To Be, or Not . . . to Bop

To Be, or Not . . . to Bop

Dizzy Gillespie and Al Fraser

Innovative memoir of jazz genius Dizzy Gillespie tells the story of black American music during one of its greatest periods

560 Pages, 6 x 9 in

  • Paperback
  • 9780816665471
  • Published: February 23, 2009
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To Be, or Not . . . to Bop

Dizzy Gillespie and Al Fraser

ISBN: 9780816665471

Publication date: February 23rd, 2009

560 Pages

9 x 6

You don’t have to know John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie’s songs to feel his influence. The self-taught trumpet player rose from a poor but musically driven upbringing to become a jazz mastermind, founding the bebop movement and giving rise to Afro-Cuban music.

This extensive biography is intertwined with reflections from famous Gillespie associates Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and many others. They provide numerous perspectives of Gillespie’s early start on the road to fame and the spirited times that would follow.

To Be, or Not . . . to Bop is a unique account serves as both a rollicking history lesson in American music and culture and a towering play-by-play of a life not to be forgotten.

Al Fraser was a longtime friend of Gillespie. He has been a professor of African American studies.