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Dizzy Gillespie

Person · Male

Dizzy Gillespie

From
Cheraw, United States
Active
1917–1993
Rating
★ 5 (1 votes)
Releases
494
  • jazz
  • afro-cuban jazz
  • bebop
  • vocal jazz
  • big band
  • jazz-funk

About

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ghih-LES-pee; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator, and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of early bebop styles. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, scat singing, bent horn, pouched cheeks, and light-hearted personality have made him an enduring icon.

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In the 1940s, Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman.
He won several Grammy Awards. Critic Scott Yanow wrote, "Dizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up being similar to those of Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis's emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated [...] Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time".

From Dizzy Gillespie on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Member of

Discography

Albums 123

Showing 60 of 123. See them all on MusicBrainz

EPs 47
Singles 62

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Live 74

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Compilations 181

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Other 7

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Also known as

B. Bopstein · Diz · Dizzie Gilespie · Dizzie Gillespie · Dizzy · Dizzy Gilespy · Dizzy Gillepsie · Dizzy Gillespie's Big 4 · Gabriel · Hen Gates · J. Burk · J.B. Gillespie · John Berks · John Birks · John Birks Gillespie · John Burk · John Gillespie · John Kildare · John “Dizzy” Gillespie · “Izzy” Goldberg · ディジー・ガレスピー

Tags

  • 2008 universal fire victim

Identifiers

ISNI
0000000109181520
IPI
00011891894

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 12 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.