Today in History - January 6

Dizzy Gillespie On January 6, 1993, Dizzy Gillespie, the last of the primary originators of Be-Bop jazz, died in Englewood, New Jersey. The trumpeter-composer-bandleader had laid the foundation of modern jazz with pianist Thelonius Monk, drummer Kenny Clarke, guitarist Charlie Christian, and alto saxophonist Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. Be-bop is a way of phrasing and accenting. The accent is on the up beat. Instead of OO-bah it’s oo-BAH. Different chords too. And lots of flatted 5ths and 9ths. There’s lots more to it. But just now I can’t think of what. Dizzy Gillespie quoted in Posin’. In: Down Beat 14, no. 19 (Sept. 10, 1947):6. William P. Gottlieb Collection. Music Division In the 1940s, jazz thrived at venues such as the Three Deuces, the Troubador, and the Famous Door which shared the stretch of 52nd Street between 5th and 6th Avenues with strip clubs and restaurants. The area was alternately referred to as “Swing Lane” and “Be-Bop Alley” and often simply called “The Street.” Dizzy and his fellow innovators frequently gathered at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem for after-hours jam sessions. The men favored complicated chord changes and rapid syncopated rhythms due in large part to their effect of frightening away less-talented musicians who would have wanted to join in had they felt capable. Gillespie thrilled audiences with his effortless combination of heart-stopping talent and irrepressible showmanship and made incalculable contributions to jazz throughout his career, championing Afro-Cuban jazz and influencing such musical behemoths as Miles Davis. Dizzy continued to play until the end of his life. He toured far-flung locales making his bent trumpet, moon cheeks, and compositions such as Night in Tunisia, Manteca, and Birks Works recognizable to jazz fans around the world. The William P. Gottlieb Collection, comprised of over 1,600 photographs of celebrated jazz artists, documents the jazz scene from 1938 to 1948, primarily in New York City and Washington, D.C. During the course of his career, Gottlieb took portraits of prominent jazz musicians and personalities, including Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Mary Lou Williams, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Earl Hines, Thelonious Monk, Stan Kenton, Ray McKinley, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, and Benny Carter. This online collection presents Gottlieb’s photographs, annotated contact prints, selected published prints, and related articles from Down Beat magazine. Why must you wear a goatee to play good hot horn? Strictly utilitarian, man…strictly utilitarian! Nothing faddish about it. First, it gives my lips strength. You know what hair did for Sampson. It’s protection, too. Can’t afford to let a razor get too close to those chops. Dizzy Gillespie answers William Gottlieb in Posin’. Down Beat 13, no. 12 (June 3, 1946): cover. William P. Gottlieb Collection. Music Division