Dizzy Gillespie

Object Details

Artist

Herman Leonard, 1923 - 2010

Sitter

Dizzy Gillespie, 21 Oct 1917 - 6 Jan 1993

Exhibition Label

Jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader Dizzy Gillespie first gained fame in the early 1940s, but he had such talent and staying power that he was still a dynamic presence on the music scene five decades later. Gillespie was only twenty-two when he joined Cab Calloway’s legendary big band in 1939, yet the maturity of his playing was already undeniable. His solos enlivened many of Calloway’s recordings, and Gillespie’s innovative arrangements laid the groundwork for his future experiments in rhythm and composition. After meeting saxophonist Charlie Parker in Kansas City in 1940, Gillespie joined Parker, pianist Thelonious Monk, and other young musicians in freewheeling jam sessions that spawned the new, energetic form of jazz known as bebop. Emerging rapidly as one of bebop’s greatest practitioners, Gillespie also played a pivotal role in introducing Afro-Cuban jazz to worldwide audiences. He toured extensively and was hailed as modern jazz’s most ebullient ambassador.

El trompetista, compositor y director musical Dizzy Gillespie se hizo famoso a principios de los años cuarenta, pero su talento y vigencia fueron tales que cinco décadas después aún era una presencia vigorosa en el ambiente musical. Tenía apenas veintiún años cuando ingresó a la legendaria orquesta de Cab Calloway en 1939, pero su madurez interpretativa era ya innegable. Sus solos vitalizaron muchas grabaciones de Calloway y sus innovadores arreglos de esa época sentaron las bases para sus futuros experimentos en ritmo y composición. Luego de conocer al saxofonista Charlie Parker en Kansas City en 1940, Gillespie y él se unieron a otros músicos jóvenes como el pianista Thelonious Monk en históricos jams que incubaron el nuevo estilo conocido como bebop. Destacándose muy pronto como uno de los grandes exponentes del bebop, Gillespie también tuvo un papel crucial en la divulgación del jazz afrocubano entre los públicos internacionales. Realizó incontables giras artísticas y fue aclamado como uno de los más exaltados embajadores del jazz moderno.

Credit Line

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

1948 (printed 1998)

Object number

NPG.2014.111.12

Restrictions & Rights

Usage conditions apply

Copyright

© Herman Leonard Photography LLC

Type

Photograph

Medium

Selenium-toned gelatin silver print

Dimensions

Image: 39.5 × 30.5cm (15 9/16 × 12")

Sheet: 50.4 × 40.6cm (19 13/16 × 16")

Frame: 71.8 × 56.5 × 3.8 cm (28 1/4 × 22 1/4 × 1 1/2")

Place

United States\New York\Kings\New York

See more items in

National Portrait Gallery Collection

National Portrait Gallery

Topic

Music\Musical instrument

Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses

Nature & Environment\Plant

Music\Musical instrument\Trumpet

Dizzy Gillespie: Male

Dizzy Gillespie: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Jazz

Dizzy Gillespie: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Horn\Trumpet

Portrait

Record ID

npg_NPG.2014.111.12

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply

GUID (Link to Original Record)

http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4acbdd0ae-674b-4dc9-8ee8-459bbad8b791