Dizzy Gillespie: The Cheek-Puffing Architect of Bebop
American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer, renowned as a pioneering figure in the development of bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz.Born in South Carolina, Gillespie rose from poverty to become one of the most influential figures in jazz history. A virtuoso trumpeter with a uniquely bent horn and inflated cheeks, he co-founded bebop with Charlie Parker, revolutionized jazz harmony and rhythm, pioneered the fusion of jazz with Afro-Cuban music, led influential big bands, and became a gl...