Comments on: Dizzy Gillespie, Music, and the Baha’i Faith

By: Regan Roy

Regan Roy — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 10:10:31 +0000

Dizzy Gillespie (Rip) frequented the National Bahá’í Center in Lima, Peru during his brief stay in the city when he was on one of his many international tours. My good friends, Enrique, Nicolas and Mónica Sánchez Camacho, have a beautiful photo of Dizzy sitting with local friends at the National Center, decked out in his bahá’í tee shirt, a big smile from ear to ear, and that special Dizzy twinkle in his eyes. Dizzy died in New Jersey, age 73, only months after the successful celebration of the 2nd Bahá’í World Congress, held in NYC in November, 1992.

By: James Wilkinson

James Wilkinson — Sat, 27 May 2017 17:27:37 +0000

I was a dorm student at an Air Force/USAID high school in Ankara, Turkey. To keep us teenagers amused or at least occupied, we occasionally had contests in the dorm. One question during one of the contests was something like “Who was the jazz player with the horn bell that pointed up at an angle?”

I knew the answer because even as a high school teen, I was a jazz fan…and I was not yet a Baha’i; that would come decades later. I won the competition that day.

By: Arthur Winner

Arthur Winner — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 12:24:31 +0000

In reply to Dorothy Longo.

Hi Brent,
I don’t know the first thing about trumpets but I had the good fortune to hear Dizzy play at Ronnie Scott in London back in the early seventies. I remember his trumpet faced heaven and his cheeks filled with air like sails on a ship.
Arthur, UK

By: Brent Stobbs

Brent Stobbs — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 20:08:01 +0000

In reply to Dorothy Longo.

Dottie (and Mike),
When I gave you a jazz book I had no idea how involved you two were with Manhattan’s jazz scene, or that Mike has written more jazz books than I have read! LOL. Dizzy is one of the best known names in the business and your involvement is amazing. What kind of trumpet did Dizzy usually play? ( I have 150+ horns, ,including Los Angeles Olds (Ambassadors, Supers, even a Mendez, etc., early NY Vincent Bach Strad, late Strad, Doc Severinsen Goetzen , plenty of tubas and baritones, trombones, double bell euphoniums (King, Conn, Buescher,..) Played Rockefeller Center Tubachristmas twice, Boston once, + Columbus every year.
Hope all is well.

Brent S*****
MFHS 1966.
Army 68 -70, MP,
OU BBA72, Capital Law J,D, 1989,

By: Dorothy Longo

Dorothy Longo — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 15:26:19 +0000

Correction to my post below. We have just completed our 13th year of jazz shows. We started on January 6, 2004, so we plan to begin our 14th year in 2017.

With warmest regards,
Dottie Longo

By: Dorothy Longo

Dorothy Longo — Sun, 06 Nov 2016 15:07:11 +0000

Jennifer, my husband Mike Longo has spearheaded the Jazz Tuesdays shows for 14 years and we obtained permission from Dizzy’s wife Lorraine to actually name the Auditorium the John Birks Gillespie Auditorium, to which she gladly consented. Thank you so much for your article. If you have an opportunity to visit on a Tuesday night, please introduce yourself to Mike and me. We are almost finished our 14th year, but the 2017 schedule will be posted in January on http://www.jazzbeat.com under “Shows and events”. With loving gratitude. Dottie Longo

By: Robert Harcourt

Robert Harcourt — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 22:04:08 +0000

Thank you, Jennifer, for a refreshing and enjoyable article. Dizzy is wonderful, and it is such a joy that he was attracted to the Bahá’í Faith. I wish he could still be here to play at one of our gatherings.

By: Steve Eaton

Steve Eaton — Sat, 05 Nov 2016 17:04:19 +0000

Thanks, Jennifer!