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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid, But No Surprises, June 20, 2005
Obviously, the two books to compare this work with are Dizzy's own 1979 "To Be or Not to Bop" and Alyn Shipton's 1999 "Groovin' High." Dizzy's book was a disjointed, subjective, sometimes annoying, but deeply insightful oral history. Shipton's book was a straightforward bio that attempted to avoid the "he recorded this, then he recorded that" syndrome by alternating chronological chapters with evaluations of the recordings available from each period in the previous chapter. A good idea, but a lack of specific enough information as to recording dates, locations and labels defeated the purpose.
You won't miss anything if you choose either Maggin's or Shipton's book. Shipton covers the pre-bop/pre WW II period more, while Maggin gives a deeper discussion of Dizzy's incredibly fertile late 50's and early 60's period. If you are not one hundred percent sure what bop is, or why Charlie Parker or Theloneous Monk are so important, Maggin's book is better, because he breaks the story to explain these points without being patronizing. He does start to dip into the "recorded this, recorded that" syndrome in the latter decades of Dizzy's life, but it doesn't get really bad. Overall, Maggin's book reads a little smoother, a little better. What surprises me the most is that during the six years between Shipton's and Maggin's book, absolutely nothing new seems to have come out, not even in the ongoing legal dispute over royalties between Dizzy's widow Lorraine and jazz vocalist Jeanne Bryson, who claims to be his daughter by another woman. (Both Shipton and Maggin conclude that more probably than not, she is.)
In any case, read either Shipton's book or Maggin's. Then, once you know the basic whos, whats, wheres and whens, beg, borrow or let yourself get ripped off for a used copy of Diz's own autobiography, which is where the REAL fun is!
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Book on Birks, April 10, 2005
This is by far the most revealing (because best researched), most fascinating, and best written biography about Dizzy Gillespie and his times yet available. Uniquely informative musical explanations of Dizzy's contribitions to be-bop and his use of Afro-Cuban elements in jazz, propelling that music from the Swing Era into jazz of today and tomorrow. Also presents the social and historical context of Dizzy's story, from cotton picking in Cheraw,SC to world renown and jazz immortality. Only thing not explained, because it's unexplainable: how and why he was gifted with and then powerfully developed such prodigious talent -- the Mozart of jazz!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
It was the women in his life, July 27, 2005
Dizzy Gillespie was truly blessed. Not only with an amazing talent and the ability that allowed him to grasp and expand on the concepts of harmony and rhythm, but by the women in his life who made his success possible. It began with his mother, who after the death of Dizzy's abusive dad when the boy was only 9, worked long, hard hours as a seamstress, laundress, and house cleaner to provide for her children. Then there was Dizzy's third grade teacher who realized he had special talent and encouraged his musicality and eventually recruited him for the school band. Next it was a student nurse at the Laurinberg Institute, who lobbied for his admission to the Institute that was noted for its two commercial bands and where Dizzy got a first-class musical education. There was the daughter of the Institute's owners who, in her free time, taught Dizzy the intricacies of the piano. This became an important instrument to Dizzy's success, as he was now able to work out new and challenging harmonies at the keyboard. And further, because of his ability to play piano and read music, he was one of the few be-boppers of his generation who was able to chart the music they were creating, without which much of the music probably would not have survived. Finally came sweet Lorraine, whom Dizzy met in 1937 at a time when he was only able to obtain occasional band work. After their meeting, Dizzy hit financial bottom, and when Lorraine discovered him begging for money for food, she began to help him. Soon they moved in together and were married within three years, and until the end of his life, 53 years later, she provided support and financial stability. Dizzy was a spendthrift who would have kept the family broke if Lorraine had not stepped in and taken over the finances of both Dizzy and his bands. And Dizzy was constantly surrounded by addictive and illegal substances that Lorraine kept at bay. Author Maggin follows Dizzy's life as he progresses from swing music to the small cadre of instrumentalists who created the new form of jazz, be bop. This modernistic approach to jazz was first derided by critics and audiences alike, but eventually, as listeners became accustomed to the somewhat cacophonic sound, be bop supplanted swing in popularity. To this new creation, Dizzy added Afro-Cuban sounds to start another musical revolution. Some of Dizzy's contemporaries took the music even further with fusion and free styles, but in 1949, Dizzy began to realize that his music had gone too far when he bemoaned, "The trouble with bop as it is played today is that people can't dance to it," and he reigned in his horn to earn acclaim and wealth for the rest of his life. Maggin does a superb job of explaining the intricate changes from swing to be bop to Afro-Cuban as he relates the development of this new music. He gives us interesting comments along with mini-bios on the musicians involved, many of them superstars, who worked in and around Dizzy's big bands and small groups. From time to time he slips into "and then he recorded" modes, but he sprinkles in enough colorful material to make them painless. He even lets us know when Dizzy recorded a clunker, as he often did when he tried to appeal to rock audiences in the 1960s. It would have been helpful if Maggin had created a glossary of musical terms, as I found myself returning to earlier pages to refresh myself on how he explained technical concepts such as diatonic harmony and flatted fifths. This is a happy book about a giant of a man who brought joy to others while exalting in his own life. From a lad picking cotton to an ambassador of good will playing "Salt Peanuts" with President Jimmy Carter, Gillespie had a magical ride and Maggin takes us along every joyous step of the way in this well-researched, organized, and comprehensive biography.
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