Sometimes called "the greatest jazz orchestra ever assembled in the Americas," Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra is considered the best ensemble of his epic career. Inspired by his belief that the earth is one country and humanity its citizens, the United Nation Orchestra melded the sounds of younger musicians from the United States and outstanding players and singers from Brazil, Cuba, and Panama.
Dizzy Gillespie - This exceptional one-hour documentary (1990) includes a wealth of rare footage and interviews throughout Dizzy's career.
Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra in London - A 90-minute full concert by this amazing team of musicians!
Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra in Chile - Another 90-minute full concert!
Dizzy Gillespie and the United Nation Orchestra in Germany - A three-peat! Another 90-minute full concert at the Hamburg Jazz Festival.
Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey - This was before the United Nation Orchestra, but how could I not include this occasion when three jazz greats played together?
Integrating Houston Jazz Audiences . . . Lands Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie in Jail - Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie were two unique forces in jazz, and when they collaborated, it was amazing. This is the story of how their collaboration in an effort to integrate a performance in Houston, Texas, landed them in jail.
Lover Man - Although they worked together many times, good recordings of Dizzy Gillespie and Ella Fitzgerald actually on the stage together are scarce on the internet. This is one of the few, from their time touring together in 1947.
Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie - A photo of Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie working together at the Downbeat Club, in New York. Here's another photo of them performing together to a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in 1947.
Hearing "the Divinity in the Music": Dizzy Gillespie Remembered at 100 - Reflecting on Dizzy Gillespie's greatness would be incomplete without reflecting on the Baháʼí beliefs that inspired his work—that all human beings are part of one family. Of related interest: Dizzy Gillespie interview about the Bahá'í Faith.