As renowned jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval prepares for the finale performance of his Blues Alley gig, his thoughts are never far from memories of his mentor, friend and musical colleague, the late Dizzy Gillespie.
“He helped me so much; he took care of me, you know?” said Cuban-born Sandoval. “He really encouraged me to continue practicing, to be confident that someday there would be [musical] recognition.”
The year was 1977, when Sandoval, a classically trained trumpet player with only two recordings on his resume, first met Gillespie, who was performing in Havana.
| If you go |
| Arturo Sandoval |
| Where: Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW |
| When: 8 and 10 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $43; 202-337-4141; bluesalley.com |
They clicked immediately, and their chance encounter marked the beginning of a friendship that would last two decades.
In the years that followed, Sandoval formed his own band, playing music with jazz and Afro-Cuban influences. He began recording and traveling world-wide. He was also a guest artist that jumped genres and style when he recorded with the likes of Johnny Mathis, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and many others.
When living and working in his Communist homeland was no longer an option for Sandoval and his family, it was Dizzy Gillespie who arranged for their defection to the United States. Here, Sandoval’s career flourished. There were recordings and Grammy Awards for the trumpet player. He even composed a piece, “Trumpet Concerto,” which he performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in the mid-1990s.
“I have been, and always will be, so grateful to Dizzy,” Sandoval remarked. “He was such an important figure to me. Not just in my career, but in my life.”
So, how do you thank someone who unselfishly changed your life?
“Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You)” is Arturo Sandoval’s tribute album to his friend. Released on May 8, the CD features ten classic songs of Dizzy Gillespie, such as “Salt Peanuts” and “Tin Tin Deo,” each framed in big-band arrangements.
Sunday, Sandoval on trumpet, along with his quintet made up of saxophone, piano, bass, drums and percussion, will showcase a few of those songs in addition to other jazz classics.
“I never plan a set,” Sandoval explained. “I get up on the stage with my band — they know my music and everything I play — and I call the tunes onstage.”
And there, onstage, the spirit of Dizzy will triumph.
