Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer and composer.
Dizzy Gillespie | |
|---|---|
| File:Dizzy Gillespie playing horn 1955.jpg Dizzy Gillespie in 1955 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Birks Gillespie |
| Born | October 21, 1917 Cheraw, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | January 6, 1993 (aged 75) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Trumpet |
| Years active | 1935–1993 |
| Associated acts | Charlie Parker, Cab Calloway |
As an instrumentalist, bandleader, singer, and composer, Gillespie was the youngest of nine children. His father was a local bandleader, so instruments were made available to him at an early age.[1] He started to play the piano at the age of 9.
Nicknamed Dizzy because of how he acts during performances, Gillespie set new standards for trumpet players with his innovative rhythmic and harmonic explorations. This definitive change moved American jazz from swing to 'bebop'. Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of modern jazz.
Gillespie died on January 6, 1993 at age 75 from pancreatic cancer. At the time of his death Gillespie had two funerals. One was a Bahá´í funeral at his request, at which his closest friends and colleagues attended. The second was at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City open to the public where everyone can attend.[2]
Dizzy Gillespie Media
- Dizzy Gillespie 1955 Press Photo.jpg
Gillespie in a publicity photo (c. 1955)
- D. Gillespie, J. Lewis, C. Payne, M. Davis, R. Brown.jpg
Gillespie with John Lewis, Cecil Payne, Miles Davis, and Ray Brown, between 1946 and 1948
- Dizzy Gillespie in Helsingborg, Sweden 1959.jpg
Gillespie performing in 1959
- Dizzy Gillespie Giants of Jazz 1973 Dia0002.jpg
Gillespie performing at a Giants of Jazz concert in 1973 (behind him is drummer Art Blakey)
- Dizzy Gillespie01.JPG
Le trompettiste américain de jazz Dizzy Gillespie en concert à Deauville (Normandie, France) le 20 juillet 1991.
- Dizzy for President (cropped).jpg
A "Dizzy Gillespie for President" pinback button, 1964
- Dizzy Gillespie holding memoir "To Be or Not to Bop".jpg
Gillespie holding his memoir: To Be or Not to Bop (1979)
- Dizzy Gillespie-140912-0009-98WP.jpg
Gillespie performing for The Giants of Jazz in 1971, an exemplar shown also of his cheek-oriented laryngoceles
- DIG15178-014 (53537432815).jpg
Gillespie's bent trumpet on display in February 2024
- Dizzy Gillespie statue.jpg
Statue of Gillespie by Ed Dwight in his hometown of Cheraw, South Carolina
References
- ↑ "Early life". dizzygillespie.net. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
- ↑ Dizzy Gillespie Memorial. https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/08/arts/dizzy-gillespie-memorial.html. Retrieved 2008-06-18.