The impact of Dizzy Gillespie, on the development of modern jazz (Coursework Sample)

Name:
Course:
Tutor:
Date:
The impact of Dizzy Gillespie, on the development of modern jazz
Dizzy Gillespie was a Jazz trumpeter, composer, occasional singer and a bandleader. Gillespie has been acknowledged as one of the most influential and talented jazz trumpeters and composers that ever lived, if not the best (Ake 37). He was an improviser and trumpet prodigy who builds on the Roy Eldridge virtuoso style, in tandem with adding several layers of vocal complexity that were previously less known or unknown in jazz. His scat singing, his horn-rimmed spectacles, his bent horn, and his light-hearted personality were extremely essential in popularizing the modern jazz. This essay analyzes the impact of Dizzy Gillespie on the development of modern Jazz.
The contribution of Dizzy Gillespie to the development of modern jazz was groundbreaking such that many sources and critics, both during his time and today, nicknamed him the father of modern jazz. His contribution can be traced back to early 1940s and late 1950s. Notably, in the mid 1940s and early 1950s Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie became influential figures in the growth and development of modern jazz and bebop (Rutkoff and Scott 91). Led by Dizzy Gillespie, in tandem with Charlie Parker, jazz transformed itself from complete entertainment music to a modernist art form, becoming in effect modern jazz. The two founded the style of jazz that became largely known as bebop. Parker and Gillespie composed pieces that were complicated and highly syncopated. Their sophisticated style and most of the styles deriving from it were largely classified by many critics as modern jazz.
Before, their attempt to develop bebop, which would later become modern jazz, big band players in the United States were stifled by the lack of creativity in their regularly careers, though they were well paid. Nevertheless, Gillespie and parker’s new direction facilitated the emergence of several features and characteristics notable in the modern jazz. During their concerts, they started tackling the underlying harmonies of tunes and substituting new chords with richer, less predictable combinations of notes.
For instance, the widely acclaimed ballad "I Can’t Get Started”, that was made popular by Bunny Berigan, a swing era trumpeter, received a more sophisticated transition into its central theme, largely worked out by Gillespie, which made it sound immediately more modern and fresh (Ake 37). In addition to treating other famous tunes in a similar way, Gillespie and other notable trumpeters began to introduce new harmonies that were largely improvised. Their new style became largely known as bebop. A bebop band then followed.
Under the leadership of Dizzy Gillespie, the Bebop bands played music that was not only busy but also agitated. They packed more ideas into each performance than swing styles players ever did. Their performance started to revolutionize form slow tempos to extremely fast tempos. During this time, Dazzling virtuosity began to characterize bebop performances in general, and not just those of Gillespie and Parker. As a matter of fact, most Bebop soloists became well known for improvisation highly loaded with surprises of rhythm and abrupt changes in the direction of jazz melodies.
Following Gillespie and Parker’s contribution to the rise of bebop, many individuals started to refer to bebop as the first true modern jazz style (Rutkoff and Scott 91). Several compositions by Gillespie including "Salt Peanuts”, "Woody ‘n’ You”, and "Groovin’ High" sounded radically different, rhythmically and harmonically, from the then highly popular swing music. Besides the widely acclaimed 1992 music, "A Night in Tunisia”, by Gillespie had paved way for the emergence of modern Jazz as it has been noted as having several futures that are very common in the contemporary music.
In addition to playing his newfound style of music, Gillespie started to teach several young musicians including Max Roach and Miles Davis about this new style of Jazz. Tandem to this, he even went ahead to teach and influence several musicians including several notable musicians such as Fats Navarro, Jon Faddis, Arturo Sandoval, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman. Nevertheless, following a lengthy gig, later on in 1945, most audience became hostile or ambivalent towards this new music forcing Gillespie band to break up. However, unlike parker who decided to play in small groups, Gillespie was mainly focusing in leading a big band to which he became unsuccessful in the beginning.
Perhaps, Gillespie started making more impact to the development of new Jazz in 1946 following his attempt to put together a big band. Gillespie, together with his band, focused mainly on popularizing bebop, in tandem with making Gillespie a symbol of this new music. Besides focusing on his band, Gillespie also appeared severally as soloist in different concerts particularly in New York.
Nevertheless, following the demise of his big...