Dizzy Gillespie: Inventor of Bebop and Jazz Ambassador
Famous for his puffed cheeks and, alongside Charlie Parker, credited with inventing Bebop, Dizzy Gillespie was a true jazz legend.
Often mentioned in the same breath as Miles Davis and Louis Armstrong, Gillespie’s trumpet hero was Roy Eldridge—a master improviser whose influence Dizzy expanded upon with more complex harmonies and rhythmic innovations.
Unlike Charlie Parker, Dizzy lived a long and active life, touring the world, recording prolifically, and passing on his knowledge to younger musicians, including a young Miles Davis.
His collaborations included nearly every major name in jazz, and his international touring made him a global ambassador for the genre.
In fact, during a 1956 tour of the Middle East, his cultural impact earned him the nickname The Ambassador of Jazz.
Dizzy Gillespie’s most famous composition is A Night in Tunisia, and one of his most notable session features came in 1982, delivering a solo on Stevie Wonder’s Do I Do.
These are just highlights—his catalogue is vast and varied. Explore it here: List of works by Dizzy Gillespie.
Among his performances, you’ll find jazz standards such as All the Things You Are, Body and Soul, Desafinado, Hot House, Caravan, One Note Samba, ‘Round Midnight, and Summertime.
Dizzy Gillespie Tunes | Related Pages
A Night In Tunisia | Chords + TAB
Learn how to play A Night In Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker using chords, chord analysis, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
Verse
||: Eb7 | Dm7 | Eb7 | Dm7 | Eb7 | Dm7 | Em7b5 A7 | Dm7 :||
Check out the full TAB lesson here: A Night In Tunisia (Dizzy + Bird) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Summertime | Chords + TAB
You can learn how to play Summertime by Billie Holiday using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C | Bbm7 F7b9/C | Db6 F7b9/C |
Summertime and the living is easy…
Check out the full TAB lesson here: Summertime (Billie Holiday) Guitar Lesson with TAB.
Dizzy Gillespie on the web
