SKU: GI.G-8651
From the Memoirs of
Arturo Sandoval.
Composed by Marianela
Sandoval and Robert S.
Simon. Music Education.
Book (not sheet music).
252 pages. GIA
Publications #8651.
Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-8651).
ISBN
9781622770656.
Visi
t 2013 Midwest Clinic
Page 2013 marks the 20th
anniversary of the
passing of Dizzy
Gillespie, a master
entertainer and one of
the greatest jazz
musicians of all time.
This book celebrates the
relationship and
influence Dizzy had with
Arturo and his family.
Through amazing
photographs and stories,
this book tracks the
remarkable story of how
the two met in Cuba
during a very restrictive
period and the eventual
role Dizzy would play in
Arturo’s flight to
freedom. It also recounts
the modest start and
parallels that exist
between the two musicians
as well as their career
developments. Throughout
his career Dizzy
Gillespie faced a huge
challenge to achieve
success as a black man
born in the South with
limited education. He
endured the hardship of
the Great Depression as
well as the humiliation
and restrictions of the
deep-rooted racism and
segregation of the time.
Decades later, Arturo
Sandoval suffered his own
bonds of tyranny when he
was forbidden the freedom
to perform the music he
loved. While serving his
three years of obligatory
military service in Cuba,
he was jailed for three
months for listening to
the “Voice of
America†program
hosted by Willis Conover
on a short wave radio.
Both Dizzy and Arturo
were angered and
demoralized by their
individual circumstances,
yet both found ways to
persevere no matter the
political or social
consequences of the
times. One does not have
to look far to realize
the level of affection
that quickly grew between
Dizzy Gillespie and
Arturo Sandoval. Their
relationship was not only
one of
mentor-proteÌgeÌ,
but also a father-son
type of kinship. Dizzy
never had a son until he
met Arturo. In
Arturo’s words,
were it not for Dizzy
“ maybe I would
have ended up in jail, or
worse, because nothing
good could have happened
to me if I stayed
there.†One of
Dizzy’s greatest
achievements and
contributions to music
was not only the
discovery, but the
encouragement and
promotion of Arturo
Sandoval. Arturo
Sandoval's life was the
subject of the film For
Love or Country.
Arturo Sandoval
