Fred Cadet
Prof. M. Perotta
English Composition 1
5/9/15
Dizzy Gillespie(John Birks Gillespie)
Recognized by his puffed-out cheeks and unusual trumpet, Dizzy Gillespie was one of the key figures in the birth of bebop jazz. Gillespie is known for his "swollen cheeks and signature trumpet's bell and got his start in mid-1930s by working in prominent swing bands, including those of Benny Carter and Charlie Barnet. He created his own band and developed his own signature style, known as "bebop", and work with musical greats such as Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Earl Hines, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellinton. His best known compositions were "Oop Bob Sh' Bam", "Groovin' High", "Salt Peanuts", "A Night in Tunisa" and " Johnny Come Lately. He died
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in New Jersey in 1993 and is considered one of the most influential figures of jazz and bebop. He was a perfect combination of innovation and inspiration.
Gillespie was both a great performer and a composer. Born in October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina, to James and Lottie Gillespie, John was the last of nine children. Gillespie's father, James, was a band leader, and because of which instruments were easily available to Dizzy, he started to self-teach himself in the art of music. In way you could say that Dizzy was influenced by his father in path towards becoming one of the biggest factor in ushering in the era of Be-Bob in the American jazz tradition. Two years later after the death of his father, Gllespie learned how to play the trombone but then switched to trumpet after borrowing a neighbor’s and developed an endearment towards the instrument at the age of 12. He later heard a radio broadcast of Roy Eldridge playing the trumpet in Teddy Hill's Orchestra at the Savoy Ballroom in New York City. since that day, he had dreamed of being a jazz …show more content…
musician. Gillespie was recognized by the staff at the Laurinberg Institute of North Carolina as a prodigy and was given a scholarship to be in the band in 1932. During his stay, He studied both the trumpet and the piano. Gillespie studied the works and styles of other performers and composers like all musicians today and enjoyed listening the works of others such as Stravinsky, a virtuoso composer of the classic period and admired Maurice Ravel, another composer who was famous for works like “Bolero”. But the one that truly had is admiration was his idol, swing trumpeter Roy Eldridge and would transcribe and learn the notes that Eldridge would play during his solos in his studies, going as far as to take the saxophone style lines of said trumpeter and play them faster with much greater ease. For the next several years afterwards, Gillespie played with local bands to audiences consisted of both black and white. In 1935, Gillespie left school to join he's family who was moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he started playing the trumpet with local bands and learn all of his idol's Elbridge's solos from records and radio broadcasts and had his first professional job with Frank Fairfax Orchestra in 1936. It was while working with Fairfax's band that he got the nickname "Dizzy" due to his clown-like behavior as well as he's very puffed cheeks when playing the trumpet. He later left Philadelphia in 1937 and moved to New York City where he would have better luck as a jazz player. He would then eventually get a job with Teddy Hill, who was a big band leader and the manager of Minton's Playhouse, which is a seminal jazz club in Harlem, big band because he sounded very similar Roy Eldridge who was Hills previous trumpet player. It was within the band that Gillespie made his first recording "King Porter Stomp". During his time in Teddy Hill’s band, Gillespie’s relaxed attitude and sense of humor won him the nickname Dizzy and the two years he was with the band had put him on the map as a trumpet soloist. In 1939, Gillespie joined one of the biggest high-paid black bands in New York, Cab Calloway's big band.
During his time with this group, he developed an interest in the combination of jazz and Afro-Cuban music and began to separate from Eldridge's playing and recorded one of his earliest composition, the instrumental "Pickin in the Cabbage" in 1940. Unfortunately in 1941, Calloway fired Gillespie as he did not approve of Gillespie's humor and childish antics on stage. Later on, Gillespie went on to work with many leaders including Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Carterm Charlie Barnet, Le Hite, Lucky Millder, Earl Hines and Duke Ellington. In 1944 Gillespie received the New Star Award from Esquire magazine which would be the first of many rewards he would receive in her career. When asked about his new style of played, Gillespie wrote, “We’d take the chord structures of various standard tunes and create new chords, melodies, and songs from
them,” In 1945, Gillespie finally organized his own band, though they did not gain any financial success and had formed a bob quintet with Parker in November in which his band became recognized as one of the greatest small bands of the 20th century. At one point he had formed his own record company known as Dee Gee, sadly it too as financially unsuccessful and thus short lived. In 1953, someone had accidentally fell on Gillespie's trumpet, causing the bell to bend backwards but after Gillespie played it, He found that he rather liked the sound and decided to have trumpets built for him with the bell pointing upwards at a 45-degree angle. This design would go on to become his trademark and more than 30 years, he was the only major trumpeter in jazz to play with that kind of instrument. Gillespie’s presentation of modern day jazz reached its highest point in 1953 at concert at Massey Hall in Toronto, featuring Gillespie himself, Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, Max Roach, and the legendary jazz bassist Charles Mingus. It was rated by jazz critics as “the greatest jazz concert ever, and was recorded by Mingus and later released on Debut Records. Gillespie is a symbol of both jazz and free spirited attitude, not only was he a great performer and composer but his antics as well as his behaviors on stage were very welcomed and loved. His positive and optimistic attitude was an inspiration to mean and was a major influence on modern day jazz.
John Birks, also known as “Dizzy Gillespie” was born October 21,1917. He grew up in Cheraw, South Carolina. Gillespie was the youngest of his nine siblings. Gillespie’s father was a bandleader as well as a bricklayer. His father died when he was only ten years of age. Several years after his father passed away Dizzy Gillespie became a self-taught trombone and trumpet player (“David”). His skills increased so much over time that he later learned how to play the cornet. Gillespie had a special talent for playing these instruments. He was enrolled into the Laurinburg Institute of North Carolina in 1932. The school told him that they wanted him to play for their band. During his time at the school, he practiced his instruments mostly by himself.
Louis has being the most prominent trumpet player in history. His trumpet playing techniques significantly impacted all other instrument players who came after him and emulated his techniques in all other instruments. His style and innovative perspective of jazz changed all the forthcoming jazz singers who had a lot to learn from him, including Bix who learnt a lot from Louis Armstrong. Two of his most famous hit sounds were “What a Wonderful World” as well as “Hello Dolly” among others. The emotions attached to his music is what attracted most people and led to the spread of his music. The charm present in the music was also adored and enjoyed by
After a while his friends started beginning to notice his politeness and his dapper style and gave him the nickname “duke.” When Ellington was seven years old he started taking piano lessons and found his love for music, although his love for baseball was more potent at the time. Ellington recalls President Roosevelt coming by on his horse at times and watching the boys play baseball. Ellington wound up getting his first job selling peanuts at baseball games. While working at the Soda Jerk in the Poodle Café in the summer of 1914, Ellington wrote his first composition and called the piece “Soda Fountain Rag”, he created it by ear because he had not yet learned how to write or read the music.
Duke Ellington, named Edward Kennedy Ellington at birth, was born on April 29, 1899, in Washington D.C. to James Edward Ellington and Daisy Kennedy Ellington. Both of Ellington’s parents were talented, musical individuals. Edward Kennedy was later nicknamed Duke by his childhood friend, Edgar McEntire and this name has stuck with him throughout his life and career. Duke Ellington was one of Jazz and Big Band’s most influential icons. He was known for famous recordings such as “Sophisticated Lady”, "Take the A Train," "It Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got that Swing," and "Satin Doll," Duke Ellington started taking piano lessons at age seven and became more serious about his piano lessons after hearing a pianist who worked at Frank Holiday’s poolroom. He was fourteen and had started sneaking into the poolroom. After listening to the poolroom’s pianist, something was ignited within and he fell in love with the piano. Ellington was known for his ability to choose members for his band who possessed very unusual talents while playing their instruments. These talents included Bubber Miley, who used a plunger to make the "wa-wa" sound, and Joe Nanton, who was known for his trombone "growl." It was for this quality to find such unusual players and his ingenious ability to compose beautiful music that lead to Ellington’s huge success. Duke Ellington composed over 1,000 compositions right up until the day he died, May 24, 1974. Although Ellington was known as a huge figure in Jazz, his music spanned beyond the Jazz genre; it stretched into blues, gospel, popular, classical and film scores. Through his efforts and achievements, he has made Jazz more accepted as an art form and genre. Ellington had received 12 Grammy awards from 1959 to 2000...
Developed in the early 1940's, Bop had established itself as vogue by 1945. It's main innovators were alto saxophonist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. In this stage in jazz, improvisation differed immensely. Bebop soloists engaged in harmonic improvisation, often avoiding the melody altogether after the first chorus. Usually under seven pieces, the soloist was free to explore improvised possibilities as long as they fit into the chord structure. Popular and influential jazz artists include: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, & Cannonball Adderley. Armstrong is most known for his involvement in hot jazz as a trumpeter, but is especially renowned for his improvisation capabilities. Louis Armstrong, born August 4, 1901 right in the beginning stages of the jazz movement, was originally from New Orleans. Armstrong was a bandleader, soloist, comedian/actor, and vocalist. Another famous, Miles Davis, is what some consider to be the best trumpeter of the era. Davis was born on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois. One unique thing about Davis was that he was taught to play without vibrato, which was incredibly contrary to the popular way of
The popularity of jazz grew in the twenties, and its center changed from New Orleans to Chicago. From there it spread to Kansas City and New York. The end of WWI ushered in the Jazz Age in New York, and it came to be associated with the parties and wild behavior of the 1920’s (Verve). Music from this era is also sometimes called “The Chicago Style,” and includes artists such as Bix Beiderbecke on trumpet and Pee Wee Russel, Mezz Mezzrow, and Benny Goodman on clarinet.
The music of jazz became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into American mainstream music through dance halls and saloons and later through ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone and clarinet became important and symbolized the “swing-feel” of jazz because of their capability to syncopate and improvise precisely. With the help of the booming recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contributions to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the entire country. Such musicians include composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who heavily influenced the development of early jazz by his unique piano style, his “invention” of musical notation for jazz, and his compositions that have become the core in the jazz repertory. Because the style was new and different and so successful in drawing in large audiences, musicians around the world tried to mimic it. Furthermore, Morton’s masterpieces were the first to show notation for complicated jazz music and thus, formed the basis for standard notation in jazz compositions today.
When the United States were showing signs of economical growth, the unimaginable happen. When the 1929 stock market crash marked the day that the United States slowly crept into the Great Depression. The Great Depression caused nationwide panic. There was a decrease of production and the sale of goods. Many businesses started to collapse and close. Banks closed down since they took people’s money and invest in stocks. When the stocks crashed, banks went bankrupt and people lost their money and savings. Then there was a rise in unemployment and thousands of workers lost their jobs. Countless amount of people were homeless and they were trying their best to save their money. People were trying to figure out how to deal with their economic difficulties. During that time, people wanted to escape from their problems. They would watch movies and listen to music. At the time Jazz music was very popular. Jazz music had musical freedom and the songs show the way many people felt. It had the power to lift the gloomy spirits of the people affected. Jazz music has a style that appeal to many people, both young and old. One of the earlier Jazz
When it comes to jazz music, there is one name that everyone knows, whether they’ve never listened to jazz before or if they’ve listened to it their whole lives. That name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of the pioneers of jazz music, from his humble beginnings in one of New Orleans roughest districts, “the Battlefield”, to playing concerts for sold out crowds in Chicago and New York City, Louis left a massive impact on the way America listened to music for a long time. One of his premier tracks, “West End Blues”, left an impact on jazz music, which other musicians would try to emulate for years.
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
In the mid 1930s, Benny Goodman sparked the beginning of the Swing Era of jazz music shortly after leading his first band, which was monumental to the development of jazz. This marked a transition from the early Jazz Age, which resulted from combining aspects of ragtime and blues music over the previous two decades. Through Goodman’s live performances at various gigs and NBC’s radio show Let’s Dance, he gained increased recognition as a jazz performer and band leader. Following his pivotal Palomar Ballroom gig in Los Angeles, Goodman’s music inspired teenagers to create dances to accompany his new jazz style. As a result, his music grew to gain national acclaim and popularity among many different types of people. Goodman greatly influenced
By this time a major change in jazz was afoot, and a young trumpet player named Dizzy Gillespie formed his own small prototype group at the Onyx Club in New York. This group met regularly and played original music based on popular swing tunes, with improvised melodies, and modified chordal structure. This new music was called bebop,
Edward Kennedy Ellington, American jazz composer, orchestrator, bandleader, and pianist, is considered to be the greatest composer in the history of jazz music and one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century. He composed over 2000 works and performed numerous concerts during his musical career. A compilation of some of his most popular music is collected on a CD called "The Popular Duke Ellington." Ellington personally created most of the music played by his orchestra. He often wrote pieces for specific players with distinctive musical styles in his band, such as "Concerto for Cootie" (1940) for fellow musician and trumpeter, Cootie Williams. With the help of American trumpeter James "Bubber" Miley, Ellington often incorporated in his music the jungle effect.
Dizzy Gillespie left my band in Washington, D.C. He told me to go over to hear Andy Kirk, because there was a fellow with Kirk named Fats Navarro. 'Take a listen to him,' said Dizzy, 'he's wonderful!' So I went out to the club, and the only thing Fats had to blow was behind a chorus number. But he was wailing behind this number, and I said to myself, 'This is good enough this'll fit.' So I got Fats to come by and talk it over, and about two weeks after that he took Dizzy's chair, and take it from me, he came right in ... Great as Diz is ... Fats played his book and you would hardly know that Diz had left the band. 'Fat Girl' played Dizzy's solos, not note for note, but his ideas on Dizzy's parts and the feeling was the same and there was just as much swing.
Andrews, John. (1998). What bebop meant to jazz history. A review of Scott Deveux’ book “The Birth of the Bebop: A Social and musical history.”