Dizzy Gillespie

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs Archive.

Speaker 10:05

For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in 1980, and the presenter was Roy Plumley.

Presenter0:30

On our desert island this week is a jazz map.

Presenter0:33

The trumpet player Dizzy Gillespie.

Presenter0:35

Now, Dizzy, this is the proposition. You're on this desert island. You don't know how long for. It might be a good long time. Could you adjust yourself to solitude? Could you ever get used to it?

Dizzy Gillespie0:45

Well, I have adjusted myself to solitude on the road now.

Dizzy Gillespie0:50

My wife doesn't travel much.

Dizzy Gillespie0:53

So I'll have to uh make arrangements to be alone.

Dizzy Gillespie0:57

So I I must organize myself. So I do that. I'm I'm I'm pretty organized.

Presenter1:03

Good.

Presenter1:04

Now you've chosen just eight records. Did you have any kind of plan in choosing them? Are you

Presenter1:10

Looking back

Presenter1:12

Ardy, the sounds of friends

Dizzy Gillespie1:13

No, I no. What I did, I have favorite musicians.

Dizzy Gillespie1:18

And I just choose something that they did, you know. But there's so many. I I just have to.

Dizzy Gillespie1:25

as I think of them. Mhm. And and just be satisfied with that because it it's very difficult to compile a a list of eight when your list

Dizzy Gillespie1:36

Yeah, is up in the two hundreds or something like that.

Presenter1:39

What's the first one? Who of you chosen first?

Dizzy Gillespie1:42

Well, I've chosen Royal Jews because Royal Jews was my favourite inspiration.

Dizzy Gillespie1:48

He was a catalyst.

Dizzy Gillespie1:50

Amongst trumpet players coming up, all of us wanted to play like Royal Dridge.

Presenter1:55

And what are you going to hear him play now?

Dizzy Gillespie1:57

His classic solo on Rockin' Chair with Gene Grouper.

Presenter3:03

Royal Ridge with the Gene Kruper Band recorded in nineteen forty one, Rocking Chair.

Presenter3:09

You were born in South Carolina. Whereabouts exactly? Trans.

Presenter3:14

Is that a small town?

Presenter3:15

Resmo

Presenter3:17

So really you're a country boy? Well, you can say that.

Presenter3:22

You were one of nine children. D d did that mean that that times were pretty hard?

Dizzy Gillespie3:26

Oh, I I came up during the Depression, the American Depression. It's horrible.

Dizzy Gillespie3:31

Were you bright at school? What did you want to be? Yeah, I was bright. I caught up to my brother. My brother's two years and a half older. Mhm. Could have passed him, but didn't want to embarrass him.

Presenter3:42

Had you any idea what you wanted to be as a youngster?

Dizzy Gillespie3:42

And you

Dizzy Gillespie3:45

Well, anything that that that made a sound that

Presenter3:45

Uh

Presenter3:48

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie3:48

That was from the

Presenter3:48

Uh

Presenter3:50

How did music come into your life? Where did you hear your first music?

Dizzy Gillespie3:53

Well, my school came into possession of some instruments from the state. Mm-hmm.

Dizzy Gillespie4:00

And and all of us waited round to get an instrument, so I got a trombone. It was about the age of uh eleven.

Presenter4:08

Why did you switch from the trombone to the trumpet?

Dizzy Gillespie4:11

But the the fellow next door had a trumpet. He let me practice on.

Presenter4:15

All right. Uh Uh

Dizzy Gillespie4:16

Yeah.

Presenter4:17

And uh you had this band. Were there many places to play outside the school? Because in a small time. Please for that.

Dizzy Gillespie4:25

That's cool, too.

Presenter4:26

Yeah, it's for the

Dizzy Gillespie4:27

White School

Dizzy Gillespie4:28

It was a black school and white school.

Presenter4:29

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie4:30

Uh Yeah.

Presenter4:31

Were you taught to read music at school?

Dizzy Gillespie4:33

Well, I learned that like on my own, really, with the assistance of a trombone player.

Presenter4:39

You began to study agriculture. Ha had you a feeling that you wanted to be a farmer?

Dizzy Gillespie4:44

Well, that was a easy subject for me. I didn't have to study too hard to learn that.

Presenter4:49

You'd done some practical work as a kid during the rough times. You'd pick cotton, hadn't you?

Dizzy Gillespie4:53

Yeah, well

Presenter4:54

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie4:54

Um

Dizzy Gillespie4:55

I never did pick too well because I was too small when that was going on.

Presenter4:55

No.

Dizzy Gillespie5:00

But I did work on the WPA for a moment.

Presenter5:02

Works progress administration. That's right.

Dizzy Gillespie5:05

That was when Roosevelt came in, nineteen thirty two.

Presenter5:06

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie5:09

And then uh I I got a scholarship at Lombard Institute in North Carolina.

Dizzy Gillespie5:16

And then I moved to Philadelphia in 1935, and then in 37, I moved to New York.

Presenter5:21

What what took you to Philadelphia?

Dizzy Gillespie5:23

Hand removed.

Presenter5:24

Uh

Presenter5:25

Well, that's an important move in your life, so let's break off here for your next record. What shall we hear?

Dizzy Gillespie5:32

The next record is indescribable.

Dizzy Gillespie5:35

There are just no words to describe.

Dizzy Gillespie5:39

The dexterity and the creativity and the

Dizzy Gillespie5:44

And just

Dizzy Gillespie5:46

Mr. Gorilla an instrument.

Dizzy Gillespie5:49

And I'm speaking of octato. What's he playing? The piano. Yeah, what's the number?

Dizzy Gillespie5:56

Body and soul.

Presenter6:58

Autatum, Body and Soul.

Presenter7:01

Now, you had gotten to Philadelphia. You were what, seventeen or eighteen? Well well, nineteen.

Presenter7:07

Yeah. Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie7:07

Um

Presenter7:08

Right and

Dizzy Gillespie7:08

Yeah.

Presenter7:08

Had you by now decided that you were going to be a professional musician?

Dizzy Gillespie7:12

Oh, that was decided in high school.

Presenter7:14

And you had been listening to Roy Eldridge. You said he was your inspiration. You had heard him on the radio?

Dizzy Gillespie7:21

Yes, from the survival room.

Presenter7:23

There was a regular broadcast, was it, every week?

Dizzy Gillespie7:25

Yeah.

Presenter7:25

He meant to you more than Louis Armstrong or all the the better known.

Presenter7:31

Trumpet Heroes of the Day.

Dizzy Gillespie7:32

L'ORYO just he was the epitome of champion players to

Dizzy Gillespie7:37

Countless young trumpet players. Every age has its own idols. You know, the age before us idolized Louis Armstrong, see? Our age idolized Roy just like the age

Dizzy Gillespie7:49

After Roy idolized me.

Dizzy Gillespie7:51

And there is after me when there was Miles and Fats and Clifford Brown. But they they have their their own heroes.

Presenter7:56

Uh

Dizzy Gillespie7:59

Whose bad was he?

Presenter7:59

Whose band was he in at that time?

Dizzy Gillespie8:01

Teddy Hill.

Presenter8:02

Jedi Hill, yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie8:02

Yeah.

Presenter8:03

And before long, you were playing in that band yourself.

Dizzy Gillespie8:06

Yes, and came to Europe.

Presenter8:08

You were always in trouble for clowning.

Presenter8:10

Right at the beginning of your career.

Dizzy Gillespie8:12

Oh, well, yes, sir.

Presenter8:14

I mean, that was the time when they began to call you Dizzy, isn't it?

Dizzy Gillespie8:17

At the beginning, I guess.

Dizzy Gillespie8:20

in Philadelphia.

Dizzy Gillespie8:21

Uhhuh. That was before I even moved to New York.

Dizzy Gillespie8:24

How long did you stay with Teddy Hill?

Dizzy Gillespie8:27

All around for about two years.

Presenter8:29

Uh

Dizzy Gillespie8:29

Yeah.

Presenter8:29

I went to Cab Calloway. You were already developing something of an experimental style, I believe, Dizzy. You were inclined to play what Cab Calloway called Chinese music.

Dizzy Gillespie8:40

He didn't know anything about music.

Dizzy Gillespie8:44

He was a performer and a singer.

Dizzy Gillespie8:47

There's very little he knew about what was going on.

Dizzy Gillespie8:50

But he did have a good band.

Speaker 38:52

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie8:52

You see, he would rely on other people to tell you how good a guy was.

Dizzy Gillespie8:57

When I was in the band, in the Trump section, it was Mario Bowser, Jonah Jones, Lamar Wright, Tyree Glynn, Quentin Jackson.

Dizzy Gillespie9:05

Um Kay Johnson.

Dizzy Gillespie9:08

Trueberry, Danny Barker,

Dizzy Gillespie9:11

Hilton Jefferson.

Dizzy Gillespie9:13

Health time, but Chaffer Singh.

Presenter9:14

The b

Dizzy Gillespie9:17

Who's he? Magnificent. Magnificent Alto Fress Alto Fresh.

Presenter9:17

Jefferson.

Dizzy Gillespie9:22

Fantastic.

Dizzy Gillespie9:25

These guys were at the top of their profession. It was absolute it was the best job in New York City. And here I was, um, twenty seven years old with a job like that.

Presenter9:36

You and Calloway didn't get on awfully well. There were fisty cups, I believe, w when you left.

Presenter9:41

You had a bit of a

Presenter9:43

An altercation, yes. That's a very tactful way of putting it.

Dizzy Gillespie9:43

Or

Presenter9:47

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie9:47

Uh

Presenter9:47

Mm-hmm.

Presenter9:48

Right, what's your third record?

Dizzy Gillespie9:51

My third record is by Miles Davis.

Dizzy Gillespie9:55

This is one of my favorite recordings of his.

Dizzy Gillespie9:58

and it's also one of my favorite compositions.

Dizzy Gillespie10:02

by JJ Johnson, the eminent trombonist.

Dizzy Gillespie10:05

This one is called Lamet.

Presenter11:09

Miles Davis with the Gill Evans Orchestra.

Presenter11:13

Lament

Presenter11:14

After leaving Camp Calloway, you worked with Ella Fitzgerald for a while.

Dizzy Gillespie11:18

Yeah. Yeah, you you you're making me divulge my whole book here today. You know, my book is coming out in February here in in London.

Presenter11:25

I I know you've been writing it all down.

Dizzy Gillespie11:28

Yes, all of this is your. Have you copied from the book? I haven't seen the book.

Presenter11:32

I haven't seen the book. Nobody'll show me a copy of the book.

Dizzy Gillespie11:34

Well my goodness. You're asking me all the questions that that my uh

Presenter11:38

Mm-hmm.

Dizzy Gillespie11:39

Interrogate I asked Graham I

Dizzy Gillespie11:41

But yes, I played without fisher for a hot moment.

Presenter11:43

This was the old Chick Web Orchestra that she took over.

Presenter11:47

When did you start arranging Dizzy? In Philadelphia.

Presenter11:51

Already it started.

Dizzy Gillespie11:53

Well it became important to livelihood.

Dizzy Gillespie11:55

When things got

Dizzy Gillespie11:57

Rough of playing, you wrote and you would sell arrangements to the band. Yeah. Yeah.

Presenter12:02

And all the bands wanted some bebop. You'd become a a progressive. I mean, the sum of it was was was pretty far out.

Presenter12:10

Well, music.

Dizzy Gillespie12:11

Yeah.

Presenter12:12

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie12:12

evolves. Uh music is is is the same as life, is in a constant state of flux. So therefore, if you are one of one of these people who

Dizzy Gillespie12:24

Well have the

Dizzy Gillespie12:25

Hindsightness.

Dizzy Gillespie12:27

To um

Dizzy Gillespie12:29

See a little into the future and see how.

Dizzy Gillespie12:32

uh things are going to be operating.

Dizzy Gillespie12:35

Well, you're one of the fortunate ones. So there there have been some fortunate musicians who.

Dizzy Gillespie12:42

Actually, looked into the future at the music, say it's going this way, and boom, there.

Presenter12:45

Yeah.

Presenter12:46

It wasn't really a conscious revolt against how swings are.

Dizzy Gillespie12:49

No, I was saying no, no. There was no revoke.

Presenter12:53

You and and and Charlie Parker and Billy Eckstein, one or two others found you had the same ideas.

Presenter12:59

and you worked along together.

Dizzy Gillespie13:01

Yes, yes.

Presenter13:03

Now, the neo-musical language, or call it what you will, came to be known as as bebopnet. Would you like to explain that word?

Dizzy Gillespie13:11

There's no actual explanation for the word beba. Only the music sounds a little like that. You know, you say.

Dizzy Gillespie13:18

So da bada be da da da ba, you know, da ba da be da da da ba or something like it mu sound like the music says that on the end of the phrases. Mhm.

Speaker 113:20

When I'm

Speaker 113:23

In one

Dizzy Gillespie13:28

Beep op is actually the phrasing of the music.

Dizzy Gillespie13:32

Not the music in itself.

Dizzy Gillespie13:35

They even when they're playing ballads, they're phrasing that way. Or if they're playing

Dizzy Gillespie13:41

God saved the uh whoever, the king, uh queen, whoever you have to save over here not at the moment.

Dizzy Gillespie13:47

They play that like that, or whatever they phrase it.

Presenter13:49

Yeah.

Presenter13:51

Right, let's have another record. We've got to number four.

Dizzy Gillespie13:54

Number four will be the Divine One, Servan.

Presenter13:58

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie13:58

Yeah.

Presenter13:58

Yes.

Dizzy Gillespie13:59

I've been following her career since she first started.

Dizzy Gillespie14:03

As a matter of fact, I was in the band, in the Earl Heinz band, at the same time as Sarah.

Presenter14:08

That was when she had her first first break.

Dizzy Gillespie14:08

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie14:10

Yeah, and I left the band at the same time with Billy XI with Celebrum. What's she going to see? Deep Purple. And not only that, but the artists.

Dizzy Gillespie14:20

and the arranger

Dizzy Gillespie14:21

Equally my two favorites, Robert Farnan. When the

Speaker 314:27

Uh

Speaker 314:31

People falls over sleepy.

Speaker 314:38

Gone wrong and the stars begin to flicker in the sky

Presenter14:53

Sarah Vaughan with the Robert Farnan Orchestra, Deep Purple.

Presenter14:58

Now you went on on a nationwide tour with uh Sarah Bourne and Billy Eckstein and other exponents of this

Presenter15:06

Well, not new music, but this developed music. How did it go down in the sticks? I mean, you were taking it.

Dizzy Gillespie15:11

Well, Billy was a big star then for singing ballads, Jelly Jelly and Stormy Monday Blue.

Presenter15:14

And

Dizzy Gillespie15:16

So the people they went for it.

Presenter15:18

Yes.

Dizzy Gillespie15:18

They would let it go.

Dizzy Gillespie15:20

Because of the idea that Bill's sign was a big um

Dizzy Gillespie15:24

Matney Idol

Presenter15:25

But they didn't mind the idea that he was sounding a bit different.

Dizzy Gillespie15:28

It was the music that was different. But the Xine had his, you know, his style.

Presenter15:32

Technically, of course, this was much more demanding than than

Dizzy Gillespie15:36

Every age is more demanding on everything. In religion, everything is ma demanding.

Presenter15:40

Yeah.

Presenter15:42

How was it for dancing? Because you were also playing for dancing.

Dizzy Gillespie15:45

Well, you you just have to acclimate yourself to the fact that it's faster than you want to maybe that you want to do. But I always dance with it, so I d I was dancing out in front of a band all my life. And people say, You can't dance to it. I said, What do you think I'm doing?

Presenter15:55

I would dance and have a

Presenter16:02

And of course you were associated a tremendous amount with with Charlie Parker. Yes. That was a a tragically short existence. Um he burned out very early. Did you see that coming the whole time?

Presenter16:13

When you were working with

Dizzy Gillespie16:14

No.

Dizzy Gillespie16:15

No one thinks of death when they're alive anyway, mostly, except the one that's getting ready to die. Unless he reveals himself to you.

Dizzy Gillespie16:26

But uh no, I had no inclination that

Dizzy Gillespie16:30

I tried to park it was almost split.

Dizzy Gillespie16:33

One day he did tell me, Save me. And uh, that's in the book, no.

Dizzy Gillespie16:37

Well, tell me,'cause I haven't seen the book.

Dizzy Gillespie16:40

Well it'll be out in February.

Presenter16:41

Yes, I can't wait to win.

Dizzy Gillespie16:44

But he said at one time to me,

Dizzy Gillespie16:46

And I looked at him rather strangely because I really didn't know what he meant, you know. That was just before, not not too long after that he died.

Presenter16:55

Yeah.

Presenter16:57

Now you led your own big band well into the fifties when it became

Presenter17:01

Economically impossible to do so any more. Do you regret the passing of the Big Band?

Dizzy Gillespie17:06

I don't have read anything.

Dizzy Gillespie17:10

I'll probably do my whole life again like it is, why?

Speaker 317:14

And

Dizzy Gillespie17:14

Not too many things that I would, um

Dizzy Gillespie17:17

Change.

Dizzy Gillespie17:19

Well, I'm pretty satisfied with what has happened.

Presenter17:21

And you've disciplined the clowning now, Dizzy. I mean, you're you're a showman. The clowning.

Dizzy Gillespie17:25

Well, I'm I'm I'm a performer.

Presenter17:27

And that's it.

Dizzy Gillespie17:30

I can do um

Dizzy Gillespie17:33

Well, I just did the Muppet Show. Mhm. I can do many I have been many ways of expression and the people s sort of go for it, you know, because they see the sincerity. Actually I like to have a good time on the stage.

Dizzy Gillespie17:47

So when I'm having a good time, I let them know that I'm having a good time. And if I'm having a good time, maybe it might reflect the audience.

Presenter17:55

Where have we got to now? What's next on the list there?

Dizzy Gillespie17:58

This is one by uh the eminent Clifford Brown.

Presenter18:01

Another trumpet player.

Presenter18:04

and this one is called Dahud.

Presenter18:07

He's no longer with us, is he?

Dizzy Gillespie18:08

No, he had a very short life, but a very

Dizzy Gillespie18:13

Pray at life.

Presenter18:13

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie18:15

And and he's a great influence on all the trumpet players now.

Presenter19:15

Clifford Brown with Max Roach on drums and three other people playing Daud.

Presenter19:21

How much of the year do you spend travelling? Too much. Too much.

Presenter19:25

Female cut.

Dizzy Gillespie19:25

Ooh.

Presenter19:26

Do you stroke?

Dizzy Gillespie19:26

People enjoy it. I mean, I don't know.

Dizzy Gillespie19:30

But I'm still gonna cut down. I don't know. I love home too, you know. I like to be home, yes. I I love staying, you know what I'm saying? But but I love this trip and and travel.

Presenter19:41

Where is home?

Dizzy Gillespie19:42

Yeah.

Presenter19:42

New Jersey.

Presenter19:44

You greatly enjoy Latin American music. When did that get into your system?

Presenter19:49

Uh

Dizzy Gillespie19:49

I must have been at it forty years.

Dizzy Gillespie19:52

When I was in the Savoy Ballroom in New York, there was a band called Sakara.

Dizzy Gillespie19:57

Alberto Saccana.

Dizzy Gillespie20:00

I played maracas and trumpet. Mhm.

Dizzy Gillespie20:03

And then I became closely associated with Mario Bowser, who was the musical director of Machito's band. And he got me the job with Cab Calloway in nineteen thirty nine.

Dizzy Gillespie20:14

So he's like my musical father, so I've been a great

Dizzy Gillespie20:19

Latin or feel.

Presenter20:21

You would love to play the bongos and the and the tambourine and and any other

Dizzy Gillespie20:24

I love all that rhythm. I I I'm a rhythm man.

Presenter20:27

Tell me about that upswept trumpet of yours. Your trumpet goes up at the end 45 minutes.

Dizzy Gillespie20:32

Well, it's an autistic thing, just a

Dizzy Gillespie20:35

People ask me, Why is your horn that? I said, Why don't you ask the French horn player why the bell curves backwards and he's got his hand up in it?

Dizzy Gillespie20:45

And he's playing with his left fingers. So my horn is not nearly as weird looking as a French horn, a French horn. And the bell goes way back someplace in there. And the music, I mean, it seems

Speaker 120:52

Uh French on.

Dizzy Gillespie20:59

Rather strange?

Dizzy Gillespie21:01

For you to be playing to somebody and your your bell is going in the opposite direction.

Presenter21:06

Yes. You're putting the music up in the air instead of down on the air.

Dizzy Gillespie21:09

I'm putting it up in the air and they putting it in the back and then nobody bowed the French on plate.

Presenter21:13

Uh When did you start doing this? When did you discover 20 years?

Dizzy Gillespie21:15

Over twenty

Presenter21:16

Yes. Do many other people copy you?

Dizzy Gillespie21:19

Some of'em. There's several schools and

Dizzy Gillespie21:22

that marching bands have these trumpets.

Presenter21:24

Right, number six. What have we got?

Dizzy Gillespie21:27

For number six is my favorite male vocalist, Billie Eckstein.

Dizzy Gillespie21:33

The one that I left

Dizzy Gillespie21:34

All hands with.

Dizzy Gillespie21:37

and took Sarah Ron along with us.

Dizzy Gillespie21:40

We had the first Bebop band.

Dizzy Gillespie21:44

And this title of this tune is You Don't Know What Love Is

Presenter21:48

Oh, this is one of his ballads, isn't it?

Dizzy Gillespie21:50

Yes.

Dizzy Gillespie21:51

I I request this when I see him all you know.

Dizzy Gillespie21:55

And they make me play the piano for them.

Speaker 321:59

Don't know what love is.

Speaker 322:05

Until you've learned the meaning of the blue

Speaker 322:11

Until you've loved a lot, you've had to lose.

Speaker 322:18

You don't know

Presenter22:24

Billy Eckstein, you don't know what love is. Now, on this island, Dizzy, as desert islands go, it's not bad. It's got water and it's got sunshine and it's got palm trees. Could you look after yourself?

Dizzy Gillespie22:38

Yeah, I well, I don't require too much. I just like the basic, you know, a a toilet and some drinking water.

Dizzy Gillespie22:45

And and and I don't eat meat, so you don't have to worry about that. You don't eat meat? No, no, so they would have probably have a lot of uh fruits and and and and

Presenter22:48

Yeah.

Presenter22:54

Well, you know about agriculture. You you you grow something.

Dizzy Gillespie22:54

What do you

Dizzy Gillespie22:57

That

Presenter23:00

Are you good about the house? Can you mend things? In other words, are you?

Dizzy Gillespie23:03

No, no, I'm not too good. My well, I don't know yet. I don't know whether I am or not, but my wife won't let me. She doesn't trust me.

Dizzy Gillespie23:10

But she won't trust me.

Presenter23:11

You think you could put up some sort of shelter?

Dizzy Gillespie23:13

And in an emergency. Oh, the whole thing's an emergency. Yeah, well, in an emergency I could probably cope with.

Presenter23:19

Uh

Presenter23:19

Would you try to escape?

Dizzy Gillespie23:21

No, that I'd rather like though.

Presenter23:22

Life, I think.

Presenter23:25

Serious question, Dizzy, do you have a religious faith that would help you in that? Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie23:30

Yes, well, I belong to the Baha'i faith.

Presenter23:32

Oh yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie23:32

Yeah.

Dizzy Gillespie23:34

And the Baha'i faith is is self

Dizzy Gillespie23:38

self satisfying.

Dizzy Gillespie23:40

I I I could make it, you know, I could but I but I have to have my prayer book with me though.

Presenter23:44

Ah, well, we'll arrange that.

Dizzy Gillespie23:46

I would have to carry that with me.

Presenter23:48

Good. Number seven.

Dizzy Gillespie23:50

Number seven is the guy who I think is is is mainly responsible for the changing of American music.

Dizzy Gillespie23:59

In the forties, late Charlie Parker.

Dizzy Gillespie24:03

He was a main source of inspiration to countless thousands.

Dizzy Gillespie24:08

He was my inspiration.

Dizzy Gillespie24:10

He brought joy into the lives of so many people in such a

Dizzy Gillespie24:15

Strange thing that he had to uh die when he brought so much joy into the world.

Dizzy Gillespie24:21

His advent on the world will be remembered for long.

Dizzy Gillespie24:26

What he played

Dizzy Gillespie24:28

Parker's Move.

Speaker 324:56

Mm-hmm.

Presenter25:16

Charlie Parker playing Parker's mood.

Presenter25:20

You haven't chosen any discs of your own. Now, if you did choose one to survive out of the hundreds that you've made, which which one would you like to be remembered by?

Dizzy Gillespie25:30

Mmm, that's hard with that.

Dizzy Gillespie25:34

I I don't like many of my records anyway, so

Dizzy Gillespie25:38

Um

Dizzy Gillespie25:40

I have one that I'm sort of fond of, a composition of mine that I wrote called Olinga.

Dizzy Gillespie25:46

And Olingo was inspired by a Baha'i brother in East Africa, and he lives.

Dizzy Gillespie25:52

and um Uganda, as a matter of fact.

Dizzy Gillespie25:55

and his name is Ina Kollinga.

Dizzy Gillespie25:57

His station is uh

Dizzy Gillespie25:59

Hand of the cause of God.

Dizzy Gillespie26:03

And I wrote this for him about

Dizzy Gillespie26:05

Five or six years ago. And I'd rather enjoy playing that. It's it's one of my

Presenter26:09

Mm.

Dizzy Gillespie26:12

One one of the best I think.

Presenter26:13

That's the one that you're happiest with.

Presenter26:16

Right now your your last record. What's that?

Dizzy Gillespie26:19

My last record is ever pushed to hell.

Dizzy Gillespie26:22

Who I've been closely related to for many years. As a matter of fact,

Dizzy Gillespie26:28

One of her husbands came out of my band. Yes. Uh, Ray Brown. I hope it was a good one. Ray Brown, yes. Push it not together now, but uh

Presenter26:33

I hope it was a good one.

Speaker 126:35

Uh

Dizzy Gillespie26:38

But Ella

Dizzy Gillespie26:39

Learn Bebob.

Dizzy Gillespie26:41

when she was uh touring with our band'cause we had a bebop band and she was adding

Dizzy Gillespie26:47

It's great now.

Presenter26:48

What's your singing? Is this a bebop number?

Dizzy Gillespie26:51

No any special flower about Billy Strehorn.

Presenter26:54

That's right.

Speaker 326:55

Haitian flower

Speaker 327:07

Send from the bloom above

Speaker 327:19

Yeah.

Presenter27:31

Ella Fitzgerald with the Duke Emmington Orchestra, Passion Flower.

Presenter27:35

If you could only take one disk instead of eight, when narrowing it right down, which one would you stay with?

Dizzy Gillespie27:41

I would have to take Charlie Parker.

Presenter27:43

Charlie Parker.

Dizzy Gillespie27:44

Who was the biggest influence on my life?

Presenter27:46

Parker's mood.

Presenter27:47

And one luxury to take with you to the island. What about

Dizzy Gillespie27:50

My horn, that's it.

Presenter27:53

And I I would be satisfied with that.

Presenter27:55

And one book apart from the Bible and Shakespeare, which are already there, and not a big encyclopedia.

Dizzy Gillespie28:01

No. One book is my Baha'i Prayer Book.

Presenter28:04

Your Baha'i Prayer Book. And thank you, Dizzy Gillespie, for letting us hear your Desert Island discs.

Dizzy Gillespie28:05

Right.

Dizzy Gillespie28:10

It was a great pleasure being here.

Dizzy Gillespie28:13

And I hope we will do it again some day.

Presenter28:15

I hope so too. Thanks very much. Goodbye, everyone.

Speaker 128:25

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk slash radio four.