Dizzy Gillespie
By: Alex Altmann
Early Years
•Born in South Carolina in the fall of 1917
•Father was a bandleader in local bands
•Began to play trombone but arms were to short
•Settled for trumpet instead
Early Years
•Originally self taught
•Attributes a majority of his musical foundations
to Alice Wilson, one of his music teachers.
•Credits religious services for musical foundations
as well.
Early Years
•In 1933 he received a scholarship to the
Laurinburg Institute spending two years studying:
•Musical Theory
•Harmony
•In 1935 he moved to Philadelphia to be reunited
with his family after two years at school.
New Beginnings
•Upon arrival in Philadelphia Dizzy began playing
with local bands.
•Finally settled in with band led by Frankie Fairfax
•This is where he earned his nickname (Dizzy) due to
his on stage antics.
•Played with Fairfax’s band until 1937
Early Influences
•Roy Eldridge was one of Dizzy’s greatest
influences.
•Dizzy learned Eldridge’s style through the
studying of his music from:
•Radio Broadcasts
•Records
•In 1937 Dizzy replaced his idol in Teddy Hill’s
band.
Teddy Hill’s Band
•Dizzy’s first recording debut came with his time
spent with Hill’s rendition of King Porter Stomp.
•Band toured throughout Europe
•Upon returning stateside, Dizzy began playing
freelance for a year or so.
Cab Calloway’s Big Band
•Joined Cab Calloway’s big band after a year of
playing freelance
•During this time Dizzy grew out from beneath
Eldridge’s shadow and started to become an artist all
his own.
•The first piece that really set him apart was Pickin’
The Cabbage in 1940
•Composed with Mario Bauz, and was a terrific
combination of jazz with a hint of Latin influence,
also known as “Afro-Cuban” .
Cab Calloway’s Big Band
•1940 not only was a great year for Dizzy’s music,
but for his personal life as well.
•He met his wife Lorraine, whom was a chorus
girl at the time, and married her.
•The two stayed together for 53 years!
Earl Hine’s Big Band
•After spending only a few short years with
Calloway’s band, Dizzy’s temper got the best of
him
•He stabbed the bandleader while onstage and got
removed from the band.
•In 1943 he met up with Charlie Parker in Earl
Hine’s big band.
•This was the perfect canvas for the two independent
artists to combine their separate projects and make
musical history
Quintet
•Charlie Parker and Dizzy broke off from Earl
Hine’s big band and formed a quintet.
•Some creations of the quintet were:
•Bebop
•A night in Tunisia
•Even though there was some great music
created, the band broke up after a short while
due to Charlie Parker’s drug addictions.
Dizzy’s Big Band
•After the quintet broke up, Dizzy went on to form
his own big band
•The band lasted only four short years
•Although record companies were pushing Bebop
mainstream, it lacked following to become cool
•Unfortunately in 1950 Dizzy was forced to close the
doors on yet another one of his projects
The Final Years
•In 1956 Dizzy was sanctioned by the State
Department to lead an orchestra overseas
•This lasted until 1958
•After that, he stuck with heading small groups
throughout the 1960’s
•He had been a staple at Jazz festivals throughout
the 1970’s
The Final Years
•The 1980’s signified the decline of Dizzy’s career
•His playing began to deteriorate and his works
became very erratic.
•In spite of his decline in playing ability, he
remained teaching and spent most of this time
traveling the world.
•In the last few years of his life, he was the leader
of the United Nation Orchestra
Fun Facts
•In 1953 someone accidentally sat on Dizzy’s
trumpet and bent the bell up at a 45 degree
angle.
•After playing with it for a while, he decided it
produced a better sound and allowed him to read
music better.
•From then on out he requested all of his
instruments to be fashioned similarly.
Fun Facts
•Another fun fact about Dizzy is that he’s an
accomplished ambassador as well:
“In 1956 he led an orchestra on two international tours as cultural
missions for the U.S. State Department. He was featured at the
White House jazz party hosted by President Carter in 1979, and he
received numerous official honors from the U.S. and European
governments.”(University of Virginia)
Closing Thoughts
•Dizzy was a phenomenally talented musician
and teacher
•He lived a full and eventful life
•Participated in government, teaching, and jazz
festivals
•I’m certainly glad I chose him for this project!
Listening Guide
A Night in Tunisia
•One of his most famous works
•Written in 1942 while with Earl Hine’s band
•Though to be iconic, as well as a “jazz standard”
•Since, has had lyrical adaptations
•Also featured in albums across the world
Listening Guide
A Night in Tunisia
0:00- Song begins with melody being set with bass and piano
0:08- Percussion is introduced
0:10- Saxophone comes in
0:13- Trumpet joins
0:14- Verse 1 Begins with strong dynamics, fast rhythm
0:34- Trumpet and Saxophone solo with percussion and piano playing melody
0:46- Verse 2 Begins, same as Verse 1
0:57- Another Trumpet and Saxophone solo with percussion and piano playing melody
1:12- Trumpet breaks off solo with a hard spike in dynamics
1:58- Saxophone takes over solo from trumpet
2:27- Percussion then takes solo
2:37- Verse 3 Begins, same as others
2:47- Rhythm is slowed in verse
2:50- Rhythm slows almost to a standstill; individual instruments begin to taper off
Listening Guide
Salt Peanuts
•Yet another iconic piece
•Featured on the album The Complete Jazz at
Massey Hall
•Original concert didn’t generate enough money to
pay musicians, so they received the recording in
exchange for playing.
•Turned down by the label Verve, but finally
produced by Debut Records
•Helped Jumpstart Debut as a label as well
Listening Guide
Salt Peanuts
0:00- Rhythm is fast set by percussion
0:09- Trumpets help set melody
0:14- Piano is introduced to melody as well
0:19- Verse 1 begins, strong dynamics
0:30- Bridge
0:36- Verse 2 begins
0:43- Bridge
0:51- Verse 3 begins, vocals ”salt peanuts” introduced
1:05- Trumpet solo
1:10- Verse 4
1:28- Piano solo, with percussion on melody
2:48- Trumpet takes over solo
4:12- Second trumpet accompanies first, brings in great dynamics, excellent timbre
4:17- Percussion comes up from melody, accompanies trumpet in solo with harmony
4:30- Percussion falls back to melody
6:06- Percussion takes over for trumpet, excellent texture, quick rhythm, lacking
dynamics
6:46- Trumpet finishes out
6:52- One last hoorah with “salt peanuts” vocals
Listening Guide
Manteca
•Produced by RCA Victor in 1947
•Classic example of “Afro-Cuban” Jazz
•Collaboration between Dizzy and percussionist
Chano Pozo
•Recorded on the world renowned steps of
Carnegie Hall
Listening Guide
Manteca
0:00- Percussion and Bass setting melody
0:05- “Manteca” vocals
0:08- “Manteca” again, trumpet introduced, low dynamics, subtle texture
0:13- Second trumpet introduced, playing polyphonically
0:17- Third Trumpet introduced, different rhythm, harmony, and dynamic, while first two join in
with percussion in the melody
0:30- All three combine polyphonically
0:33- Percussion solo
0:41- Verse 1, polyphony again
1:00- Saxophone comes in as bridge with trumpets with varying melodies and rhythms
1:23- Verse 2
1:37- Trombone comes in, varied texture
1:43- Almost all instruments playing varied melodies simultaneously, excellent timbre
1:55- Saxophone solo
2:13- Trumpets bridge
2:20- Trumpet solo, with two trumpets and percussion in melody
2:33- Verse 3
2:37- “Manteca” vocals
2:43- Trombone with high dynamics
2:50- Percussion still carrying melody, rhythm overall slows, bass slowly enters
3:04- Two loud beats from drum
Reference
McElrath , K.J. "Night in Tunisia (1942)." Jazz Standards: Songs. Jazzstandards.com,
2011. Web. 27 Jun 2011. <http://www.jazzstandards.com/compositions0/nightintunisia.htm>.
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Aug 2005. Web. 27 Jun 2011.
<http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18599>.
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Reference
Carter, Kenny. "Dizzy Gillespie's Trumpet at the Smithsonian." Kenny Carter's Pbase Profile. Kenny Carter,
n.d. Web. 26 Jun 2011. <http://www.pbase.com/image/28581073>.
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Virginia, 09012009. Web. 26 Jun 2011.
<http://xroads.virginia.edu/~asi/musi212/margaret/martist.html#e>.
Yanow, Scott. "Biography: Dizzy Gillespie."Allmusic. Rovi Corporation, 2011. Web. 26 Jun 2011.
<http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dizzy-gillespie-p6576/biography>.
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Editions, 2007. Web. 26 Jun 2011. <http://www.jazzandbluesmasters.com/dizzy.htm>.
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times of the great ones. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 26 Jun 2011.
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2007. Web. 26 Jun 2011. < http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/gillespie-dizzy-john-birks>.
Reference
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