In March of 1956, bebop trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and his band embarked for Southern Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia on the first U.S. State Department Jazz tour.
The urgency to strengthen the image of America in the Mediterranean led him to Athens for a series of concerts. And Dizzy, with his spell-binding virtuosity, arresting solos, and egalitarian sensibilities buoyed by playful humor, won over a wide variety of audiences.
Dizzy at the Acropolis of Athens in 1956
Greeks had been rioting in Athens in May 1956, protesting America's resolve to support the British in the struggle for Cyprus. Newspapers were asking why America was sending Jazz bands to Greece instead of guns.
Dizzy's opening concert was staged for the same students who had just thrown rocks at the windows of the U.S. Information Service. Tension was high as the band started to play and students jeered. Quickly, an ominous silence fell.
And then... as the band roared and swung, the jeers turned to cheers and the riot had turned to roaring approval with hats, jackets and other apparel thrown to the ceiling. The crowd was so taken that they carried Dizzy out on their shoulders to Omonoia square stalling traffic in the center of Athens.
Dizzy Gillespie and Quincy Jones at the Acropolis of Athens
Dizzy in Greece album
A music album of the Athens tours was made. However, this record was not made in Greece. It was recorded with the same personnel that toured Greece, but in May 1956 in New York.
About the Dizzy Gillespie and his band tour in Athens Kaiti Kasimati-Mirivili gives us some usefull information in her interview with Thanos Foscarinis, published in "Eleftherotypia" newspaper on October 23, 2010.
«...There is a special night that we experienced together with Manos Hadzidakis many years ago.
One of the groups that came to Athens from New York was a jazz orchestra, which consisted of black musicians, led by trumpeter and orchestra conductor Dizzy Gillespie, one of the sacred monsters of jazz. Orchestrator (arranger) and pianist of the band was the young Quincy Jones, the famous jazz composer.
Three concerts were given at the "Rex" Theater, which of course Hadzidakis attended and then met with the musicians. Because the invitations to these concerts were based on a very formal protocol, Gillespie was not pleased with the concert audiences, so he asked to offer a concert exclusively for students with free admission.
That was a crazy night. The student body swarmed the theater, the young people hanging like bunches of grapes from the gallery, clapping and chanting Gillespie's name. When the concert was over, they rushed to the stage, lifted Gillespie in their arms and carried him down to Omonia square.
The next day an interview was scheduled in the afternoon with Gillespie and Quincy Jones, at the radio booths of Zappeion, for the radio show of Achilleas Mamakis "The theater on the microphone". Hadzidakis also came along and when the interviews were over, it was already late at night.
Hadzidakis suggested that we all go out for dinner at a music restaurant in Tzitzifies where Tsitsanis was playing. We explained to our friends who Tsitsanis was and we went. Hadzidakis introduced Tsitsanis to the American musicians and mentioned their music. He welcome us us with a great joy and kindness.
Our guests were so excited by the music and songs they heard from Tsitsanis and Papaioannou that at one point when Tsitsanis invited Gillespie and Jones to play something together they both went on stage. Quincy Jones sat at the piano, Gillespie played his trumpet and Tsitsanis bouzouki, creating an incredible jam session! I still regret that we did not have a portable tape recorder with us to record this unusual music that came out of the improvisations.»
