The life of Dizzy Gillespie is a remarkable odyssey from the racism of South Carolina, where he was born in 1917, to the heights of musical accolades as a trumpeter, composer, arranger, bandleader and one of the creators of a new musical form, bop, and an instigator of Afro-Cuban influences in jazz. Gillespie ultimately became a musical ambassador to the world, and his rise is chronicled in details that discuss his music, his career, and his associations in detail, including commentary from his peers who paint him as a truly loveable character.

Donald L. Maggin is a writer and concert producer. He was a board member of the American Jazz Orchestra, served in the Carter White House for three years, is an editor of the literary journal The Reading Room, and is a trustee of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. He is also the author of Stan Getz: A Life in Jazz.