ETV Classics
Cheraw for Dizzy (1975)
Season 2 Episode 11 | 28m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Follow Dizzy Gillespie's return home to Cheraw, South Carolina.
Written, produced and narrated by Zane Knauss, Cheraw by Dizzy follows the jazz great Dizzy Gillespie's return home to Cheraw, South Carolina.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
ETV Classics is a local public television program presented by SCETV
Support for this program is provided by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.
ETV Classics
Cheraw for Dizzy (1975)
Season 2 Episode 11 | 28m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Written, produced and narrated by Zane Knauss, Cheraw by Dizzy follows the jazz great Dizzy Gillespie's return home to Cheraw, South Carolina.
Problems with Closed Captions? Closed Captioning Feedback
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship(Zane Knauss) This is Cheraw, South Carolina... a bird sanctuary.
Perhaps a wrcoincidence for the discning jazz fan, for it also is the birplace of John Birks Gillpie.
and people here callede by that name.
But some want to bsmart now and call me Diy.
(Knauss) The whole worl has the smarts now because justbout everyone everywhereutside Cheraw calls John Birksillespie "Dizzy Gillespie (Gilleie) When I moved to Phidelphia in 1935, My brother-in-w went to the pawnshop anbought me one... and didn buy me a case.
I used.
, "You know that diz trumpet player from downouth."
(Knas) Dizzy Gillespie, music revolutiary, jazz immortal, worlditizen, is Cheraw's modern-daylaim to fame.
the launchpa for the flatted fifth, the bent truet, d a word now found in every published dictionary...bop.
we had numrs where I would call off number.
I didn't call ofa name... [scatting] I'd y, "Bebop, a-dop, a-dop--daa, ba-bebop... ba-dop-a-do-da, ba-dbop, ba-boo-bop."
So they'd hear us dointhat, then theress picked it up, and it bebop.
Our music sounds ke that.
[scattg] Ba-dap-a-do, a-do-bap-p, boo-bap-bap-bap, da-do a-bop, da-bam, do-bam, da-bam oom-bop, da-bam, ba-d bada-do, do-bop, ba-dap-a-do, ao-bap-bap, boo-bap-bap, ddo, a-bebo da-bam, do-bam, da-bam, oobop, da-bam.
[no audio] -dap-a-do, a-do-bap-bap, o-bap-bap-bap, da-do.
So this man o bent American music toew directions(Knauss) comes home to Chaw... often.
Yeah, you know, what's rprising to me, though, about, younow, out in the Gillespie cou, I asked the lady, and she saysit's about 30%, uh..
Occupancy.
Yeah, occupancy.
They've only been open about 30 days.
Ohhh...well, it'll a little time.
I may have to fill out lot of papers.
Not too many... wel make it easy!
We anticipate within2 months that theroject will be probably 90% You did go look at it?
You saw llespie Street?
Yes... as a matter fact, I wanted to make an application to get o of the apartments, but the girlsay I make too much money.
Tom McCallum, edor of our paper, t a letter from some guy o'd been to Kansas City, where they named a stet after you.
He said, "Why dot you people in Cheraw geon the ball?
This is ere Dizzy was born."
We tolhim we were way ahead of h... we had thplans made.
I real appreciate that too...I me, it's nice.
But what waso funny, when Iirst got the name of the stre, it's spelledD-i-z-z-i-e.
I didn'!
Naw, but I got that one That's gonna be a collecr's item.
You know, in theuture, th D-i-z-z-i-e Dizzy Gillespie, that's gon be a collector, so I just holdin' onto that.
We wt you to know how proud were, even though we got yo name wrong.
We c put that on the manufacturernot on us!
Yeah, yeah, t you see, you know thatheraw knows how I feel aboutem, anI know how Cheraw feels aboume.
It's a growing love affair, really.
Well, you've be too busy.
You've been to Europ.. getting ready to go baul.
You ed to work us in at leastnce a year.
We're counting on tt.
How aboufor the Bicentennial...
I'd love to... that'd bnice.
Let's ta about it.
Bicentennial, th'd be nice.
You're goingo play a session tonight with se of your old crowd.
Bern Tillman's gonna be out there Bernis is a good friendf mine.
♪ [jazz umpet] and everyo connected with Dizzy's vit to Cheraw had the idea to brin Dizzy and his horn togetr with some olfriends he made music wi ♪ He showed up f the musical reunion withillespie , a refrigerator with a baracked on, a somewhat excsive establishment with aosphere, but, until this occasi, no soul or feminine myique.
On this night, in hor of Gillespie's return me it had all three.
e ] [applause] ♪ [Tillman playingazz piano] ♪ ♪ [Tillm pounding out chords] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (Knauss) Even musally, perhaps Thomas Wol was right... you can't go home again.
It was a go try.
Tillman cameo play, and so did Dizzy Yearago, Tillman went into t cleaning business, freezing his fingersn chords he learned in th'30s.
♪ (male speaker) All righ now.
(Knauss) John Birks became "Dizzy," creative mician extraordinaire, who turned the jazz ene upside down and insi out.
Dizzy's heart and soul we willing.
The nd and the trumpet simply cldn't recall the simpleeginnings of 40 years pa. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [applae and cheering] [applause and eering] You don't know what it mns to me to come back to Cher and visit old friends and to meenew friends.
It's bee.
It's been lagreat and a spiritual expeence.
Ain't gonna be is long no more.
Okay, seyou.
All right, take care.
cuse me, y'all.
[bir chirping] (Kuss) Dizzy Gillespie was ven the coveted Handel Mal, New rk City's most prestigio arts award, and, as part of a courrent Newport Jazz Festil program in famed Caegie Hall, relatives anfriends from Cheraw, including then-Mayor Ingram.
In m10 years as mayor, that was mhighlight!
Oh, thank you.
We enjoyed havingou.
y nice to us.
in the city hall was wonrful.hy Then the Carnegie Hall ccert, of course, was-- [lghs] Had you on the stage there!
Yoshould have told me!
that you were gonna on the stage, because-- Well, that madit more exciting, I reckon.
ss Wilson was excited, and wead a great time.
My son Clayton real enjoyed it too.
illespie, recording) It ges me a great deal of plsure to bring to y now Mayor Miller Ingram of Cheraw, South Carolina.
Won't u come up, Mr. Mayor?
You've always be mighty good to Cheraw, Diz.
You give us lot of free publicity!
Well, love Cheraw...
I really le this city.
th from your roots, you real.... (Ingram, recording First I'd like a show of hds.
Is there aone that doesn't know whe Cheraw is?
Cher's a proud old town.
It's proud ofts old history and its social d industrial progress.
ngram, recording) Well, you three unfortunate pele, it's a little town ia it produces talent for w York City.
[audienclaughing] (Gillespie) d I know this, that you're e cause of much of the proess.... (Ingram, recording) We have the best two exples in the world in Dzy Gillespie and John Moty.
[audience plauding] Its an honor to be here inew York City.
to visin We are mighty proud of u.
Thank you.
[audience applaudi] [no audio] (Knaus John Birks lived he on Huger Street.
[birdshirping] Thhome disappeared long ago Gillespie recalls the cod and the bad when he d this street were young.
(Gillespie My brother Wesley usedo have nightmares.
He'dee the wood man.
There was an old, ugly, white man that used to sell wood, because all of us had fiplaces.
But he was theugliestsoul!
I don'think I've ever seen anydy asgly as this guy since.
Wesley ud to have nightmares abo him.
He'd say"The wood man is gonna gete!"
in the b. I'dm Onmorning I didn't get up ft enough, you know, those pitcrs you have, He knocked it do and cut his hand badly.
♪ [up-tempo pianmusic] (Knauss) Bend the wheel of Mayor Jacks's car, ♪ [rhythmic clapping tmusic] ♪ [trumpeter joi pianist] ♪ ♪ (Gillespie) When the sta bought instruments for bert Smalls, the mo chance you get to get whayou want.
Well, I was ttle, and they gave me arombone.
I couldn even reach to the fifthosition.
Then one Christmas, il Brother Harrington's father broughhim one of those shiny truets.
.
I said, ill you let me practice ont?"
Heays, "Yeah."
Finall I became pretty fair athat, and that's when ss Alice Wilson discovereme.
♪ [piano music] [knocking] Come in.
Miss Wilson... y, how you doin'?
(Gillespie, rerding) Ladies and gentlem, we have the nor and the pleasure of havingin the audience tt a young woma who started me off in muc in Cheraw, SoutCarolina.
I'd li her to come up and take aow, because she'the cause of my being in mic.
dies and gentlemen, Misslice Wilson.
[audience applaudi] ♪ [playing "Ain't Misbehavin'"] ♪ (Gilleie, voice-over) Miss Ali Wilson couldn't read muc herself, but she's a veryifted composer, and veryood ears.
e could hear songs and pi it out, in B-flat.
y lice Wilson made the arrgements.
She uld say, "Well, here's t note you play."
[chuckli] And I played it!
♪ ♪ ) This is Robe Smalls School whe Dizzy first met Mrs. W son.
Integrated n, but kids are kids, , kn who Dizzy Gillespie is.
This is the first scho I went to.
got a wuppin' the first da (child.
Huh...you d?
What'd you do?
What'd you do to get the wuppin'?
Fight.
She used to take that strap and I think she got mad wi herself, she'd come baclike this and hit herself fit.
[childn laughing] You a trumt player?
n you make a sound on a mouthece?
Sir?
[air whistng through mouthpiece] outhpiece toots] Play the horn.
[trumpet note blares] [playing riff on truet] can't do that!
Ye you can!
No, sir!
and put it up your lip and play without first rmin' up is very difficult.
Leme tell you what I do.
when I go to pla I say... [makes trumpetke noise] Do that.
rumpetlike noise] Make a sound for me.
[trumpetlike noi] Now, it mit seem silly, but look wt's happening.
When you dthat, your lip vibrates, and the blood cometo your lip.
[tr] en after you do that for abt 10 minutes, you take your moutiece, and you say... [sonorous note fr mouthpiece] See, afterp,ou do that-- that's the three .
[trump blares] You know your positns... one, two, the, four, five, six, seven.
And then you do eye-eeeye-ee, eye-ee.
laying riff on trumpet] And on.
Notice I missedtha?
That's because my lip--Iardly ever miss when I'm pying.
"I little, but I'm loud, "a no one in this crowd can be me doin' my stuff.
"When Basay hidy-ho, you look for mor nd you never know when you'vhad enough.
"I can dancend sing about as well as you "and I can doanything I'm big enough to do can at me doin' my stuff."
thisd Hallelah!
Ooh, is is great...
I like this!
All of the compositions of yours and pory and dedications and everytng, You know... e of these days, to happen-ere is one.g is going Here's o here...
I'll read that one "It isn't the rson who makes the most fuss "who has the mo generous heart, "for generally 's just an ornery cuss a dime from e start.
"who's noh "For many ofhe things that he does just r show, "Butown to the core, he hardly camanage his bore.
"But wch for the one who is general calm, "the one who h little to say.
willarely do harm, "The quiet r That's butiful.
That sound ke me!
How about a riddle "'Twas built fore, but at this time, "I lent it to a frid of mine.
"Thoh it was new and never used, "this wort one was not diffused.
Answer...Joseph's new mb in which Jesus was placed.
that is nice.
That's nice... beautiful stf here.
You've [laughin ♪ (Wilso recording) He told me jt to say hello, but I'll try tsay how proud I am.
If I could tell yo I would, but I don't believe I caexpress that.
I feel shonored, and I'm so pleas that's being done, by my little bad boy here.
[audience lahing] (Gilspie) I'm bad too, honey (Wilso It's an honor to be here [audience applauding] ♪ ♪ Miss Wiln.old times, It's so ni to know th we can still play songs thatave melody, boom-boom-boom-bm.t Yeah, that's rig!
[laughing] I like to think abt when you were John Birks.
Afr you got to be Dizzy, I justidn't understand you.
[bds chirping] ♪ [jazz musi (Knauss) As aestless teenager, Dizzy was happy to cut awafrom Cheraw ce the opportunity came.
The opportunitcame from a town t much bigger than Cheraw.
It came from Laurinbg, North Carolina.
♪ Laurinburg Instute needed a trumpet.
John Birks Gillespie was the choice.
♪ He was given a scholp t to a lifelonfriendship th the remarkable McDuff family, including Lainburg Institute's currenpresident, Frank .
He and his childn, sisters, and other meers of the clan e never far from the matarch ofhis proud family, Mrs. Fra McDuffie Sr. You know... (Knauss) This lady, 94 ars young, and her late hband and introduced John Birks Gillespie to the world.
They honed his skis, gave him discipline anpride, and when he was ready, but he rembers.
It's fantastic becausthe truth is always the trut It's never a lie, so wha you had in mind back there becauis holding true is alfor ght now.t Well, I hadvery high hs I wanted them to be the best, anI wanted to learn them hoto mix with people and live witpeople and to make good and not beshamed because they were blk.
And at that time, seem they didn'tnow anything about thosehings.
e and sit around and listen, d I would get them in big groups and would tell them honecessary this thing gonna one day and how necessary it is toet these things now while we are ying to help you, because you're gonna need it.
There'll come a ti when you gonna need the things.
Learn how to use them.
(Frank McDuffie .)
I've always felt th this is an important point in the formativestages of so manyoung boys' and girls' lives, That'sne reason why we've continuethe school today, because we feel can reach boys and girls who need dection and purpose to their les.
(Mrs. McDuffie) I told ty of BookeWashington down at Tuskegeend Hampton, Virginia, People wergiving their lives in order for them to receive a higher education, using their has as well as their heart, and using their ad, learning how to do tngs, learning how to be somody.
That's what we need in this world.
We need ople who can do things andbesomebody!
It took somebody who hadpaties to learn how to rch down and t that one you thought woul't make it.
Whoever uld have thought you would ve gone where you are?
(Glespie) I was gonna be a gangster!
You know, thatas said... "I get so tireof that little Gillespie bo" (Gillespie) The patien y'all had-- That's right... that it.
(Gillespie) Yomust have the patience oJob.
If we hadn't, you woul't have been where you are day, brother.
(Gillesp) I'm sure of that!
♪ [melodus jazz trumpet] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [bds chirping]
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ETV Classics is a local public television program presented by SCETV
Support for this program is provided by The ETV Endowment of South Carolina.