A few years ago a very talented artist from Newark Jerry Gant, invited me to participate in a show he was putting together at the WBGO Radio station there. Being that WBGO is primarily a jazz station, I chose to paint a portrait of Dizzy. As an artist, I believe more and more that you can only work with what you know. Dizzy Gillespie and his music is a personal experience for me. My encounter with his music and introduction to Jazz happened many years ago in the city of Kolkata – my hometown at the time. I recall him arching his ears to catch a prayer tune at a nearby mosque, playing it on his saxophone, and then improvising on it, while we listened to him stunned and amazed! Not a beat was lost in translation! Today both Dizzy and Kolkata are far from my daily experience yet both are ingrained deep within my consciousness…
