INTERVIEW: Dizzy Gillespie’s protege to celebrate the trumpeter’s 100th
Dizzy Gillespie is one of the most important instrumentalists and jazz musicians of all time, and this year companies around the world are celebrating the 100th anniversary of his birth. Joining in on the celebrations of the famed trumpeter is Jazz at the Center, an annual jazz series at the Performing Arts Center of Purchase College.
The series is co-curated by Seth Soloway, the Performing Arts Center’s director, and Jon Faddis, professor and director of jazz performance at Purchase College. Faddis is not only a Gillespie fan; he also had a personal connection to the jazz musician.
Gillespie served as Faddis’ mentor, and their friendship lasted three decades. Gillespie even said, “He’s the best ever, including me,” about Faddis’ own trumpet playing.
To celebrate the 100th, Jazz at the Center will host A Triumph of Trumpets Saturday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. The evening will serve as a tribute to Gillespie and feature the musical talents of Faddis and his quartet (Renee Rosnes, Todd Coolman, Dion Parson), trumpeter Tom Harrell, saxophonist Antonio Hart, percussionist Alioune Faye, trumpeter Max Darché, trumpeter Bruce Harris and guitarist Andrew Latona.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Faddis about the special night. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What can audience members expect at A Triumph of Trumpets?
With A Triumph of Trumpets, audience members can expect to enjoy an evening of dynamic jazz, rooted in the BeBop tradition pioneered by John Birks ‘Dizzy’ Gillespie (whose centennial we’re celebrating) and Charlie ‘Bird’ Parker — infused with both some modern melodic takes and grounded in West African rhythms. With Renee Rosnes on piano, Todd Coolman on bass and Dion Parson on drums, plus me, concert-goers will hear straight-ahead jazz performed by my quartet, augmented by renowned musicians Antonio Hart on saxophone, Tom Harrell on trumpet and Alioune Faye on djembe and sabor.
They’ll also get to catch three up-and-coming young jazz musicians — Max Darché, Bruce Harris and Andrew Latona — all graduates of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College. We’ll be playing some Dizzy classics, like ‘A Night in Tunisia,’ ‘BeBop’ and some quieter tunes as well as some inspired by Dizzy himself (part of Lalo Schifrin’s ‘Gillespiana,’ for example). And because Dizzy had quite a sense of humor, patrons can expect some jokes and fun in the mix.
When did you first fall in love with Dizzy Gillespie’s music?
Dizzy’s music first captured my attention when I was about 10. I’d been playing the trumpet for about three years; then I began working with a very well-respected Bay Area musician, Bill Catalano, who told me Dizzy was the best trumpeter in the world. I decided that, if he was the best, then that was who I was going to do my best to emulate; the more I learned about Dizzy’s compositions and creativity, the more I wanted to delve into it, too, and it informs my own compositions to this day. ‘Waltz for My Fathers and Brothers’ (Teranga; hdtracks.com) is one example.
What was it like having him as a mentor?
Having a mentor like Dizzy was like living a dream made real. He was my childhood hero; I had over 50 of his LPs by the time I was 15, and that was quite a commitment intellectually and financially for a young person growing up in Oakland, California, in the late 1950s/early 1960s. He was, and remains, an inspiration. He became like a second father to me, and then, as I grew older too, one of the closest friends I’ve ever had.
We could finish each other’s thoughts and exchange jokes or understandings with just a raised eyebrow on stage. In a way, that conversation is still going on (there’s a favorite painting of mine, Sigmar Polke’s The Spirits That Lend Strength Are Invisible, and it’s intended to change over time as the mediums from which it’s made interact, and that’s all part of it, too). For me, there’s a deep sense of loyalty and commitment to carrying the torch forward, performing and teaching others to be able to perform the repertoire of work Dizzy created. It’s not always easy, yet it’s worthwhile.
When did you first pick up a trumpet?
I first picked up a trumpet when I was 7. My parents asked me, quite casually one day, if I could chose an instrument to play, what would I choose? Thinking quickly about what other children on my street played, and also recalling seeing Louis Armstrong play on The Ed Sullivan Show, I said ‘trumpet.’ Shortly thereafter, a trumpet was placed in my hands, and instead of spending every Saturday bicycling or reading, I was off to trumpet lessons and practicing every day.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
A Triumph of Trumpets: A Tribute to Dizzy Gillespie will be performed Saturday, Nov. 4 at the Performing Arts Center at Purchase College in Purchase, New York. At 7 p.m., audiences can listen to a pre-concert artists’ talk. The concert begins at 8 p.m., and a post-concert CD signing with Tom Harrell and Bruce Harris begins at approximately 10 p.m. Click here for more information and tickets.
