Dizzy Gillespie: Where Greatness Met With Jazz Music.

Dizzy Gillespie was a genius that devoted his life to music and inspired new
generations of musicians from all genres to reach higher in search for new sounds. He
was a gifted musician that took trumpet playing in jazz to new dimensions with his
talent. Even though he grew up in poverty, his family musical backgrounds lead him to
find his way out through music, becoming one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all
times. His multicultural approach to jazz opened the doors to new talents and
innovations which made him a tremendous influence in the spirit of the bebop
movement and modern jazz history.
Born in Cheraw, South Carolina, on October 21, 1917, John Birks “Dizzy”
Gillespie was the youngest of nine children born to James and Lottie Gillespie
(Lomanno). He grew up in poverty and experienced the struggle since his very
childhood but, somehow he managed to redirect that energy towards music. Coming
from a family with a strong musical background, his interest in music started at an early
age when he taught himself to play the trombone and then switched to trumpet by the
age of 12. After his father passed away, he won a scholarship to study music at the
Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina. From there, Gillespie started a lifetime journey in
music while developing into a great trumpeter along the path.
Even though winning a scholarship to study music after the death of his father
was not exactly was he had expected, he embraced that opportunity with the
determination to become one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all times. In 1935 he
dropped out of school and moved to Philadelphia where he started to work as a
musician. In 1937 he joined his first band which was Teddy Hill’s orchestra. Dizzy’s
recording debut came with Hill’s rendition of “King Porter Stomp” while having the
opportunity to tour in Europe for some time. After the tour he joined Cab Calloway’s
orchestra with whom he played from 1939 to 1941. After 1941, he formed part of many
bands including those led by Lucky Millinder, Ella Fitzgerald, Les Hite, Coleman
Hawkins, Charlie Barnet, Benny Carter, Fess Williams, Claude Hopkins and Duke
Ellington. Gillespie also contributed several advanced arrangements to such bands as
Benny Carter, Jimmy Dorsey, and Woody Herman (Yanow). In 1942 Dizzy joined Earl
Hines’ big band and consolidated his style when he wrote his most famous composition
“A Night in Tunisia.” Soon afterward, he left the band to play along Billy Eckstine and
made his very first recordings called "Opus X" and "Blowing the Blues Away". The
beginning of the 40’s marked the development of Gillespie’s particular style but, it was
not until 1945 when his talent exploded in recordings such as "Salt Peanuts," "'Shaw
Nuff," "Groovin' High" and "Hot House" with Charlie Parker.
Teaming up with Parker revolutionized Dizzy’s music and their performances
were known to be electrifying while capturing the attention of the audiences that were
starting to recognize their new sound. Unfortunately, Parker’s addiction to heroin broke
up their musical relationship, leading Gillespie to form a big band in 1946. This band
would redefine the repertoire of all the big bands to come with compositions like “You
Stole My Wife, You Horsethief” and “Lover, Come Back to Me.” In 1947, the addition of
the Cuban percussionist Chano Pozo to the ensemble gave their music a different turn,
recording a series of compositions that became some of the first examples of Latin
Jazz. His multicultural approach to music would give birth to the combination of Latin
 music and jazz in compositions like “Cubano Be, Cubano Bop” and “Manteca.” His
innovations with the sounds of bebop and Afro-Cuban rhythms opened the doors to new
talents and contributed to the expanding of the Latin jazz genre.
He spent the last forty years of his life exploring Latin rhythms and traveling
around the world enriching his music. The most important reason why he became one
of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all times was because of his tremendous influence in
the spirit of the bebop movement and modern jazz history. During those years of
tremendous contribution to jazz, he formed a racially integrated band, which served as
cultural ambassador for the United States and was considered by many as his best
large ensemble. Anywhere he traveled, he played with local musicians and incorporated
their influences in his repertoire. After 1980, he focused more on educating and giving
guidance to new music talents such as Trumpeters Jon Faddis, Arturo Sandoval,
Paquito D’Rivera, pianist Danilo Perez and trombonist Steve Turre. Some of them
would later join him in his last big band project called “The United Nation Orchestra” in
1988. Such musical integration would give birth to a new generation of musicians that
not only embraced his contributions to jazz but, also developed their own new styles out
of the influences of Gillespie’s music. Recognized as one of the greatest jazz
trumpeters of all times, Dizzy passed away of pancreatic cancer on January 6, 1993.
In conclusion, Dizzy Gillespie became one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all
times for two main reasons. First, his multicultural approach to music opened the doors
for new talents and sounds that enriched jazz. But most importantly, his tremendous
contributions to the bebop movement and the creation of Latin jazz earned him a spot
among the most influential figures in modern jazz history. Gillespie’s influences in new
generations of jazz musicians (including those who use the uniquely shaped upturned
bell trumpet because of him), will remain alive as long as there’s a single musician out
there integrating new sounds and expanding the beauty of jazz music.

Works Cited.
Lomanno, Mark. "Gillespie, Dizzy (John Birks) – Jazz.com | Jazz Music – Jazz Artists – Jazz
News." Jazz.com. Web. 25 June 2010.
<http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/gillespie-dizzy-john-birks>.

Yanow, Scott. "Allmusic (Dizzy Gillespie Biography)." Allmusic. Web. 25 June 2010.
<http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kifuxqt5ldae~T1>.