Groovemanifestophilosophossifiedfunkafiedbonafidegroovemakersunite!

Here's a story about my experiences with Dizzy Gillespie...

"HOP IN"

Back in 1977, I was living in London, England performing and rehearsing with the group Brand X... I ran into a great friend of mine Rodney Jones. He and I had met around 1970 during our high school years. We have shared and nurtured life dreams ever since! :-)

YO,
FRIENDSHIP ROCKS!
:-)

Well he was performing with Dizzy Gillespie, and he had written a song and we had such a history of playing and jamming together, he knew I could play his song without rehearsal, and I knew it, too. :-)

So he arranged for me to sit in with Diz! (thankx dude you how we do - u gottit like dat)

Dizzy called me on-stage, the tune was a blast and a lot of musicians were in the audience... Tony Williams, Hubert Laws, Stan Getz, Bobby Humphrey.

Well like two years later I get this phone call... "How would you like to go to Washington D.C with me?"

Oh, uhh OK, I said, in a daze from going to bed early. Yeah that sounds like fun.

"Do you know who this is?" said the voice on the other line.

"Sure" this is Brian Paris, correct?

"No"

"Well who is it?"

"DIZZY, GILLESPIE" the voice said with a swagger and a smile.

"Oh wow! I'm sorry Diz, I thought you were a steel pan player I know. Of course! I'd LOVE to go to Washington DC with you. :-)

"OK, then meet me at the bridge at 11:00 tomorrow."

<<click>>

"Huh?"

And so I was left wondering if it was really Diz and whether I should meet him with a drum set and whether I should meet him at 11:00AM or PM, and whether he wanted me to meet him at the George Washington bridge or what. New Jersey side? Manhattan side?

Well I went back to sleep... When I woke up the next morning, I had no number for Dizzy, so I just started preparing the best I could and making my way to the George Washington Bridge.

I took a small drum set and went to the part of the bridge which goes to New Jersey.

I saw a graying African American gentleman in a station wagon around 11:00AM... I good naturedly asked with a chuckle...
"You wouldn't happen to know Dizzy Gillespie would you?"
He said
"Hop in"...