History has produced its
share of great artists and great
people—John Birks "Dizzy"
Gillespie was both. As a
performer, he left behind an
incredible record of innovation
and inspiration; as a composer,
a broad repository of musical
masterpieces; and as a man, a
legion of friends, colleagues
and compatriots who remember him
with the same degree of love and
esteem they reserve for his
work.
The Dizzy Gillespie™
All-Star Big Band, a veritable
who's who among jazz musicians,
was formed in the summer of 1998
to perform Dizzy Gillespie's
classic big band repertoire and
continue the legacy left by the
late master. The band
includes many Gillespie alumni
including Dizzy's closest
associates and collaborators,
James Moody. Other alumni
include Frank Wess, Jimmy Heath,
Paquito D`Rivera, Roy Hargrove,
Antonio Hart, Claudio Roditi,
Douglas Purviance and the band's
Executive Director, John Lee,
Dizzy's longtime bassist.
~Patrice Lee
