DOWNFRONT JAZZ SERIES PRESENTS “DIZZY GILLESPIETM ALL STARS” AT UCPAC ON JUNE 5th June 5, 2009

The DownFront Jazz Series presents The Dizzy GillespieTM All Stars, on Friday June 5, 2009 at 8:00 PM. The legacy of Dizzy Gillespie lives on through the many musicians who have worked with him throughout his career. The Dizzy Gillepsie All Stars are Claudio Roditi (Trumpet), Michael Dease (Tenor Sax & Trombone), Roy Assaf (Piano), John Lee (Bass) and Vincent Ector (Drums).

Bassist, composer, educator and producer, John Lee was born June 28, 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1982, John joined the McCoy Tyner Quintet, where he worked until joining the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet, the 70th Anniversary Big Band and the United Nation Orchestra until 1992 when Dizzy became ill. As of present John is producing and writing as well as working with the Dizzy Gillespie Alumni All-Stars, Dizzy Gillespie Big Band, Sonny Rollins, Jon Faddis, Slide Hampton, Claudio Roditi, Gregory Hines and the Fantasy Band, a group formed with Chuck Loeb, Marion Meadows and Dave Samuels. He is also the program director for “DIZZY: The Man and the Music”, the official concert and clinic program celebrating the life and work of John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie.

Claudio Roditi was born May 28, 1946 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began his musical studies when he was just five years old. His native Brazilian music upbringing almost took a back seat as he became enamored with jazz and heard recordings of Louis Armstrong, Harry James and other American trumpeters. In 1976 Roditi moved to New York from Boston and began the arduous process of establishing himself in the highly competitive atmosphere of the world’s jazz capital. He quickly broke into the local circuit, performing and recording with Joe Henderson, Charlie Rouse, Herbie Mann, Tito Puente, McCoy Tyner and Paquito D’Rivera. Beginning in 1989, Roditi traveled for several years as a member of Dizzy Gillespie’s United Nation Orchestra and then toured with The Jazz Masters, a Gillespie tribute group led by Slide Hampton. His solo work SYMPHONIC BOSSA NOVA with Ettore Stratta and the Royal Philharmonic earned Roditi a Grammy nomination in 1995.

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