Dizzy Gillespie

This lively portrait of one of the greatest trumpet players of all time may spring from Les Blank's own love for the trumpet, the instrument he played as a child. In any case, it was Blank's profound interest in jazz that made Gillespie the subject of his first documentary in 1964. The film is obviously brimming with music, but Blank also shows the trumpet player in rare footage, musing on his music and his life. In addition, we see fragments of Gillespie in concert with his famous quintet. He also rehearses with Stan Kenton and the Los Angeles Neophonic Orchestra, for which he performed as the first guest soloist in 1965.