Happy Birthday Dizzy Gillespie!

Charles Mingus & Dizzy Gillespie at Newport Jazz Festival, 1971. Photo: David Gahr

Wishing John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie a happy heavenly birthday! The innovative, iconic, and eternally-hip trumpeter, composer, vocalist, pianist (and occasional presidential candidate) was a longtime friend and collaborator of Mingus’, from the time of their first musical meeting in 1946 as members of Wilbert Baranco’s Rhythm Bombardiers. Their most famous meeting, however, was the 1953 all-star concert at Toronto's Massey Hall that also included Charlie Parker, Bud Powell, and Max Roach. Gillespie continued to appear occasionally with Mingus’ groups as a featured guest soloist through the 1970s, including 1972’s Charles Mingus & Friends In Concert with Gillespie performing his onomatopoeic vocal, “Ool-Ya-Koo,” and later that year with Mingus’ touring sextet at the Nice Jazz Festival in France. Mingus also honored Gillespie with titular nods in two of his compositions, “Dizzy Moods” and “Dizzy Profile.”

[1] Charles Mingus, Max Roach, and Dizzy Gillespie at Massey Hall, Toronto, 1953 (Frank Driggs Collection/Magnum) / [2] Dizzy Gillespie & Charles Mingus at Newport Jazz Festival, 1971 (Photo: Milt Hinton) / [3] Article: “Sue Mingus chats with Dizzy Gillespie” (1979, publication unknown) / [4] Historic "Dizzy Gillespie For President" pin; Doug Hammond-copied lead sheet "Dizzy Profile"; back cover LP box, Jazz In Detroit/Strata Concert Gallery/46 Selden (2024, Mingus Archives/Jazz Workshop, Inc.)