Dizzy Gillespie Essay - 1317 Words

Dizzy Gillespie deservedly ranks amongst the most influential and innovative jazz musicians of all times. Every note played with his trumpet captivated a legion of devout followers from all different age demographics and cultural backgrounds. Only Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong can tread the waters of his talent and his ever-growing legend, which was propelled by his revolutionary style. The Bebop revolution would have been a real yawner without notable Dizzy Gillespie tracks and stunning collaborations with top artists from the time period. He played alongside great musicians like Cab Calloway, Ella Fitzgerald, Earl Hines, Duke Ellington, Billy Eckstine, Charlie Parker, Charlie Christian, Thelonious Monk, Max Roach and Coleman†¦show more content†¦The birth of Bebop music was built on a similar evolutionary process that has taken over many different art forms since the beginning of human history. There was a yearning for change and a desire to break the binding chains of the standard New Orleans jazz, Dixieland, and Swing music (Aycock, 1997). In the 1940’s Dizzy Gillespie and a legion of young and talented musicians went to war against traditional jazz music and forged a new modern landscape of immense record sales, popularity and fame. The creation of Bebop catered to the would-be gods of jazz, because their talent rose to the top. Musical characteristics of Bebop shifted away from simple melody variations and moved towards intense improvisation and difficult harmonic progressions (Horricks, 1984). There was an air of confidence brewing amongst the young innovators and a sense of pride in maintaining their dominance. Dizzy Gillespie said this about the subject, â€Å"There were some who couldn’t blow at all but would take six or seven choruses to prove it. So on afternoons before a session Thelonious Monk and I began to work out some complex variations on chords and the like, and we used them at night to scare away the no- talent guys (Horricks, 1984, p. 30).† The crucible that bred the Bebop style was New York City and the famous Minton’s Playhouse (Aycock, 1997). This venue can be viewed as a more of a laboratory of modern jazz experiments than a simple small club.Show MoreRelated Dizzy Gelespie (John Birks Gillespie) Essay2954 Words   |  12 Pagessmall portions of the music that people take and sample with in a new song. Jazz and its historical figures have mistreated and forgotten by todays society. One of the figure most forgotten is John Birks Gillespie, known to the jazz world as quot;Dizzyquot; Gillespie. quot;Dizzyquot; Gillespie was a trumpet player, composer, bandleader and politician of mostly the early 40s to mid 50s. This was a time period in Jazz called Bebop, Bop or sometimes known as Rebop. Bebop got its name from theRead MoreColeman Hawkins Essay1967 Words   |  8 Pageslabeled as a swing musician though; and while he did begin his career during the swing era playing with such greats as Louie Armstrong, Fletcher Henderson, Wilbur Sweatman, and Ginger Jones, he continued his career later in life with players like Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Milt Jackson – some of the best bop and modern jazz artists known to date.(Kernfeld, 505) This paper is devoted to the truthful portrayal of Coleman Hawkins, his life, his playing, and the art he helped create known as jazzRead MoreThe Music Of New Orleans Jazz1223 Words   |  5 Pagestheir love and excitement for the jubilant music. Jazz is a unique style of music that is often performed by brass band musicians using si mple instruments to create a distinctive musical sound. Two distinguished musicians, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie, rose to fame with their musical talents in the jazz community around the world. These two musicians born below the Mason Dixon line would acquire their popularity by performing nationwide, but their childhood, musical careers, and legacies wouldRead MoreEssay on John Coltrane1679 Words   |  7 PagesRather than relying on a written piece, the artist improvises. Jazz has taken many forms over the past seventy years; there is almost always a single person who can be credited with the evolution of that sound. From Thelonius Monk, and his bebop, to Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, to Miles Davis’ cool jazz, or to John Coltrane’s free jazz; America’s music has been developed and refined countless times through individual experimentation and innovation. In my opinion the most noteworthy artist in the developmentRead MoreAnalysis Of The Movie Bird 1587 Words   |  7 Pagesexperiences like Dizzy Gillespie. The film also focuses greatly upon Parker’s relationship with Chan Richardson who is Charlie Parker’s last wife (although it was never an official marriage). 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ThatRead MoreWhat Makes John Coltrane?2416 Words   |  10 Pagesreferred to him as a spiritual man and this may have played a big part in Coltrane allowing himself to turn his life around (Diliberto 2012). In 1949 all of Coltrane’s hard work in his early years had finally paid off, as he joined a band led by Dizzy Gillespie a famous jazz trumpeter. One can see that Coltrane utilized a vast array of tools to help him enhance his musical prowess, this hard work paid off with the acceptance into Dizzie Gillespie’s band and with that Coltrane’s professional career wasRead MoreBebop Research Papaer Essay2700 Words   |  11 PagesBebop music was the next evolutionary change of Jazz music that succeeded swing music. This paper’s aim is look at musicians who impacted this era, exploring more in depth Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. In the early 1940’s, the swing bands began to all sound the same as well as work along predictable chord changes.1 The music was now not used for dancing. Some people believed that this would let the music go away from the elite social groups, and now be for everybody. Also just becauseRead MoreThe Philosophical and Sociological Developments for Bebop During the 1940s1518 Words   |  7 Pageswas the fist kind of modern jazz, which split jazz into two opposing camps in the last half of the 1940s. The most important musicians who gathered at Mintons where Thelonious Monk, piano, Kenny Clarke, drums, Charlie Christian, guitar, Dizzy Gillespie, trumpet, and the altoist Charlie Parker. This was later to become the real genius of modern jazz, as Louis Armstrong is the genius of traditional jazz. One of these musicians, Charlie Christian, is not only a founder of modern jazz but alsoRead MoreJ.b. Johnson : His Instrument, The Trombone1059 Words   |  5 Pagesbook. In early 1946, J.J. Johnson left Basie’s Band and was starting to play faster on the Trombone. When Bebop evangelist, Dizzy Gillespie, heard Johnson play, he encouraged him to join the Bebop, which was flourishing on New York’s Fifty-Second street. Therefore, Johnson spend the 1940’s working with small groups in New York, whereas he recorded with others such as Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. By this time, he had established himself as the leading trombonist in modern jazz. In 1946