To Be or Not to Bop: The Autobiography of Dizzy Gillespie

This innovative memoir of jazz genius Dizzy Gillespie offers a compelling account of black American music during one of its most significant periods. You don't need to be familiar with John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie's compositions to sense his profound influence. The self-taught trumpet player ascended from a modest but musically rich upbringing to become a true jazz visionary, founding the bebop movement and giving rise to Afro-Cuban music.

This extensive biography is interwoven with insightful reflections from a host of Gillespie's celebrated associates, including Cab Calloway, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Mary Lou Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, and numerous others. Their contributions provide a multitude of perspectives on Gillespie's early steps on the path to fame and the vibrant times that ensued.

To Be, or Not . . . to Bop is a unique narrative that serves both as an engaging history lesson in American music and culture and as a towering, blow-by-blow account of a life that deserves to be remembered. It offers a lively and insightful journey through a pivotal era in music, seen through the eyes of one of its most innovative and influential figures and those who shared his remarkable journey.