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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
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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 ChanoPozo 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/compositions-0/nightintunisia.htm>. Bailey, C.Michael. "The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall." All About Jazz. All About Jazz, 08 Aug 2005. Web. 27 Jun 2011. <http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=18599>. Gioia, Ted. "DIZZY GILLESPIE: MANTECA (1947 VERSION)." Jazz.com. jazz.com, n.d. Web. 27 Jun 2011. <http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:4fnNZ-SUAYkJ:www.jazz.com/music/dizzy-gillespie-manteca-1947-version+manteca+gillespie&cd=6&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&source=www.google.com>.
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>. "Cool Jazz and Hard Bop Artists." Jazz: Marking Time in American Culture. University of 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>. Troupe, Quincy. "dizzy gillespie . american jazz musician." The Jazz and Blues Masters. Mason Editions, 2007. Web. 26 Jun 2011. <http://www.jazzandbluesmasters.com/dizzy.htm>. "John Birks (1917-1993) Trumpeter, composer, and bandleader." Biographies:The life and times of the great ones. Oxford University Press, n.d. Web. 26 Jun 2011. <http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_gillespie_dizzy.htm>. Lomanno, Mark. "Gillespie, Dizzy (John Birks)."ENCYCLOPEDIA OF JAZZ MUSICIANS. jazz.com, 2007. Web. 26 Jun 2011. < http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/gillespie-dizzy-john-birks>.
Reference http://www.gengleanings.com/places/postcards/images/edwardshall.jpg http://www.rhapsody.com/#/artist/various-artists/album/100-jazz-classics/track/a-night-in-tunisia http://www.rhapsody.com/#/artist/dizzy-gillespie/album/an-electrifying-evening-with-the-dizzy-gillepsie-quintet/track/salt-peanuts http://www.rhapsody.com/#/artist/various-artists/album/100-jazz-classics/track/manteca http://www.jazzphoto.ch/pages/dizzy_gillespie.htm