From his earliest days in the trumpet sections of big bands led by Teddy Hill, Cab Calloway, Les Hite, Lucky Millinder and Billy Eckstine, Dizzy Gillespie wanted to front an orchestra of his own. His first shot came in 1946 when he formed a bebop big band in New York and recorded for Musicraft and played New York clubs. His bop band continued into 1947,…
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