20 YEARS AGO: DIZZY GILLESPIE JOINED THE BOPPIN’ BAND OF ANGELS

Dear folks —

Everyone who is following my blog since 2007, she/ he should meanwhile know what Dizzy Gillespie means to me:

Dizzy is and will remain my great musical and – but not in a religious way! – my spiritual mentor, and, as I’ve told him personally:

‘My (jazz) musical grandfather.’

Dizzy was – and for me, he still is that! – THE undefeated CHAMP (linked with one of his greatest solos), the ever victorious master of the trumpet.

There are a couple of articles about Dizzy Gillespie at this blog; to spare you the search, I’ve listed them below:

THEY ALL DUG DIZ & ALL THAT JAZZ ∽ AND THEY ALL WOULD HAVE JOINED DIZZY GILLESPIE’s 95th ANNIVERSARY PARTY ON OCTOBER 21 (2012)

Dizzy Gillespie & Johnny Richards – The “lost” JEROME KERN MEMORIAL ALBUM – Hollywood 1945 or 1946

JOHN BIRKS “DIZZY” GILLESPIE, ALSO A TALENTED COMPOSER & PIANIST – PARISIAN YEARS

EXTRA UPDATE: BIRD ‘n’ DIZ, Or: Why it didn’t work no more. — Two ‘Live’ Sets from New York’s Carnegie Hall (1952) & from Portland’s Civic Auditorium (1954)

…and there is of course the story of my own encounter with the rebellious, the innovative, the boppin’, the humorous, the great human …

…the one and only Mr. John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie.