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Dizzy Gillespie and John ColtraneHeather Britt

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John Birks Gillespie

• Born on October 21, 1917• Nicknamed “Dizzy” for his

zany onstage antics such as carrying is trumpet in a paper bag to rehearsal.

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Starting his career• Hired by the Ted Hill Orchestra to travel with them to

Europe• By the age of 19 he had made a name for himself• Known for his radically fresh trumpet solos• Made his first recording before leaving for Europe• Formed his own group at the Onyx Club• One of the main starters of bebop• Married Lorrain Willis• Dizzy later wrote, ”The opening of the Onyx Club

represented the birth of the bebop era.”

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Later in life• Gave three hundred performances in twenty-seven countries,

performed in one hundred U.S. cities, thirty-one states, the District of Columbia, headlined three television specials, performed with two symphonies, and recorded four albums all in the year 1989.

• At the age of 72 Dizzy received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences' Grammy Awards ceremonies

• President George Bush gave him the National Medal of Arts

• Other awards:– the American Society of Composers– Authors– The Publishers' Duke award

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• October 6, 1993• Died at the age of

75 • Caused by

pancreatic cancer

• Last public

appearance was in February of 1992 at Seattle

DEATH

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John William Coltrane• September 23, 1926• Born in Hamlet, North Carolina• Spent his early childhood in HighPoint, North

Carolina• In 1939 his father, John Robert Coltrane, died• Moved to New Jersey where he finished high

school• The first instrument he played was clarinet, but

later switched to saxophone • Tenor Saxophone, Lester Young, from Countie

Basie's band, was his first musical influence.

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After High school

• In 1943 moved to Philadelphia by his mother• Joined the navy from 1945-1946 • Began to play gigs around Philadelphia• Drugs and alcohol became a big part of his life• Band broke up, started playing with Dizzy

Gillespie’s band

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Later on• Joined a group with Miles Davis in

1955• Stopped performing with Davis in

1960 to make his own group• First performance was in April of

1960• That same year recorded some of his

top hits, such as "Summertime."

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Family• Had a son on August 8, 1964

named John Coltrane Jr.• Had another son on August 6, 1965

named Ravi• On March 19, 1967 had a final son

named Oran.• Died on July 17, 1967 due to years

of alcohol and drug abuse

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Coltrane’s Cultural Influence

• Coltrane added new kinds of jazz like “free jazz”– Helped form many of the new ideas for

improvisation – Looked to for inspiration by many

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Gillespie’s Cultural Influence

• Main contributor to the American Jazz music to swing and bebop– This influenced the creation of more modern

music, such as R&B and rock n’ roll

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SummaryDizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane

are both inspirations and role models for me. They were the main cause for me trying jazz. Their new ways and great talent helped form jazz into what it is today.

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References• http://

www.jazzandbluesmasters.com/dizzy.htm

• http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_timeline-r1.html

• http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Gillespie-Dizzy.html

• http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=5851