Dizzy Gillespie

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (/ɡɪˈlɛspi/; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer.

Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge[2] but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. His combination of musicianship, showmanship, and wit made him a leading popularizer of the new music called bebop. His beret and horn-rimmed spectacles, his scat singing, his bent horn, pouched cheeks and his light-hearted personality provided some of bebop's most prominent symbols.

In the 1940s Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman.

AllMusic's Scott Yanow wrote: "Dizzy Gillespie's contributions to jazz were huge. One of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time, Gillespie was such a complex player that his contemporaries ended up being similar to those of Miles Davis and Fats Navarro instead, and it was not until Jon Faddis's emergence in the 1970s that Dizzy's style was successfully recreated [....] Arguably Gillespie is remembered, by both critics and fans alike, as one of the greatest jazz trumpeters of all time".

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Dizzy Gillespie is known for work in acting across film and television. New Release currently presents 29 verified screen credits connected to this profile.

Selected work includes Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2024), The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America (2012), The Music According to Tom Jobim (2012), The Harlem Renaissance (2004), The Beginnings of Bebop (1981), The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962), The Mike Douglas Show (1961), Great Performances (1971). The recorded credits span 1946 to 2024, including 19 movies and 10 TV shows.

The filmography below lists available titles, release years and known roles. This profile is updated as additional verified information becomes available.