is it just me or does Dizzy not get the respect he deserves
was he too white bread to parker's whacked out manifestos
Other than Dizzy’s Afro-Cuban stuff which arguably has a lot to do with guys like Machito and Chico O’Farrill- and of course his bebop work with Charlie Parker and on his own- his stuff from the late 50s on is just not very appreciated..the records are a dime a dozen… I can’t think of one I or most people really value…
I think this hurts his reputation although he is considered one of the bebop pioneers and respected
I mean just compare his evolution to his successor in Parker’s quintet, Miles. Davis reinvented himself many times…kept pushing limits and exploring. Dizzy tread much more conservative ground. It’s not really Gillespie’s fault that his career went on so long from one boring record to the next…he put in his 15 years of creativity… Louis Armstrong is sort of the same….very appreciated for his 1920s-1930s stuff and then nothing (although I like some of his stuff)
Maybe there was also a bit of backlash against Armstrong and Gillespie got being considered too willing to smile for white people and not doing enough for black people… Satchmo was definitely considered an Uncle Tom… I think Miles couldn’t stand that about him…
Guys like Ellington that are able to find popular acceptance over decades are rare but even he recorded a lot of records that do nothing for most people
