESPIE

The Bebop Icon

OUR DISCOVERIES

Bande No. 1

Bande No. 1

DIZZY GILLESPIE

LIVE AT SINGER CONCERT HALL 1973

On 25 August 1973 Dizzy Gillespie came to the Dutch public in Laren. True to form, he introduced his musicians in a mischievous and generous mood and then launched thunderously into a Caribbean tempo that lasted 19 minutes! Then, in a deep voice, Dizzy evokes his friend Martin Luther King. He dedicates "Brother K" to him, a tender ballad punctuated by flashes of storm and anger. As a conclusion Dizzy invokes his roots: "The Blues", where he abandons his trumpet to unleash the full force and warmth of his voice. The musicians withdraw to a surprisingly light theme. We leave as we arrive, on tiptoe. However, we leave with a certainty:“Yes Dizzy, you made it”.

DIZZY GILLESPIE

LIVE AT SINGER CONCERT HALL 1973

DIZZY GILLESPIE

LIVE AT SINGER CONCERT HALL 1973

The story of this discovery

“It is in the Dutch archives that we discover this fabulous concert by Dizzy - between Latin influences and a return to the roots of the Blues. I particularly remember the first chords of Gafa's guitar. And above all, the incredible intonations of Jon Faddis and Gillespie in “The Truth” which stunned us. Another great moment of emotion..."

Frédéric D'ORIA-NICOLAS
Musical treasure seeker

A musical childhood

Dizzy Gillespie was born in 1917 in South Carolina. His father was an amateur bandleader who introduced his son to the basics of many instruments. However, at the age of 10, Dizzy lost his father and taught himself the trumpet and trombone. The first style that Dizzy returned to shows strong inspirations from Roy Eldridge, his idol. In 1937, he was hired to fill a position formerly held by Roy Eldridge in Teddy Hill's band.

 

Dizzy Gillespie

A legendary career

During the 1930s and early 1940s, Dizzy played in several bands led by jazz greats such as Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billy Eckstine. After setting up his own orchestra in the late 40's, which was considered one of the best big jazz ensembles. Dizzy was noticed by his virtuosity on the instrument but also by his arrangements described as "complex". Dizzy impressed many artists and jazz fans around the world, his repertoire was diverse and oscillated between the bop approach and Afro-Cuban jazz. For many fans, Gillespie is one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of his generation and of all time along with Louis Armstrong. Very comfortable technically and harmonically, it didn't take much for Dizzy Gillespie to blow everyone away, he was able to play the highest registers of the trumpet while being able to improvise in more than precarious situations from which he always seemed to get out. Dizzy is an icon and brought many characteristics to modern jazz such as the interval of the augmented eleventh or the typical phrases in his improvisations that have become jazz clichés. Talented and multi-hatted, he was also an ultra-renowned composer with a breathtaking repertoire that includes a list of great bebop hits that became jazz standards.


Dizzy Gillespie on instrument


The end of a life and the beginning of a legend

Despite his age and the fact that his most innovative period is behind him, at the end of the 50s, he continues to perform at the highest level, while recording with several formations, big band, small group, duo, with big names like Oscar Peterson or Count Blasie, he was able to do everything. By continuing to tour internationally, Dizzy Gillespie became a true ambassador of music.

At the beginning of the year 1983, on January 6 more exactly, Dizzy Gillespie dies of pancreatic cancer.

"It's taken me all my life to learn... what not to play."

OUR HAPPY MUSIC LOVERS