Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie (full name John "Dizzy" Gillespie) was a great jazz trumpeter, having worked with many great jazz musicians, notably with Charlie Parker, and he even once played piano on some Charlie Parker recordings when Miles Davis was playing trumpet.

Watching Dizzy Gillespie play is fantastic, if also a little amusing. He has a speicially made trumpet, with the bell sticking up in the air to give him greater projection. Also, when he plays, he puffs his cheeks out a lot (as all trumpeters these days are told not to!), to allow him to do circular breathing, and it has the effect of pushing his glasses up when his cheeks puff out!

While Dizzy Gillespie showed his true skill and ability to play fast, frenetic phrases in his recordings with Charlie Parker, he also recorded with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz. My favourite C.D. featuring Dizzy Gillespie is definitely Sonny Side Up, with Sonny Stitt and Sonny Rollins, because this features stunning solos from all of these players.

Overall, Dizzy Gillespie was a fantastic jazz musician, sometimes overlooked because of the fact he was around at the same time as Miles Davis. He had a lovely tone and played some incredible solos, even though his trumpet and technique were slightly unusual!

Some good C.D.'s featuring Dizzy Gillespie are:
Sonny Side Up, Shaw 'Nuff, Diz and Getz, Diz and Bird at Carnegie Hall (and any Charlie Parker Recordings featuring Dizzy Gillespie)